Sierra Leone’s National Export Strategy: Implementation Issues and Recommendations

This report concentrates on the development of an overall strategy for promoting export growth in Sierra Leone. The government of Sierra Leone is strongly motivated to increase net export: as the country‘s products are currently uncompetitive in the international markets, and it is highly dependent on foreign products in a number of important sectors. This paper is divided into two parts; firstly the researchers carried out a desk-review of the National Export Strategy of Sierra Leone in order to identify strengths and weaknesses of the document and secondly they undertook a 10-day scoping visit to Sierra Leone.

Six main findings are identified from the research, of which the main findings are: Private and public capabilities are improving but they are still weak Physical infrastructure is generally poor Problems concerning quality and other standards compliance are still serious There are severe problems in the financial system There are unsolved issues concerning the land tenure systems There is low awareness of local producers about export opportunities The researchers then make concrete recommendations for how the NES can be made more effective, building upon its initial successes and international best practice.