By Sallieu S. Kanu
The World Bank on Thursday, October 3, 2024, launched the Sierra Leone Country Gender Action Plan (C-GAP), a comprehensive roadmap aimed at reducing gender inequalities and promoting gender equality across various sectors in the country. This initiative aligns with the World Bank Group’s Sierra Leone Country Partnership Framework (CPF – 2021-26) and the WBG Gender Strategy for 2024-2030.
The C-GAP is a country-driven analytical and operational framework designed to guide efforts in addressing gender disparities through operations, policies, and advisory work. The plan identifies key priority areas based on extensive analytical work and intends to build synergies with development partners to improve gender outcomes and close stubborn gender gaps.
“The Government of Sierra Leone is committed to advancing gender equality, and we are proud to have partnered with the World Bank to develop the Country Gender Action Plan. We look forward to the Bank’s continued support in turning this plan into action, empowering every woman and girl to thrive,” said Honorable Isata Mahoi, Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs for Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone has made steady progress in advancing gender equality, including human endowment outcomes, compared to its regional peers. Access to education for girls at all levels has increased and is higher than the Sub-Saharan African average. However, significant rural-urban disparities in secondary education among girls persist. The report notes that only 28 percent of rural girls attend secondary school compared to 60 percent of urban girls and 62 percent of urban boys. Access to health care is also a critical constraint for women, especially in rural areas, while in the labor market, they are more vulnerable than men as the nature of their employment is more precarious.
“The launch of the Country Gender Action Plan for Sierra Leone represents a significant step in our commitment to promoting gender equality in the country. This roadmap aims to address critical issues such as economic opportunities and decision-making autonomy for women, and gender-based violence generally. By focusing on these priority areas, we are dedicated to creating a more inclusive and equitable society for all,” said Abdu Muwonge, World Bank Country Manager for Sierra Leone.
The C-GAP highlights key priority areas:
- Boosting women’s resilient livelihood options and wage earnings: Addressing both supply and demand side actions to create greater economic opportunities for women, particularly young women and climate resilient livelihoods for those in rural areas, as well as enhancing women’s livelihood options and wage-earning potential in key sectors such as agriculture and forestry through skills training, equal access to inputs, and business management.
- Promoting women’s decision-making autonomy and agency: Efforts should be focused at enhancing women and girls’ intra-household decision-making and bolstering their participation and leadership in decision-making bodies at the community, government, and other public spheres. Also, promoting young women and girls’ decision-making autonomy over their lives and bodies to improve human development outcomes, labor force participation, and earnings.
- Addressing gender-based violence: Tackling gender-based violence against young women to improve human endowment outcomes and economic participation; and empowering young women by building their social assets, providing access to resources, and developing agency.
“This Country Gender Action Plan is more than just a document; it’s a commitment to the women and girls of Sierra Leone. We’ve worked together to create a roadmap that reflects their voices, dreams, and aspirations,” said Chalwyn Caulker, Social Development Specialist andlead author of the report.
The C-GAP also addresses cross-cutting issues such as climate change, social norms, and exogenous shocks like pandemics, which exacerbate existing structural inequalities faced by women and girls. It emphasizes the importance of addressing social norms that perpetuate gender inequality and the need for a multi-sectoral approach to achieve lasting change.