Sierra Leone country strategic plan (2020-2025)

CSP approved by the EB November 2019 session.

Revision 01 approved by the CD in March 2020.

Revision 02 approved by the RD in July 2020.

Revision 03 approved by the ED in December 2020.

Revision 04 approved by the RD in November 2022.

Revision 05 approved by the EB in December 2024.

Sierra Leone is a low-income, food-deficit country with a population of 7 million. The country is still recovering from the outbreak of Ebola virus disease that ended in 2016. Agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, employing more than 60 percent of the population and accounting for almost half of per capita gross domestic product, which was USD 506 in 2018. Food security has improved since 2015, with the proportion of food-insecure people falling from 49.8 percent to 43.7 percent in 2018. Stunting and global acute malnutrition rates have not changed significantly, and anaemia affects more than 50 percent of children and 70 percent of pregnant women and girls.

This country strategic plan guides WFP’s engagement in Sierra Leone in support of national efforts to end hunger (Sustainable Development Goal 2) and strengthen partnerships for sustainable development (Sustainable Development Goal 17).

WFP will continue to enhance gender mainstreaming in its portfolio, ensuring that the particular food security and nutrition needs of women, men, girls and boys are addressed in a gender-equitable manner through the adaptation of its food assistance to the different needs of women, men, girls and boys; their equal participation in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes; and by building their capacities to increase their decision making power.

Accountability to affected populations, protection, conflict sensitivity and environmental considerations are important cross-cutting issues. Nutrition-sensitive approaches will be followed in all of WFP’s integrated nutrition interventions.

The country strategic plan is in alignment with the Government’s strategies, including the 2019–2023 National Development Plan and the 2019 national zero hunger strategic review, and with the 2020–2023 United Nations development assistance framework. It has five strategic outcomes designed to contribute to WFP Strategic Results 1, 2, 3 and 5:

➢ Strategic outcome 1: Crisis-affected populations in Sierra Leone are able to meet their basic food and nutrition needs during and in the aftermath of crises.

➢ Strategic outcome 2: Primary schoolchildren in targeted areas have access to adequate and nutritious food throughout the year.

➢ Strategic outcome 3: Nutritionally vulnerable populations in targeted districts – including children, pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls – have improved nutritional status in line with national targets by 2025.

➢ Strategic outcome 4: Smallholder farmers and communities in targeted areas have resilient livelihoods that better meet their food security and nutrition needs by 2030.

➢ Strategic outcome 5: National and subnational institutions have strengthened capacities to manage food security and nutrition programmes by 2024.