OCTOBER 2019

Job Demand & Employment Market Analysis Sierra Leone Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 2 was generously by supported NoVo. Learn more athttps://novofoundation.org/ predicated onhierarchy, violence, andthesubordination ofgirlsandwomen. This LaborMarket Assessment on theprinciplesofmutualrespect, collaboration, thereby andcivicparticipation, reversing theoldparadigm individually andcollectively—to helpcreate acaring andbalanced world. We envision aworld thatoperates domination to oneofequality andpartnership. We thedevelopment support ofcapacitiesinpeople— NoVo Foundation isdedicated to catalyzingatransformation inglobalsociety, moving from aculture of ABOUT NOVO FOUNDATION challenges. FHI360serves more than70 countries andallU.S.states andterritories. Learn more atFHI360.org and socialmarketing —creating auniquemixofcapabilitiesto address today’s interrelated development environment, economic development, civilsociety, gender, youth, research, technology, communication advancing integrated, locallydriven solutions.Ourstaffincludes inhealth,education,nutrition, experts FHI 360isanonprofit humandevelopment organization dedicated to improving lives inlasting ways by ABOUT FHI360 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more atbracusa.org design andimplementcost-effective and evidence-based poverty innovations worldwide. Itisanindependent and mobilizingresources to underpinprograms. BRAC USA works closelywithitsinternational counterparts to to BRACsupport around theworld by raising awareness aboutitswork to empower thepoorin11countries Based inNew York, BRAC Americanaffiliate ofBRAC. USA istheNorth BRAC USA provides comprehensive ABOUT BRAC USA social enterprises. Learn more atbrac.net expenditure ofmore than$1billion.Over 75 percent ofitsbudget inBangladeshisself-financed through its human andlegal rights,andmore. BRAC employs nearly100,000 people in11countries, withatotal global These includeinitiatives ineducation,healthcare, microfinance, women andgirls’ empowerment, agriculture, most marginalized peopleinextremely poor, conflict-prone, andpost-disaster settings. BRAC isagloballeaderindeveloping and implementingcost-effective, evidence-based programs to assist the ABOUT BRAC BRAC andFHI360collaborated to leadthisresearch andanalysis. FHI 360. providedwhole orinpart, thematerial isdistributed free ofcharge andthatcredit isgiven to BRAC and © 2019 by FHI360andBRAC USA. Allrightsreserved. This publicationmay bephotocopied oradapted, in

instrumental inconducting fieldinterviews and collecting relevant data to assist thiseffort. Gbao. The KhanaGroup (Liberia)andDalan Development Consultants (Sierra Leone) were including Thelma Foley Ngabe; andtheBRAC Sierra Leone Country Office, notablyJennehM. Aissatou Diallo,particularly CarrieEllettandRosa Taylor; theBRAC LiberiaCountry Office, The assessment team would like to acknowledge oftheBRAC thesupport USA team, (FHI 360). (Consultant), withtechnical inputscontributed by Nora Sohnen(FHI360)andAlecHansen Galloway (FHI360),ElebthelGebrehiwot (FHI360),Whitney Moret (FHI360),GaryWalker and Livelihoods for Adolescents (ELA) program. This report was authored by Thomas well-being. For thisinitiative, FHI360conducted anassessment ofBRAC’s Employment an equitableeducationanddevelop theskillsneededto allow themto secure theireconomic given bothorganizations’ commitment to ensuringallyouth have theopportunity to access This publicationwas developed through apartnership between BRAC USA andFHI360, Acknowledgement 3 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 4 8. Annex: Bibliography 7. 65 Conclusion 6. Analysis of 5. Opportunity Sectors for AGYW Employment Programming Opportunities 57 4. Economic andSector Context andAnalysis 3. The Context andLandscapeAnalysis for Engagement withAGYW 2. 1. Introduction Table ofContents Executive 5 Summary 1 Programmatic Opportunities Constraints Employment 57 56 Pockets Employment Sector of Programs Opportunities and 48 Growth Gap Small 47 Analysis Enterprises 44 43 Policies andRegulations withPotential AGYW-Owned to Support Micro Labor Market Employment Context andChallenges Product Trade Sierra Space 40 Share Leone’s National Level Trends inAGYW SupplyofEducation andTraining Matrix Who are theAdolescent GirlsandYoung Women intheBRAC ELAprogram? Economic Overview for Context of 30 Sierra Demographic Leone Trends37 7 63

44 41 30 19 8 7 5 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 6 KII JSS JDEMA ILO IVS GDP GCR GOSL GAP GAFSP GBV FDI FAO FGD FGM FtF FSU EBA EIA ELA DTDA CRPD CEC CWD BECE ABC AfDB AGOA AGYW ABYM Acronyms Key Informant Interview Junior Secondary School Job DemandandEmployment Market Analysis International LabourOrganization Inland Valley Swamps Gross DomesticProduct Gross Completion Rate Government ofSierra Leone Good Agricultural Practices Global Agriculture &Food Security Program Gender-based Violence Foreign Direct Investment Food andAgriculture Organization Focus Group Discussion Female genital mutilation Feed theFuture Family Unit Support Everything butArms Environmental ImpactAssessment Empowerment andLivelihoods for Adolescents Danish Trade UnionDevelopment Agency Convention ontheRightsofPersons withDisabilities Community Education Center Child Welfare Department Basic Education Certificate Examination Agriculture Business Centers African Development Bank Africa Growth andOpportunity Act Adolescent GirlsandYoung Women Adolescent Boys andYoung Men YS YEEP WTTC WIAN WASSCE VTC VSLA VC UNCTAD TVET SEZ SCP SDF SLeWoFF SLP SOBA SLLCA SSS STEM RCA NGO NU NYC MSWGCA MEST MAFFS MiSL LCs Youth Secretariat Youth Entrepreneurship andEmployment World Travel & Tourism Council Women inAgriculture andNutrition West African SeniorSchoolCertificate Examination Vocational Trade Centers Village Savings andLoan Associations Value Chain United NationsConference onTrade andDevelopment Technical andVocational Education andTraining Special Economic Zone Smallholder Commercialization Program Skills Development Fund Sierra Leone Women ofFarmers Forum Sierra Leone Police Sierra Leone for Opportunities Business Action Sierra Leone Local Content Agency Senior Secondary School Science, Technology, EngineeringandMathematics Revealed Comparative Advantage Non-Governmental Organization Njala University National Youth Commission Ministry ofSocialWelfare, Gender, &Child Affairs Ministry ofEducation, Science andTechnology Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry, andFood Security Made inSierra Leone Local Councils 7 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 8 were heldwithapproximately 16AGYW pergroup, ranging from 13to 17years. discussions (FGDs) inFreetown and bothurbanandrural districts ofKambia,Bo, Moyamba, andPort Loko employers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), educators, andAGYW parents. Eighteen focus group 2019. Data was collected from 27 key informant interviews (KIIs) withgovernment officials,private sector international andlocalSierra Leonean researchers andexpertsbetween 26 December 2018 and9May informants andAGYW focus group discussions. This research was conducted by amixed team of This analysis was developed through amixofdeskresearch andqualitative datacollection withbothkey of knowledge aboutidentifiedareas where there are economic opportunities. by buildingon contextual knowledge; observed bestpractices andchallenges inkey sectors and;integration Given thescarcity ofdata,thisreport hastaken auniqueapproach pioneered by FHI360to bridge thisgap Methodology employment. concerned withimproving programming for AGYW andempower themto access better andmore stable outcomes. Moreover, thisreport isintended to benefitalldevelopment practitioners andactors inSierra Leone programming thatcould opportunities beleveraged to improve theiremployment and/or entrepreneurial the educationandtraining contexts they engage in,theeconomic context inwhichthey operate, and BRAC ELA’s economic empowerment strategy. The report provides anoverview ofBRAC ELAparticipants, This report identifiesemployment andchallenges opportunities facing AGYW inSierra Leone andwillinform adolescent boys andyoung men (ABYM), families, andcommunities to thrive. programming thatcanbeusedwidelyto support opportunities goals for thispopulation,aswell ashelp This report presents information andideasto inform AGYW livelihood development andidentifyprogramming implemented duringthenext phaseoftheELAprogram. program’s previous accomplishments, theprogrammatic modificationssuggested by this review could be andchallengesopportunities for adolescent girlsandyoung women (AGYW) inthecountry. Buildingonthe contracted by BRAC areview USA to support ofSierra Leone’s context, to better understand theeconomic it istemporarily pausedto allow for areview andanalysis oflivelihoods-oriented activities.FHI360was Empowerment andLivelihoods for Adolescents (ELA) program inSierra Leone hasrunsince 2012, although democratic processes, macroeconomic growth, andinvestment thatshouldimprove itssituation.BRAC’s coups d’état, civilwars, andtheEbolacrisis.Yet thecountry alsohasexperienced somepositive changes in economic positionaswell asthecapacity ofitshumanresources, itsyouth; particularly theseincludemilitary Sierra Leone hasfaced numerous criticalchallenges over thelasttwo decadesthathave underminedits Introduction and Purpose Executive Summary 1

1 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 2 significantly more literate, especiallyin urbanareas. Female youth have on average 7 fewer monthsof working age population,56.7% cannotread orwrite, including66%ofallfemales. However, youth are These adolescent girlsandyoung women, andothers like them,live inacontext where, amongthetotal borrowed money, butthosethathave, mostlyborrow from family, savings groups, orBRAC. are abarrier. Andinterms ofaccess to credit, were participants aware oflendinginstitutions;mosthave not reported thatonefinds work through family or connections. In terms of keeping ajob, transportation costs refrain intheFGDs was thatitisdifficult tofind work,especially inthesmall communitiesmost live in. AGYW the training, certification,start-up capital,or connections to dothe work they are interested in.A common either too young ortoo busy to get involved inthesetypes ofwork. Also, importantly, they believe they lack The mostcommon reason gave participants for notworking inthesejobswas ongoing schooling;they are through teaching, police work, healthwork, etc. respect thattheirsalarywould confer, andlearningto orbeingableto drive. Somementionedhelpingothers Participants’ reasons for beinginterested inthesejobsincludedself-reliance andindependence from men,the includedrockopportunities breaking, motorbike transport for diamondmines, and sandmining. teaching; motorbike transport; healthcare; fetching andsellingwood; andcarpentry. Perceived mining-related ELA. These includepetty trade (charging mobilephonesandsellingtop-up cards); agriculture; education/ Participants alsoidentifiedothereconomicinanumberofareas opportunities outsidethe focus ofBRAC were alsomentioned. hairdressing, tailoring,and soap-making.Skilledtrades suchascarpentryandmechanics,well asweaving, are considered appealingby some.The interest intrades thatBRAC isnow focused onincludegara tiedye, as aloanofficer); law; teaching; foodsalesorcatering; andpetty trade. Agriculture and constructionjobs and healthcare, includingpharmacy;bankingandworking for BRAC (includinginfinancialmanagement, businessperson, teacher, counselor, minister, andpresident. The were mostappealingopportunities innursing aspirations includednurse, alongwithprofessions requiring somelevel ofhigher education,suchaslawyer, Participants usethemoney they theirfamilies’ earnto support basicneeds.Their mostcommon occupational addition to mining-related activitiesandservices, suchashairdressing, catering, teaching, orhealthcare. were inschool.Those whowere working were largely engaged infarming (inrural areas) orpetty trade, in Some trends emerged from theanalysis oftheFGDs withBRAC More ELAparticipants. thantwo-thirds relevant laws andpolicies,butweak implementationandenforcement. policies address thewellbeing ofadolescents, ofAGYW; inparticular themainchallenge isnotanabsence of healthcare. Generally, rural AGYW face greater challenges intheabove areas thanurbanAGYW. Anumberof vulnerablea particularly group andhave faced discriminationandpooraccess to livelihoods, education,and or skillsto ensure proper nutrition,brain development, hygiene, etc. Youth withdisabilitiesinSierra Leone are pregnancy are commonplace, especiallyinrural areas, andyoung mothers donothave often theknowledge mutilation, andrape (thelast ofwhichisnow deemed anationalemergency). Earlymarriage andteenage and families. These includetraumatizing experiences, suchasgender-based violence, female genital livelihoods andcontribute to thecountry’s economy andpoliticaldevelopment, aswell asto theircommunities encounter gender-related healthandcultural obstaclesthatsignificantly constrain to theiropportunities gain Without astrong response, thechallenges faced by AGYW inSierra Leone willbeexacerbated asthey “bulge,” which,dependingontheresponse to thesituation,offers potential positive effects forthe country. Sierra Leone’s populationskews young andslightlyrural to show andisstarting thebeginningsofayouth Landscape Analysis 3

education than males, and the percentage of the rural population that has never attended school (32.7%) is Liberia almost three times higher than that of the urban population (11.5%).

Employers see challenges stemming from the education system and its ability to prepare youth for work, as many schools teach a largely theoretical, rather than practical, curriculum. For many employers, however, it is the hands-on applied learning of skills that has shown the greatest success in preparing young people for work. Many AGYW drop out of school, as cost is a barrier. The low rate of enrollment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a direct result of the low secondary graduation rate, and women have a lower enrollment rate than men. Although this is changing, TVET has long been seen as the last resort for school dropouts or those with poor academic ability. As a result, the TVET system has remained under-resourced both in terms of funding and in terms of lower-quality teaching staff, many of whom only have a high school diploma. Cost and physical distance are also barriers to TVET attendance by youth; furthermore, AGYW focus group participants had little knowledge of TVET options and opportunities in their communities, most likely because few exist. Additionally, because of challenges around poor quality tools and equipment, poorly qualified trainers, courses that emphasize theory over on-the-job training, and a lack of input from employers in the design and delivery phase, many employers have a mixed relationship with education and training institutions. Analysis: Market Employment and Job Demand Economic Sector Analysis Sierra Leone has extraordinary natural resources and has shown impressive economic growth in the last decade, but this has been dependent on extractive mining, especially of iron ore; fluctuating prices have added significant instability to the country’s economy. Other industries also play a role in the country’s economy, yet luckily have a higher potential to generate employment or livelihoods for AGYW. For example, agriculture employs 80% of Sierra Leoneans, and represents approximately 60% of the GDP. The second largest share of the economy is in ‘other services’, which makes up approximately 10% of GDP. Tourism represents the third largest contributor, followed by wholesale and retail trade.

Following steady growth until 2012, foreign direct investment (FDI) was severely impacted by the Ebola outbreak from 2014 to 2015, with a low of $138 million in 2016. In 2017, there was a dramatic turnaround with FDI increasing to $560 million likely due to the effects of post Ebola recovery finally being felt on the investment environment. Today, Sierra Leone has major FDI potential in agribusiness, fisheries, ecotourism, and manufacturing. Trade has been a major factor in supporting Sierra Leone’s economy, but remains underdeveloped in terms of opportunity generation for many Sierra Leoneans. The shortage of skilled labor, inadequate infrastructure, uncertain legal system, and high level of corruption are among the obstacles investors face. And while opportunities are growing, Sierra Leone remains a challenging environment for small and medium enterprises to navigate, particularly around access to finance, investment, skills, and market information. Ebola also had a major negative impact on GDP and employment, which have begun to recover. Additionally, the country is experiencing extensive rural-urban migration.

Ultimately, Sierra Leone is growing and has a potential for investment and economic expansion despite the challenges it has faced. There are few large-scale formal employers, so this report looks at the formal and informal sector and the role it can play in improving economic prospects for AGYW. Opportunities lie in extractive industries as well as an assortment of other export products (plastic lids, rough wood, coffee, fresh fruit, and textiles). There are potentially promising opportunities in agriculture and food production, woodwork, transportation and tourism services, and trades, among others. A broad message coming out of key informant interviews, however, was a general need for higher-quality skills, regardless of industry or sector. Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 4 improve theenablingenvironment forThese suchopportunities. include: programming approach –caneitherdirectly newandgrowth support opportunities inAGYW livelihoods or The finalsectionofthe detailsareasreport where actors inthespace –includingBRAC through itsELA PROGRAMMING Opportunities requirements. goods to markets; andemployer perspectives thatyoung donothave peopleoften adequate skillsto fulfilljob for micro-enterprises; unreliable electricity access; lackofreliable transportation to bothreach jobsandbring epidemic; lackofadequate access to finance in terms ofsize, interest rate, andduration ofloansappropriate entrepreneurial activity, including:negative perceptions ofthecountry’s stability dueto thecivilwar andEbola Meanwhile, AGYW- andyouth-run micro-and smallenterprises have numerous obstaclesthathindertheir • • • • • Deepening technical training for agriculture Helping AGYW oryouth businesses take advantage ofrelevant policiesandlaws Layering withandleveraging existing programs inthetourism sector andbuildingrelevantIdentifying opportunities skills groupSupporting business loans environment. for macroeconomic growth andinvestment, andfor citizens seekingimproved livelihoods inamore secure andisnowparties ranked 39outof163countries onthe2017 GlobalPeace Index, apositive development 2018, for thesecond time,Sierra Leone heldasuccessful democratic electionwithachange ofgoverning Yet thecountry alsohasexperienced somepositive changes showing potential for improvement. In March urban youth. population growth thathasledto highlevels ofunderemployment and,inparticular, growing numbers ofidle exceeded thecapacity ofthecapitalcity’s reservoir to provide potablewater, poorinfrastructure, andrapid environmental degradation leadingto increased floodingandmudslides, a rate ofurbanization thathas suffered from repeated military coups d’état, acivil war (1991-2002), adevastating Ebolahealthcrisis, economic positionaswell asthecapacity ofitshumanresources, itsyouth. particularly The country has Sierra Leone hasfaced numerous criticalchallenges over thelasttwo decadesthathave underminedits Introduction 2 also seeks to create anenablingenvironment for change by engaging thecommunity around eachclub. 10-20 focused withholisticsupport onthree core areas: life skills,education,andlivelihoods training. It upwards of4,500youth through 150-200 clubs.The safe spaces modelprovides ages participants clubs inpartnershipwithUNICEF. Since then,theprogram hasoperated atscale,eachyear reaching BRAC’s ELAprogram hasbeenimplemented inSierra Leone since 2012. The originalpilotlaunchedten A Brief History ofBRAC ELA in Sierra Leone ELA ataGlance: cycle ofpoverty. ELA enablesadolescent girlsto reach theirfullpotential andbreak the Empowerment andLivelihood for Adolescents Economic Empowerment Social Empowerment Livelihoods Training Financial Literacy SRH Education Microfinance Sale Spaces Life Skills An ELACommunity meetinginSierra Leone Community &Parent Meetings Local Advocacy &Campaigns Alternative learningprogram Community Engagement Men &Boys’ Engagement Literacy &Numeracy School Support Education 5 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 6 population ratio intheBRAC target area isalmostthereverse ofthenationalfigure. For example, the largest (Freetown andBo). This matters from ademographic perspective since, asdetailedinTable 1,therural/urban BRAC ELAtarget zones includeabout47% ofthecountry’s total population,includingthetwo largest cities to note that,asstatedIt isalsoimportant above, regarding thegeographic zones targeted inthisstudy, the if desired, provide feedback andrequest information. further to engageparticipants onlyvoluntarily, feel secure inanswering questionsinthegroup, retain anonymity and, of Kambia,Bo, Moyamba, andPort Loko. The FGDs followed prescriptions thatwould empower young with BRAC ineachofthefollowing ELAparticipants areas: Freetown, andbothurbanrural districts were heldwithapproximately 16AGYW pergroup, ranging from 13to 17years. Two focus groups were held non-governmental organizations (NGOs), educators, andAGYW parents. Focus group discussions (FGDs) Data was collected from 27 key informant interviews (KIIs) withgovernment officials, private sector employers, of international andlocalSierra Leonean researchers andexperts between 26 December 2018 and9 May 2019. with bothkey informants andAGYW focus group discussions. This research was conducted by amixed team This economic livelihood analysis was developed through amixofdeskresearch andqualitative datacollection Methodology the analysis: and integration ofknowledge about identifiedareas where there are economic opportunities. To achieve this, bridge thisgap by buildingoncontextual knowledge, observed bestpractices andchallenges inkey sectors, district-level industryeconomic demand,thisreport hastaken auniqueapproach pioneered by FHI360to impossibility ofaccessing reliable dataonmicroenterprises, informal sector companies, andspecific town- and as helpadolescent boys andyoung men(ABYM), families, andcommunities to thrive. However, given thenear programming programming thatcanbeusedwidelyto support opportunities goals for thispopulation,aswell At itscore, thisreport presents information andideasto inform AGYW livelihood development andidentify context, was contracted by BRAC inthisreview. USA to support developed alabormarket assessment theanalysis toolkit ofacountry’s thatsupports uniqueeconomic and review willleadto improved programming oflivelihoods for opportunities AGYW. FHI360, whichhas and challenges for theAGYW whoare initsELAprogram. themainparticipants This opportunityto pause BRAC saw anopportunityto review Sierra Leone’s context, to better understand theeconomic opportunities implemented duringthenext phaseoftheproject. for review andanalysis oflivelihoods-oriented activities,sothatprogrammatic modifications could be in Sierra Leone thathasrunsince 2012, BRAC hascurrently pausedtheproject for afew monthsto allow Building ontheprevious work oftheBRAC’s Empowerment andLivelihoods for Adolescents (ELA) program • • • • • • Offers recommendations to actors engaging in the youth employment challenge inSierra Leone. benefit from thislabormarket assessment or could actasimplementingpartners. Identifies possible bilateral partners,NGOs, facilitating organizations and private sector players thatmay Maps training andworkforce development programs available for AGYW inSierra Leone. Provides anunderstandingandconstraints ofopportunities to formal andinformal self-employment. greatest economic growth andopportunity. Provides anunderstanding oflabormarket supplyanddemandinSierra Leone, includingsectors of trends inSierra Leone, focus withaparticular ontheareas ofoperation for BRAC ELAprograms. Provides anoverview ofthecountry context by mappingkey economic, demographic andhumancapital an estimated 42%ofthepopulationbelow age 15,andapproximately 100,000 new labormarket entrants population isnotevenly distributed, however, with59% inrural areas in2015. Sierra Leone isalsoyoung, with December 2018, thepopulationestimate was 7.8 million,andisexpected to riseabove 8millionin2019. The per year. According to thelatest census Overview ofDemographic Trends well asspecific experiences of rural andurbandwellers. examines whoAGYW are inSierra Leone, andlay outsomeoftheissues andchallenges they face generally as level factors thatundermine AGYW thebulge particularly inyouth opportunities, population;thereport then in developing andmaintaininglivelihoods. The report beginswithademographic overview, detailinghigh focus ontheBRAC specificallyengaged ELAparticipants duringthis research –who face significantchallenges This sectionprovides anoverview oftheSierra Leonean beneficiarypopulationofvulnerable AGYW –witha Engagement withAGYW The Context andLandscapeAnalysis for *Drawn from Tables 1.1 2015 Sierra and1.2, Leone Population andHouseholdCensus, pp. 29-30. Table 1:Population by Target Districts (2015) referred to astheWestern Area, theterm usedinthisanalysis. misnomer, since over 90%ofthedistrictisnow oftheFreetown urbanandpart metropolitan area, whichis populations ofurbandwellers are inFreetown andWestern Rural. Infact, thename“Western Rural” isnow a Bo Kambia Moyamba Port Loko Western Rural Freetown Total 1 3 Statistics Sierra Leone. (2015). Population andHouseholdCensus, p.13. Total 575,478 345,474 318,588 615,374 444,270 1,055,964 3,355,148 1 , Sierra Leone’s average annualpopulationgrowth rate in2015. In was 3.2% Urban 195,081 100,844 22,697 160,217 400,632 1,055,964 1,935,435 Percentage Urban 33.9% 29.2% 07.1% 26.0% 90.2% 100% 57.7%

7 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 8 attainment for youth, andabroad range ofhealthandgender issues thataffect AGYW. and employment intheirown contexts. This sectionexamines factors ofeconomic trends, educational live, canhelpto better inform creation ofaneffective andtailored program aimedatstrengthening livelihoods inSierraopportunities Leone. Understanding whotheseAGYW are, across thedifferent contexts inwhichthey This sectionexplores theprofiles ofadolescent girls and young women who work andseeklivelihoods program? Who arethe Adolescent Girls and Young Women in the BRAC ELA 3 2 who are unableto findandengage cancreate inopportunities, new challenges or exacerbate existing ones. self-driven livelihoods, canprove to beamajorsustaineddriver for economic growth. At thesametime,youth response. Specifically, a youth populationequippedwiththeappropriate skills,andengaged inemployment or This iscrucialasa‘bulge’ may offer potential positive ornegative effects fora country, depending onthe Source :Sierra Leone Population Pyramid 2017 –PopulatyionPyramid.net Figure 1:Sierra Leone’s Population Pyramid 2017 AGYW andfamily planningefforts. could alsoreflect, the inpart, combined andlong-anticipated impactofurbanization, educationandtraining of could becausedby higherdeath andlower fertility rates duringtheyear priorbecauseoftheEbolacrisis,it those aged 0-4beingfewer thanthoseaged 5-9(15.7%). (13.3%) Whilethecensus notes thatthisdecline The 2017 census (Figure 1)showed for thefirst ofa timethepossible start youth ‘bulge’, withthenumberof blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/youth-bulge-a-demographic-dividend-or-a-demographic-bomb-in-developing-countries. Lin, JustinYifu. “Youth Bulge: ADemographic DividendoraDemographic BombinDeveloping Countries?” World Bank,5Jan.2012, “Population Pyramid 2017” Accessed at: https://www.populationpyramid.net/sierra-leone/2017/ 2 3 orphans and further impoverishingorphans andfurther anddestabilizingfamily units. The 2014-2015 Ebolacrisisalsoaffected AGYW from bothurbanandrural areas, increasing thenumbers of Gender basedviolence (GBV): 8 7 4 gaining attention. status ofanationalemergency. This issue hasunfortunately beenworsening for over adecadeandisfinally declaration onFebruary 8,2019, by thePresident ofSierra Leone, JuliusMaadaBio, thatrape hasreached the Sierra Leone hasalsofaced agrowing challenge around sexual assault ofminors, culminatinginarecent RAPE ASANATIONAL EMERGENCY Female genital mutilation(FGM): The 2018 UNGenderInequality Index ranked Sierra Leone 150outof162 countries. HEALTH, CULTURE ANDGENDER Access to care: legislation, implementationofgender-sensitive policiesremains achallenge inseveral areas: to 6.1 in2004,andonly4.0 children perwoman intheWestern Area. However, despite progressive gender are having apositive effect: theestimated 2015 total fertility childrenrate fell to 5.2 per woman, compared childhood pregnancy, earlymarriage, young andsupporting mothers to better care for children. Suchpolicies of thesechallenges, Sierra Leone hasdeveloped progressive gender legislation thatistakingaimatissues of the country’s economy andpoliticaldevelopment, aswell astheircommunities andfamilies. To address some cultural challenges they face significantly constrain to theiropportunities gain livelihoods and contribute to and young women overrepresented amongSierra Leone’s youth population,thegender-related healthand UNICEF. (2015). Sierra Leone Statistics ataGlance . UNFPA. (2018). Sierra Leone Adolescent andYouth Dashboard. Development Report. with atleastsomesecondary education)andlabor force rate. participation Statisticsabove are taken from the2016 UNDP Human ratio andadolescent rate), birth empowerment (share ofparliamentaryseats heldby women andtheshare ofthefemale population The GenderInequality Index measures inequality between menandwomen inthree areas: reproductive health(maternal mortality • • • • • • • with profound implicationsfor rural AGYW violence could bejustified,whileinMoyamba Districtthe rate was lower at43-54% In allbutonetarget district,54-65%ofAGYW aged 15-24 saidthey thoughtforms ofgender-based admitted to usingphysical violence 80% ofmalesadmitted to usingorthreatening to useaweapon against afemaleand48% partner 60% offemales reported beingkicked orpunched usually atpuberty Still widespread with90%ofwomen over 24 and60%ofyounger women undergoing theprocedure, 75% ofthetotal healthworkforce was distributed over justten percent ofthenation’s healthfacilities, Of the156doctors, 70% lived andworked inurbanareas In 2016, Sierra Leone hadjust156doctors for over 7millionpeople 8

6

4 With adolescent girls 7 5

9 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 10 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Department (CWD)Department andLocal Councils (LCs). of aformal system by whichchildren canreceive alternative care, suchasthrough theChild Welfare practices incaringfor children and,according to the 2014 Alternative Care Policy, deepeningimplementation if they have beenassaulted orappearto beatriskofassault. This includesneededawareness-raising ofbest parents care for children, andhow to quicklyintervene ininstances where alternative care isneededfor youth done to focus onprevention, includingtheformation ofaworking group, andimproving policiesaround how As key informants noted, punishmentisnotenoughto dealwiththisemergency. More work mustandisbeing ahome,inwhichtheyoften were assaulted. working onsettingupaseriesofsafe homessothatvictimsofassault donothave to go backto thesetting, informant interviews, thelaw isnow withthecabinetandhasyet to bepassed. Inaddition,theMSWGCA is assault, suchasprisonfor life. Areview oftheSexual Offences Act isunderway. According to the key to change laws onhow sexual assault offenses are categorized, andensure harsher punishmentsofsexual Efforts to improve andlegislation support forvictims,andprevent assaults, have further includedaninitiative First LadyofSierra Leone, Fatima MaadaBio. reported lastyear, however thousandsmore are believed to go unreported, according to activists,includingthe again afive-year-old in2018 after was raped by a relative paralyzed. andleft murdered onabeach,prompting hundreds ofwomen to gather andprotest theassault. Similarprotests surged Particularly, high profile caseshave driven more openprotests. For example, in2015 a woman was raped and in assaults since theEbolacrisishave spurred frustration withtheslow pace ofpolicyimplementation. victimsanddevelopsupport policyoptionsthatwould stem theincrease inassaults. Unfortunately, increases Many localorganizations, suchasRainboInitiatives, alongwiththeMSWGCA, have beenworking hard to 10 9 assistance returning to formal education. girls were provided sexual reproductive healthinformation, andpregnant girlsreceived medicalcare aswell as through fundingfrom international development agencies suchasIrishAid,UNFPA andtheMinistryofHealth, once schoolsre-opened andgave pregnant teens separate classes to enroll inuntilthey gave Inaddition, birth. Welfare worked withtheMinistryofEducation to tryandget theyoung andexpectant mothers backto school pregnant, withmany others suffering sexual assault. At thetime,according to aKII respondent, theMinistryof schools were closed,andyoung peoplewere kept home.Duringthistime,nearly14,000 girlsbecame This crisisofsexual assault andtransactional sexdeteriorated further duringtheEbolacrisis.At thattime, domestic violence orgender-based violence could bereported to theministryandpolice. awareness around thepervasiveness ofassault. Italsoledto thecreation ofareferral protocol, where casesof and treatment, whilepolice dealtwiththecriminalaspectsofassault. This initiative was key inimproving workers would handleissues ofpsychosocial interviewing support, victims,andproviding themwithcare a Family Unit(FSU) Support thatwould co-locate socialworkers withpolice units.The goal was thatsocial In 2003, theMinistryofSocialWelfare, Gender, andChildren’s Affairs and (MSWGCA)Family Support started emergency-what-happens-now at: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/02/15/694846069/sierra-leones-president-declared-rape-a-national- National Public Radio. (2019). “Sierra Leone’s President Declared RapeA National Emergency. WhatHappensNow?” Accessed news/one-year-after-ebolas-end-sierra-leones-midwives-help-mend-health-system Ebola inSierra Leone: Mappingresponses, gaps andongoing challenges.” Accessed on4September 2019 at:https://www.unfpa.org/ Denney, Lisa;Gordon, Rachel;andIbrahim, Aisha(December 2015). Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium. “Teenage Pregnancy after 9

10 Anestimated 8,500caseswere women having marriedbefore theage of18. TABLE 2:Policies Addressing theWellbeing ofAdolescents inSierra Leone relevant policies. is notanabsence ofrelevant laws andpolicies,butweak enforcement ofsuchlaws andimplementationof below (Table 2)shows supportive policiesthataddress thewell-being ofadolescents. The mainchallenge the NationalStrategy for theReduction ofAdolescent Pregnancy andChild Marriage 2018-2022. The table 14 13 IBID 12 11 Source: NationalStrategy for theReduction ofAdolescent Pregnancy andChild Marriage 2018-2022 Social Welfare Education Health SECTOR Sierra Leone hasthehighestoverall prevalence ofchildmarriage globally, In additionto sexual assault, Sierra Leone faces challenges around earlymarriage andteenage pregnancy. TEENAGE PREGNANCY households orthoselivinginurbanareas. living inrural areas face twice theriskofbeingmarriedbefore age 18,ascompared to girlsfrom therichest lower andhigherlevels educationalopportunities ofpoverty. Girlsfrom thepoorest householdsorthose of greater observance ofto traditional norms,anarrower range oflife options,stronger community networks, GOSL. (2018). NationalStrategy for theReduction ofAdolescent Pregnancy andChild Marriage(2018–2022) Statistics Sierra Leone (SSL) andICFInternational, “Sierra Leone Demographic andHealthSurvey 2013” UNICEF. (2017). State oftheWorld’s Children. 14 The Child Welfare Policy (2014) The Education Act (2004) 2016-2020 National Community HealthWorkers Policy Services (2015-2020) July2015 Sierra Leone BasicPackage OfEssential Health People Friendly HealthServices (2011) National Standards for Adolescent andYoung Free Healthcare Initiative (2010) POLICY/STRATEGY NAME

13 Inresponse to thesenationalissues, thegovernment hasdeveloped 12 Child marriage istypically more common inrural areas because vulnerable andmarginalized. protection ofallchildren, includingthemost commitment to enhancing thewelfare and systems by thegovernment’s articulating This policyaimsto strengthen thechildwelfare compulsory. right ofevery citizen andmakes basiceducation This policystates thatbasiceducation isthe one ofthekey dutiesofCHWs. Selected services to adolescents are highlighted as component ofthepackage ofservices. of Teenage Pregnancy are highlighted askey Services, andprevention, response andmitigation School andAdolescent Health. health services inthecountry. of adolescent andyoung peoplefriendly(AYPF) This documentlaidoutthestandards for provision adolescentsupports mothers andtheirchildren. and children underfive. This initiative also healthcare to pregnant women, lactatingmothers, This initiative was introduced to provide free DESCRIPTION 11 with38.9% of20-to 24-year-old 11 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 12 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 17 16 15 other developments. diagnosed withimpairments;theprovision offree healthcare services to allperson withdisabilities;andmany board to ensure thatchildren are screened for earlydetection ofdisability andadults are correctly andquickly persons withdisabilities intheConstitutional Review process; theongoing development to setupamedical to championtheactivitiesofMSWGCA inthelargest region ofthecountry; theinclusionofviews of which provided thegovernment an insightonthedisability data;theappointmentofavisuallyimpaired person with disabilities;theinclusionofdisability-related questionsinthe2015 Population andHousingCensus, bringing together relevant stakeholders to develop programs andactivitiesthatwillimprove thelives ofperson enhanceseducation policywhichfurther thecurrent provision offree educationto persons withdisabilities; incorporation ofpersons withdisabilities intheSierra Leone Police (SLP) force; thedevelopment ofthedraft activities implemented to encourage ofpersons thefullparticipation withdisabilitieswhichinclude: with Disabilities(CRPD), to ensure for equalopportunities thisgroup. Inaddition,there were several other enacted thePersons withDisability Act, inspired by theUnited NationsConvention ontheRightsofPersons 1,841,252 students(i.e. 1.4%) enrolled atalllevels ofschoolingreported someform ofdisability as areason for beingoutofschool.Inthedraft 2015 AnnualSchool Census outofatotal of Report, 25,339 For many children withdisabilities,access to educationremains achallenge, withsomegivingtheirdisability they grew upinrural communities orwere moved there by family. Sierra Leone, 67% ofpersons withdisabilitiesare inrural areas, thoughdatadidnotindicate ifthisisbecause Youth withdisabilitiesinSierra Leone face discriminationandpooraccess to livelihoods andhealthcare. In YOUTH WITHDISABILITIES have yet to beimplemented dueto thefinalization ofthe cost structure. for two additionalpoliciesonMaternal andChild Welfare thatwillstrengthen bestpractices, thoughthese rather thanservices by outdated siloedcategories. often Inaddition,theMSWGCA isalsoworking onaplan they go ifparents are deceased, andchildcare ingeneral inamore holistic andstrategy-based approach, New maternal andchildwelfare policyaimsto address legal issues around thecare ofchildren, suchaswhere and malnutritionthrough poor nutritionmanagement. knowledge neededfor infant andchildcare andthissituationalsoleaves children vulnerable to sexual assault leaving to go to work withoutensuringtheirsafety, leaving themathomewithrelatives whomay alsolackthe had noideahow to doso. thislackofunderstanding Oftentimes leadsto neglectofchildren, with parents hall meetingheldby theMSWGCA, awoman was requesting training onhow to care for herchild,asshe or access to knowledge ofidealdevelopment ofbabiesandchildren. Asakey informant noted, inonetown Maternal andchildwelfare isproblematic for many young mothers asthey don’thave thenecessary resources MATERNAL ANDCHILDWELFARE TRENDS 2020-V6-ONLINE.pdf Ministry ofEducation, Science and Technology. Education Sector Plan 2018-2020http://www.education.gov.sl/PDF/Slider/ESP-2018- wellbeing-of-persons-with-disability-says-minister-blyden/ – says minister Blyden https://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/sierra-leone-has-made-huge-strides-protecting-the-rights-and- The Sierra Leone Telegraph. 2017. Sierra Leone hasmadehuge stridesprotecting the rightsandwellbeing ofpersons withdisability sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Disability%20Report.pdf Sierra Leone Statistics.Sierra Leone 2015: Population andHousingCensus. Thematic Report onDisability. https://sierraleone.unfpa.org/ 16

15 In2011, thegovernment ofSierra Leone .17 headquarters towns ofKambia,Port Loko andMoyamba are growing butremain modestinsize. and itsimmediate suburbsintheWestern Area andinBo, Sierra Leone’s second-largest city. The district The overwhelming majority ofurbanAGYW (andmostofthepopulationtargeted by BRAC) live inFreetown URBAN AGYW above, theoverall percentage ofAGYW with vocational training ismuchlower thaninurbanareas. each setting,thoughvolume greater forisoften suchopportunities inmore urbanareas. Furthermore, asnoted circumstances differ, the types ofnon-farm activitiesinrural andurbanareas donot vary significantlybetween biggest difference in terms oflivelihoods istheopportunity to engage inagriculture. While experiences and note isthatwhileruralone important AGYW have adifferent profile from theirurban the counterparts, are inthesectionsbelow discussed further ongrowth potential andpathways to employment. However, and fishing.Whilethisisnot comprehensive, itgives asampleofoptions available for rural youth. These have focused onthepotential for improved livelihoods inagriculture, includingpoultry, livestock, forestry According to theresearch conducted for thisanalysis, NGOsthatwork inrural areas AGYW to support driven mostlyby theillusionofimproved prospects for income inthecapital,butalsoby thesepushfactors. genital mutilation(FGM) isalmostuniversal inrural areas. Migration ofAGYW from rural areas to Freetown is rural andurbanareas, butrural communities are more likely to accept GBV asthecultural norm,andfemale patriarchal socialnormsthatprescribe livelihood Gender-based opportunities. violence (GBV) occurs inboth higher maternal mortalityrates, less education,fewer training andgenerally opportunities face more rigid Rural AGYW have less access to healthcare, higherlevels ofteen pregnancy, higherrates ofchildmarriage, RURAL ADOLESCENT GIRLSANDYOUNG WOMEN (AGYW) 2018-2020 Source: Government ofSierra Leone MinistryofEducation, Science andTechnology Education Sector Plan Figure 2:Enrollment ofStudentswithDisability by Type ofDisability 13 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 14 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Figure 4:BRAC ELAParticipant SchoolEnrollment out ofschool. interviewedELA participants reported forthatthey themostpart were stillinschool,whileaboutonethird are children. withchildren Only6participants reported to bemarried.At thesametime,Sierra Leonian BRAC who reported beingparents, 39hadonlyonechild,8two children, andonly2are mothers to three Around athird (49) reported ofparticipants beingparents, whiletwo-thirds (114)hadnochildren. Ofthose MARRIAGE ANDCHILDBEARING Figure 3:Enrollment inBRAC ELAProgram reportedparticipant to beaformernow participant outoftheprogram. 100 hadbeenintheprogram for oneto two years (61.3%), and22 for less thanayear (3.5%).Onlyone between 14to 23years). (40) Almostaquarter oftheBRAC hadbeenpart ELAfor over two years (24.4%), The average age BRAC ofthe164 intheFGDs whoparticipated was ELAparticipants 17years (ranging BRAC ELAPARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS are engaged inpetty trading ontheirown orthrough theirfamilies. are female, whilemosthardware store commission salesare doneby adolescent boys. Many AGYW already areas. Many salesitems are soldpredominantly by onegender. For example, mostvegetable andfruitsellers small commissions for youth to peddlegoods through thewindows ofcars stopped intraffic andinpedestrian ubiquitous, withvendors sellingbothgoods they own andthoseonconsignment from nearby shopsthatoffer market stallsandalongroadsides everywhere. The saleofcharcoal, soap, packaged goods, toys, tools, etc. is For AGYW, theinformal trading sector issaturated withintense competition amongmobilestreet sellers, in livelihoods optionsandrisktaking. needs to beacknowledged whentryingto understand themotivations andperspectives ofAGYW towards likely to bewidows thanmenare to bewidowers) andtrauma. This psycho-social andrecent historical context of war, includingtheeffects ofacute childhoodmalnutrition, family disruption (women are ninetimesmore age oftheAGYW 21,stillpart population,were directly affected by the conflict andmany stillcarrythescars war (1991-2002) affected everyone. However, inurbansettingsolder particularly female youth now above years, andwillhave onaverage fewer children duringtheirlifetimes thanrural females. The Sierra Leone civil are more likely to have access to acell phoneandtheinternet, are less likely to get pregnant intheirteen Urban AGYW onaverage are better educated thantheirrural peers, have greater physical andsocialmobility, Moyamba. Port Loko were participants onlyhalfaslikely as Moyamba to beunemployed students. in theotherdistricts.The majority inPort Loko are unpaidfamily workers (56.8%),compared in to only6.3% likely to want andseekemployment. inPort Noparticipants Loko are full-timeself-employed, but15-18% are similar rates ofmarriage, child-bearing,andschoolattendance, inBoappearslightly more butparticipants with children, andparticipants participants whilePort Loko reports thelowest rates. BoandMoyamba report outofschoolandPortparticipants Loko (10.8%) hasthelowest. Kambiaalsohas thehighestrates ofmarried At thedistrictlevel, someadditionalcomparisons canbemade:Kambia (46.7%) hasthehighestrate of (22.7%)participants 37.3%). Additionally, are urbanparticipants muchmore likely to beinschool(45.3%) thanrural more likely to beunpaidfamily workers (31.8%compared andunemployed to 21.3%) students(47.7% vs. employed workers, compared to only9.1% are Ontheotherhand,urbanparticipants ofurbanparticipants. also more likely to bothwant andactively seekemployment. 17.3% ofrural are participants full-time self- likely vs. 5.7%) to bemarried(25.3% andhave children (41.3%) thanurbancounterparts (21.6%). They are There are somesignificantdifferences between rural Rural andurbanparticipants. participants are muchmore URBAN V. RURALANDCOUNTY-LEVEL COMPARISONS Figure 5:BRAC ELAParticipant Employment Status (3.7%), orneitherinschoolnoremployed (7.4%). who are fullyself-employed. Smallpercentages were volunteering (5.5%),reported to beunderemployed income. Twice asmany reports contributing to afamily income orwork asunpaidlaborfor thefamily asthose However, despite thisconfusion, itisapparent are thatonlyaportion regularly employed withasource of timework.part were infact inschoolandworking insomeform, possibly for afamily business asunpaidlabororsometype of answered they were studentsandnotemployed (Figure 5).This would appearto meanthat41 participants the survey. While67.5% reported beinginschool(Figure 4),whichisapproximately 111respondents, only70 have beensomeconfusion abouthow to answer thisquestionthatwas notapparent duringthetesting of BRAC mostly reported ELAparticipants beingunemployed. indicates there Digginginto thedatafurther may EMPLOYMENT

15 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 16 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone jobs. Several alsomentionedtheirdesires to finish high schooland go to college. FGDs. Inurban Port Loko groups, someAGYW saidthey didn’twant to be marriedorhave kidsuntilthey had businesswoman, teacher, counselor, minister, president), withtailoringalso mentionedinoneoftheurbanBo in BoandMoyamba). commonly mentionedprofession was nurse (alloftherural aswell Boparticipants, asurban participants on responses duringthesefocus group discussions whichdetailedseveral AGYW aspirations. The most team conducted focus group discussions. The following information aboutemployment activitiesisbased To better understand thespecificlivelihoods experiences oftheBRAC the ELAparticipants, research AGYW EMPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES Figure 7: BRAC’s ELAParticipant Characteristics by Counties Figure 6:BRAC’s ELAParticipant Characteristics by Rural andUrbanSettings 18 Mostotherprofessions mentionedrequired somelevel ofhighereducation (lawyer, 18 need] to eat.” mentioned thatsomeoftheirpeers are engaged instealing orsex work donothave because“they what[they Unfortunately, illicitactivitieswere alsomentionedaslivelihood strategies. Inrural Kambia,participants mentioned afew timesinBo. paying for lunchfor themselves ortheirchildren, andself-reliance (avoiding dependence onmen)was also Participants usethemoney thebasicneedsoftheirfamilies to support andthemselves. Several mentioned Farming was mentionedintherural areas andteaching andnannying inurbanareas. Port Loko rural), aswas sellingfood products (Borural, Kambiaurban,Moyamba urban,Port Loko urban). cents, doesitfor another saidsheoften free. Petty trade was mentionedfrequently (Bourban,Kambiarural, farming (Borural). Afew mentionedhair-braiding atvery low levels ofprofit: onesaidsheearnsabout25 abusiness usingherBRACstarting ELAtraining (soap-making), whichshedoes inadditionto tie-dye and Most self-employed are participants working time,usuallyinpetty part trade orfarming. Onlyonementioned Self-Employment activities includedsleeping,playing games, visitingwithfriendsandfamily. cleaning, cooking, collecting water, andlaundry. Several alsomentionedstudying.Recreational participants describedspendingtimeoutsideofschoolorworkAlmost allparticipants doingdomesticduties,including Non-work activities not necessarily highquality, andworkers are notprotected from hazards orharassment. job becauseherboss was sexually harassing her. This suggests thateven ifpeoplecanget formal jobs,they are unemployed. Oneworked inagarage becauseitwas asanauto mechanicbutleft hazardous. The her otherleft Only two mentionedhaving participants previous jobs(BourbanandKambiaurban),butwere now may undercut how AGYW may for identifyopportunities livelihoods. While notachallenge, itprovides someinsightindicatingthatrelying onstandard definitionsofemployment example, even ifthey were engaged inpetty trade, didnotconsider mostparticipants thisto be“employment.” AGYW respondents alsonoted, however, thatthey would notconsider someactivitiesactualemployment. For (rural Port Loko). (approximately $8permonth).Others mentionedworking asateacher (inurbanPort Loko )andatahospital Bo). Afew are working incatering, hairdressing (Port Loko), orasmentors for BRAC earningasmallamount a form ofself-employment. Mining-related laborincludedrock breaking atthequarryandsandmining(rural a widevariety ofincome-generating otherfamily activities,usuallysupporting members, butsometimesas or petty trade (selling wood, charcoal, fish,prepared food, produce, soap, palmoil,and water), inaddition to Most BRAC ELAAGYW interviewed duringfocus group discussions whoare working are involved infarming Employment andunemployment accreditation-of-basic-nursing-and-midwifery-educational-institutions-and-programs.pdf on Accreditation from theMinistryofHealthcanbefound at:https://mohs2017.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/standards-for- told there are risks offalse accreditation orlow-quality teaching given thegrowth theEbolacrisis.More inthisfieldafter information This may notbeacomplete listofaccreditations acknowledged by theGovernment ofSierra Leone, however, theresearch team was Nursing asaprofession requires abachelors degree, adiplomaorcertificationasState Enrolled Community HealthNurse (SECHN). 17 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 18 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone BRAC, andASA; 21 20 19 this report. an influxofnew entrants asthey typically have greater market demand,basedoninterviews conducted for as well asweaving, were alsomentioned.These more skilledtrades could have greater resilience intheface of unsustainable asanindividualAGYWs livelihood. In contrast, skilledtrades suchascarpentryandmechanics, into thesetrades could effectively floodthemarket, cuttingallincomes down tothepointthatthey are only require basictraining itallows for greater ofAGYW. participation However, asuddeninfluxof AGYW BRAC ELAisfocused onincludegara tiedye, hairdressing, tailoring, andsoap-making.Becausethesemay management, asaloanofficer), law, teaching, foodsales/catering, andpetty trade. Theinterest in trades that in nursing and healthcare, includingpharmacy. Alsobanking,working for BRAC (includinginfinancial As noted earlierinthesectiononaspirations, there was alotofinterest ofFGD onthepart participants Most appealingwork opportunities Nurses get tips,whilepolice, lawyers, teachers andbankmanagers take bribes. urban Port Loko discussed how ,participants peoplewithformal jobssupplementtheirincome withbribes. Sierra Leone’s challenges around corruption were revealed inconversations For with participants. example, In Unfortunately, however, regular incomes created by employment may notbeseenasenoughandsustainable. carpentry. transport for diamondmines,andsandmining. Participants alsomentionedfetching andsellingwood and hair dressing, andhealthwork. Perceived mining-related includedrock opportunities breaking, motorbike up cards) andagriculture. They alsocited education/teaching andmotorbike transport, aswell astailoring, see economicmostfrequently opportunities inpetty trade (including charging mobilephonesandsellingtop- AGYW were ableto identifyseveral outside thosenormallyoffered opportunities by BRAC ELA. Participants Perceived economic activities economic whatwould opportunities, bethemostappealingwork andfinding opportunities, work. The following are perspectives from BRAC brieflydetailingwhere ELAparticipants there are perceived VIEWS ONWORK OPPORTUNITIES Local institutionsproviding credit thatFGD mentionedincludemicrofinance participants banks suchasLAPO, Access to credit running away withthemoney. she hadto pay for anothergroup member that didn’tpay andwhothenquit,describedsomemembers eligible to borrow becausethey are stillinschool(Port Loko urban).AKambiarural mentionedthat participant borrowed explained thatinterest rates were too high(Kambiarural, Port Loko rural), orthatthey would notbe of therural Bogroups, five mentionedhaving participants borrowed from a VSLA. thathadnot Participants borrowed money, butthosethathave borrowed mostlydidsofrom family, savings groups, orBRAC. Inone Association (VSLA) groups. These seemto bewidelyavailable across have thedistricts.Mostparticipants not Type ofinformal savings group Microfinance bank of poverty, aswell asexpanding itsoperations to otherAfrican nations in Sierra Leone withtheprimaryaimofassisting anumberofhonest-hearted less privileged onesinthecountry break outof thegrip AboveLift Poverty Organization (LAPO) launcheditsAfrican Regional Initiative (ARI) in2007. InMarch 2008,itbegan itsoperations 20 community banks; andinformal savings groups, suchassusu 21 orVillage Savings andLoan

19

22 the World Bank-managed GlobalPartnership for Education. approved by development partners,anditledto increased donorfundingfor thesector, through particularly shutdown, andtheGOSL’s educationgoals were setback.Anew Education Sector Planfor 2018-2020 was Now, more thanthree years later, ithasrecovered; buttheeducationsystem was seriouslyaffected by the The Ebolacrisisof2014 shutschoolsfor ninemonths,leaving theeducationsystem inasevere shock. National LevelTrends in AGYW Supply ofEducation and Training punctuality. a jobincludedbeingaccused of“dishonesty”, “laziness”, refusing orrejecting sexual harassment, andlackof In terms ofkeeping ajob, transportation costs are abarrier. AGYW reported thatcommon reasons for losing and onthe-jobtraining. cases, short-term volunteering isalsoseenasaway to get ajob. ,whichprovides youth valuable experience It isconsidered easy to get ajobifoneiseducated, meetsjobrequirements, orcanoffer abribe.Andinsome either practice inbigtowns orare engaged inotherincome-generating activities. limited demandfor theseskills(tiedye, hairdressing, soapmaking,etc.) inrural communities. Trained AGYW live in.AGYW reported that one finds work through family or connections. Even withBRAC training, there is A common refrain intheFGDs was thatitisdifficult tofind work,especiallyinthesmall communitiesmost Finding Work they lackthetraining, certification, start-up capital,or connections to dothe work they are interested in. and are therefore too young ortoo busy to get involved inthesetypes ofwork. Also, importantly, they believe Participants saidthatthemost common reason they are notworking inthesejobsisthatthey are stillinschool mentioned community leaders. them. Somecited BRAC astheirsource ofinformation, others mentionedradio orothermedia,andsome Most girlsseeorknow peopleinvolved inthesejobstheircommunity, andthatishow they learnabout (through teaching, police work, healthwork, etc.). respect thattheirsalarywould confer, andlearningto orbeingableto drive. Somementionedhelpingothers Reasons for beinginterested inthesejobsincludedwanting to beself-reliant andindependentofmen,the construction company calledSalcost thatAGYW are interested in. groups mentionedinterest inbeingflag controller for a road construction company. InBorural, there isa livestock rearing was alsomentioned.Construction-related jobscameupseveral times:inMoyamba, two Two groups inMoyamba mentionedinterest inagriculture, i.e. in-landvalley swamp andpeanutproduction; illiterate. However, youth are significantlymore literate, especiallyinurbanareas. The percentages ofmales cannot read orwrite, including66%ofallfemales. Amongthoseself-employed inagriculture, 80%are These goals mustberealized inanationalcontext where, amongthetotal working age population,56.7% education policy. quality education;catalyzingsystems change to thequality ofeducation;andeffective implementationofthe address several challenges, includingimproving access, equity andcompletion rates; ensuringsafety and globalpartnership.org/sites/default/files/2018-10-sierra-leone-esp.pdf GoSL. (2018). MinistryofEducation, Science andTechnology . “Sierra Leone Education Sector Plans2018 –2020.” https://www. 22 The Education Sector Planisdesignedto 19 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 20 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 24 post-secondary entrance exams.” Sierra Leone still“prohibits pregnant adolescent girlsfrom attending secondary schoolortakingsecondary or Source: StatisticsSierra Leone 2015 Population andHousingCensus Figure 8:SchoolAttendance for Population 3Years andAbove than thatoftheurbanpopulation(11.5%). The percentage oftherural populationthathasnever attended school(32.7%) isalmostthree timeshigher and50.9%(35.3% respectively), andfemale youth have onaverage 7fewer monthsofeducationthanmales. in school(39.1%) andthosewhoever attended school(60.0%) are higherthantheirfemale counterparts work’ by young people,saying thatthosewhojoinasapprentices are unwilling to stay onandwork fulltime. the educationthey are provided, notlikely. thisisoften Otheremployers indicated alackof‘willingness to job, whichisperceived asdesirable asitconfers ahigherstatus.Unfortunately, becauseofthemismatch with expectations around work. Youth coming outoftheeducationsystem consider often theirgoal to beanoffice Additionally, employers, inurbansettings,report particularly thatthere are sometimes mismatched people for work. of skills(typically thathasshown technical, butthiscan includesoft) thegreatest success inpreparing young theoretical, rather thanpractical, curriculum.For many employers, however, it isthehands-onappliedlearning Highest onthislistnoted by several FGD respondents isthechallenge thatmany schools teach alargely Employers alsoseechallenges stemming from theeducationsystem anditsability to prepare youth for work. Of-School Children, 28.6% ofthemare excluded from educationasaresult ofteenage pregnancy. US Department ofLabor,US Department (2017). Bureau ofInternational Affairs Child Labor andForced Labor Reports, p. 1. 24 According to a2016 GOSL/UNICEF Assessment oftheSituationOut- 23 learning sites thatoffer TVET type courses, even ifnotfullyestablishedasofficialTVETinstitutions. the primaryschoollevel to proceed to Community Education Centre B,andTable 5shows thewiderange of education. For example, Figure 9below demonstrates thepossibility forschool at anindividualwhohasleft they are directed to community educationcenters (CEC), to studentshaving completed seniorsecondary programs andcertificates catering to awide range ofcandidates, from thosewithno formal education,where is responsible for theaccreditation andcertification ofTVETinstitutions.institutionsoffer amixof National Council for Technical, Vocational andotherAcademic Awards Act (NCTVA), establishedin2001, Science, andTechnology (MEST) monitors andinspectsbothpublicprivate TVETinstitutions,whilethe 25 Science, andTechnology by andsupported theDeputy Director ofTVET. supply-driven. At thenationallevel, TVETasasystem iscoordinated by theDirectorate ofHigherEducation, Sierra Leone’s technical andvocational educationandtraining (TVET)institutionsare complex andheavily VOCATIONAL TRAINING agreement thateducationis notaffordable: Overall, cost isabarrierforandmany participants, have dropped outofschooldueto this.There was strong However, stated they someparticipants have gotten noskillsfrom educationbecausethey dropped out. mentioned thathomeeconomics helpsinpreparing studentsfor catering jobs. science skillsasfoundational for medicalcareers, and“commercial” science ashelpfulfor business. Several Participants recognize thatbasicskillslike business activities.They mathandwritingcanhelpsupport see FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS’ PERCEPTIONS OFEDUCATION are to meetbasicnutritionneeds,andthesalaryoffered in contrast to othersources ofincome. and youths’ perceptions ofwork. For thelatter, factors includethesecurity ofayoung person, how ablethey There are many factors thataffect bothemployers’ perceptions of youth attitudes,andthedrivers of AGYW difficulty.” of financial afford because can’t Majority educated. people are “No, not many rural) rural) GIZ.(2018). DiagnosticStudyoftheTVETSector inSierra Leone, page 28 (Bo (Bo education.” can’t continue your do business if you education. You can prefer business to (earns money) but I is very important “Though education urban) (Kambia (Kambia 25 The MinistryofEducation, primary level.” girls drop outin because most school education, senior secondary “We did not get a rural) (Bo (Bo 21 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 22 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Leone asshown in theEducation Sector Plan2018-2020, p. 18. * Derived from -Situation Analysis StudyofTechnical Vocational Education andTraining (TVET) inSierra Polytechnics Tech/Voc Institutions (TVI) Tech/Voc Centre (TVC) Vocational Trade Centre (VTC) Community Education Centre –A(CEC-A) Community Education Centre –B(CEC-B) TVET Institutions Level Table 4:Level ofEducation Covered by theDifferent Types ofTVETInstitutions* apply to general educationonly. Source: GIZ.(2018). DiagnosticStudyoftheTVETSector inSierra Leone –GIZnoted Officialschool ages 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Age Official Figure 9:Overview ofEducation System inSierra Leone Class Prep 1 Prep 2 Prep 3 P 1 P 2 P 3 P 4 P 5 P 6 JSS 1 JSS 2 JSS 3 1 SSS 2 SSS 3 SSS 4 SSS Teacher Education Teacher Training Senior Secondary School Junior Secondary School Undergraduate Studies Postgraduate Studies General Education Pre-primary Primary Post SSS to Tertiary SSS to postSSS below Tertiary SSS to JSS JSS to earlySeniorSecondary School(SSS) Primary to JuniorSecondary School(JSS) Non-formal/Primary Polytechnics Technical/Vocational training Education Centre A Tech/Voc Institute Tech/Voc Centre Community Community Education Centre B so theGOSL surmisesfrom thisthatthetotal numberofenrollees isnow higherthan2008. in 2015 ofTVETs below thepolytechnic level infour districtsidentified126 institutionswith15,131 students, 2009 to 380in2018. illustration ofthisexpansion, arecent GIZstudyfound registered TVETproviders have exploded from 33in 29 28 27 GOSL. 26 GOSL. also disproportionately urban,with12.6% ofthatgroup basedinFreetown inrural and3.3% areas. graduation rate. Only5.5%oftheworking age populationhasreceived formal vocational training, they are looking for ofskilledtrade, somesort thelow rate ofenrollment inTVETs isadirect result ofthelow secondary While TVETs traditionally have beendesignedasthenext step for studentsleaving secondary schooland were unregistered), whilethenumberofTVETstudentsattimewas cited as27,055. the numberofstudents,andrefers to a2008TVETsurvey thatshowed 370 TVETinstitutions(more than100 analysis isdifficultasthe GOSL asof 2018 didnot have recent dataonthenumberofTVETinstitutionsand in TVETprograms assomeclasses aloneare offered in primaryandsecondary schools.Unfortunately, further school may offer woodworking skills.Asa result, enrollment inTVET institutionsisless than overall enrollment processes, butnotnecessarily through traditional TVETinstitutions.For example, aconventional secondary Because vocational training spansalmostalllevels ofeducation,there issignificantengagement inTVET Source: 2014 LaborForce Survey Figure 10:Percent ofYouth whoreceived vocational training by locationandgender become handy inatrade through practice. many youth have undergone traditional vocational skillstraining informally withfamily orlocalNGOs,have one reason why thesenumbers may notrepresent thebroader technical potential ofyoung peopleisbecause education institutions.Moreover, more men(6.6%) thanwomen (4.2%) go through vocational training. Yet, out ofaperceived demandby employers for technical andvocational skillsinstead ofthosefrom traditional low enrollment isincontrast to thegrowth inTVETinstitutions.Indeed,many are for-profit, and have grown en/806541468178774794/pdf/104269-PUB-PUBLIC.pdf World Bank.(2014) “Findings from theLaborMarket Survey”, op. cit.,p. 43.Accessed at:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/ GIZ. (2018). Diagnostic StudyoftheTVETSector inSierra Leone, P17 Education Sector Plan2018-2020, p. 18 Education Sector Plan2018-2020, p. 17. 28 26 A partial review Apartial 27 Asanother 29 This 23 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 24 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone School), whichisoutofreach for thosewhowere Sierra primaryschoolage after duringorshortly Leone’s requirement for aminimumeducationlevel ofWASSCE (Senior Secondary School)orBECE (Junior Secondary barriers. For example, entrance requirements atgovernment training institutes canbechallenging,suchasa tools andequipment.Ininstances where youth want to undergo training ataTVETinstitute, there are several burdened, preventing themfrom enablingtheirstudentsto undertake practical training, andfrom providing vetting becausethey have minimalcapacity to absorbalarge numberofstudents.TVETs are financially to encourage youth At to participate. the sametime,TVETinstitutes stillhave to perform additionalapplicant considerably increased becauseofgovernment scholarships to high-ranking studentsandapplicationwaivers fewer than100studentsregistered to take thenationalexam thisyear. However, thenumber ofapplicantshas informant interview, theMilton Margai Hotel andTourism Schoolconfirmed alow rate ofenrollment, with Technical quality challenges, inturn,exacerbate overall low andgraduation participation ofyouth. Inakey and poorlyequippedTVETinstitutionswithoutmodernteaching andlearningtools andequipment. equipment, andmaintenance. This hasresulted indeteriorating andrun-down TVETphysical infrastructure trainers, andotherstaffmembers, withoutany allocated fund for theinfrastructure ofTVETinstitutes, 33 32 31 30 civil war. TVET in2017 was less than1%oftheentire educationbudget, quality teaching staff, many ofwhomonlyhave ahighschooldiploma. The Government budget allocation to As aresult, theTVETsystem hasremained under-resourced bothinterms offundingandinterms oflower- Sierra Leone’s TVETprograms are seenasthelastresort for schoolleavers orthosewithpooracademicability. CHALLENGES INTVET youth whocontinue insecondary educationfail theWASSCE andendupwithoutjobs. TVET isalsoselected by young Sierra Leonians asitisapotential reliable pathway to work. Many seeother regional exam thatcertifiesstudentsasequivalent to asecondary school intheUnited Kingdom.certificates was unlikely to enablethemto pass theWest African Secondary SchoolCertificate Examination (WASSCE), a switched from secondary to vocational education,asmany may have realized thattheiracademicperformance trainees, 25%never attended school,while15%never completed primaryschool.The remaining 60% The average duration ofvocational training programs (centers years. andinstitutionscombined) is2.2 Among how courses translate into employment. outdated curriculaandequipment,inadequate faculty andinstructors, and,broadly, poorinformation regarding creating poorquality inandlimited relevance ofTVETprograms. This alsoleadsto course duplication, input orinformation from employers abouttraining, curriculaanddelivery; andinadequate resource provision, programs, especiallyfor AGYW andrural populations;anapproach heavily focused onsupplythathaslittle system include:low cognitive scores driven by underperforming general education;limited access to training According to astudyby theWorld Bank,othermainchallenges confronting Sierra Leone’s skillsdevelopment providers-supportive-structures-in-sierra-leone-2013.pdf Supportive Structures inSierra Leone. https://tvetcoalition.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/market-economic-survey-mapping-of-training- McLaughlin,M., BunWai, A.,Senesie,T., &Kamara, W. (2013). Market andEconomic Survey andMapping ofTraining Providers and Sierra-Leone-PAD-P163723-Sept-4-09062018.pdf World Bank.(2018). Sierra Leone SkillsDevelopment Project http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/121121538105464838/pdf/ GIZ. (2018). Diagnostic StudyoftheTVETSector inSierra Leone. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/121121538105464838/pdf/Sierra-Leone-PAD-P163723-Sept-4-09062018.pdf 14.4) Million(US$20Equivalent) to theRepublic ofSierra Leone for aSierra Leone SkillsDevelopment Project. Accessed at: World Bank.(2018). International Development Association Project Appraisal DocumentonaProposed Credit intheAmountof(SDR 33

32

30 exclusively usedfor thesalariesofteachers, 31

34 tailoring, hairdressing andmotor mechanicsinWellington, Eastern Freetown andMabella. the Government ofSierra Leone isproviding tuitionfeefor support vulnerable youth training incarpentry, some government scholarships aswell asNGOfundingto low-income andvulnerable youth. For instance, include tuitionfees, extra charges for training materials, incidentals,andinsomecasesfieldtrips. There are Cost isanotherbarrierfor youth inTVETtrainings to participate orattend TVETinstitutions.This can can beemployed, dueto thegreater likelihood one willhave theskillsto doajob. to seethatTVETtrainings canincrease theamountofmoney onecanget, and thereliability withwhichone not prestigious, itisseenaslikely to provide opportunity. Respondents noted thatyoung peopleare beginning was theperception ofTVETandhow ithaschanged, from therealm of‘drop outs’to asensethat,even ifitis Key informants around Sierra Leone reinforced someofthesechallenges. Frequently discussed ininterviews Sierra Leone Source: Derived from –SituationAnalysis StudyofTechnical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)in Figure 11:Distribution ofInstitutions by Region andDistrict -2015 training institutes. Figure 9below shows TVETinstitutionsthatuseNCTVA-accredited curricula. areas are noteasilyreachable, especiallyduringtherainy season,whichlimitsyoung peoplefrom accessing institution. Unfortunately, TVETinstitutes are almostallclustered inthewestern andurbanareas. The rural canalsobesheerphysicalAnother barrierto participation distance between young peopleandaTVET development, ICT andagriculture. is the“Abbako Private TVET”inPort Loko, offering free courses for high-ranking studentsin community Supportive Structures inSierra Leone. McLaughlin,M., BunWai, A.,Senesie,T., &Kamara, W. (2013). Market andEconomic Survey andMapping ofTraining Providers and 34 Anotherexample 25 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 26 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone employers were weak informal. andoften Bank highereducationstudy, whichconcluded thatthelinkages between highereducationinstitutionsand than TVETgraduates becausethe latter lackvitalpractical skills.This was noted inarecent further World employers noted thatthey prefer to hire someonewhohaseven minimalon-the-jobexperience rather employers have amixed relationship witheducationandtraining institutions.For example, duringKIIs, theory over on-the-jobtraining, and alackofinputfrom employers inthedesign anddelivery phase,many However, becauseofchallenges around poorquality tools, poorlyqualifiedtrainers, courses thatemphasize in theagricultural andtourism sectors, aswell asmore technically-oriented publicandprivate industries. During key informant interviews, employers indicated they saw agrowing demandfor TVET-trained employees Private Sector Linkages sector, they indicated that they rely heavily on3-6monthsofin-housetraining to address theskillsgap. 36 35 also complained they were notableto practice their skillsfrom courses they hadtaken. inappropriate punishmentsfor tardiness, suchasbeingasked to dothetrainer’s laundryandfetch water. They example, inBRAC’s hairdressing training program, were Bourbanparticipants subjected to academically in Borural, saw training participants asunnecessary becausewomen learnedtheskillsfrom peers. Inanother BRAC ELAFGD hadcriticalfeedback participants onexisting training programs insoap-making.For example, (3-day)also carriedoutsomeshort trainings inMoyamba. Centre, Port Loko Teachers College, Abako College andHospital,Unimak.The MinistryofAgriculture has (Bo rural). Participants mentionedvery few additional training institutions, e.g.KambiaTec Voc, Moyamba Car same: hairdressing, soap making,gara tiedye, andtailoring.Insomecommunities, onlyBRAC was mentioned ELA they could notcompare onquality. However, across theBRAC ELA program, thetraining topics were the AGYW perspective, despite thepresence hadonlyengaged ofsuchinstitutions.Asparticipants withBRAC ELA programing around skillsbuildingtook theplace oflocalTVET institutions,atleastfrom theBRAC ELA the training institutionsare basedoutsidetherural communities. This indicated thatinsomeinstances BRAC an NGOprogram’s training andthatofaTVETinstitution.However, itwas clearfrom thefocus group that under thespecificauspices ofBRAC ELAtraining. Asa result, for many there was not a distinctionbetween communities, mostlikely becausefew exist, thoughalsobecausemany onlyencountered skills-related training FGDs revealed thatmany AGYW hadlittleknowledge participants intheir ofTVEToptionsandopportunities FGD Perspective onTVETs demand-driven training withprivate sector engagement. Currently, theGovernment ofSierra Leone isintheprocess ofadaptinganew NationalTVETpolicyto adapta as mechanicalorplumbingskillsare frequently taughtdirectly onthejob, bypassing theTVETinstitution. as well asmachineryortechnical equipmentneededto train students.Asaresult, core technical skillssuch when discussing TVETinstitutions,key informants noted thatTVETs are undercapacity, interms ofskills, Yet thisview canandisfrequently dampenedby challenges to thecapacity andresources ofTVETs. Frequently World Bank.(2017). System Assessment for Better Education Results (SABER) inTertiary Education. ensure theirsafety and improve quality. andtrainers.with participants Moving forward, theorganization willalsoplace aminimumoftwo witheachtrainer participants to and encourage future reporting. To improve itsmonitoring, BRAC Sierra Leone will enhance its current framework through discussions has begun delivering safeguarding trainings to community members and program to align expectations participants about the program selection criteria, a modifiedorientationprocess, andintroductions to theparents orcaregivers oftheprogram Further, participants. it it usesto selectand train program facilitators, adoptingasuccessful approach usedby BRAC inBangladesh.Itincludesupdated the well-being ofSierra Leoneans, andistakingactionto address thedisturbingreports. BRAC Sierra Leone willoverhaul theprocess hairdresser trainings inBo, itwas notmadeaware oftheseallegations untilthisreport was provided by FHI360. BRAC iscommitted to BRAC Sierra Leone places theutmostimportance onthesafety ofprogram WhileBRAC participants. Sierra Leone staffmonitored the 36 DuringtheKIIswithemployers, specificallyinthehospitality 35

39 38 37 among thisgroup may behelpingto compensate for alackofformal education, training. Becausetwo-thirds oftherural working-age populationhasnever attended school,theextra training who never attended schoolorwhoobtainedtechnical degrees orcertificates spendthemosttimein vocational and rural trainees spendonaverage five more months intraining compared to thosein urban areas. People courses menandwomen enroll in.Menspendanaverage ofnearlyseven monthsmore intraining thanwomen TVET institutionsalsoface challenges around gender inequality, thoughitappears to bebasedonwhich tourism sector. and hospitality industryusedto benegative, butthemindsetisslowly changingduejobcreation by the Margai Hotel andTourism Schoolalsoindicated thattheperception ofyouth andparents towards thetourism February 2019, aimedatrebranding technical educationto make itattractive to young people.The Milton graduate entrepreneurship young peopleinthree key areas: skillsdevelopment for employment, career guidance andjobreadiness, anda Bank (AfDB) isleadingtheYouth Entrepreneurship andEmployment (YEEP) Project, to benefit over 2,000 perception inTVET. The NationalYouth Commission (NYC) oftheAfrican withthesupport Development The Government ofSierra Leone istakingseriousmeasures to address theskillsgap andchange youth Changes inTVETPerception more limited rural apprenticeship andotherfactors. opportunities 2.5%). Freetown hasthehighestpercentage ofthosewhohave served asapprentices, whichmay becausedby of maleswhohave served asapprentices isnearly4.5times higherthanthepercentage ofwomen (11.1% vs. Amongtheworking-agethese opportunities. population,6.4% have served asapprentices, butthepercentage Data onapprenticeships alsoreflect differences in how AGYW andsimilarly aged men are able to access Apprenticeships TVET courses dominated by men,women’s inTVETmightalsoincrease. participation women andAGYW enter into industriesthathave beentraditionally dominated by men,whichare fed by driven to note thatthisispartially It isimportant by existing gender biasaboutoccupational roles. Asmore (STEM) related courses. industry. Women are alsoseverely underrepresented inScience, Technology, EngineeringandMathematics Milton Margai College alsoconfirmed thatthere are more females thanmalesenrolled inthehospitality fields canwidenthe gender wage gap becausemen focus onareas withhigherearnings. The KIIwiththe decisions, aswell aspersonal preferences andsocialexpectations. This gender differentiation across training The cleargender difference across fields reflectsthe environment inwhich youngpeople make their training training timesofmenversus women isprimarilycausedby occupational choice. World Bank.(2016). Findings from the2014 Labor Force Survey inSierra Leone, p. 78. World Bank.(2016). Findings from the2014 Labor Force Survey inSierra Leone, p. 44. National Youth Commission. TVETImageCampaign . http://www.nationalyouthcommission.sl/ . 37 OneoftheYEEPcomponents istheTVETImage Campaign,launchedin 39 38 whilethelonger average

27 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 28 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Labor Force Survey inSierra Leone. Source: Margolis, David &Rosas, Nina &Turay, Abubakarr &Turay, Samuel.(2016). Findings from the2014 Figure 13:Apprenticeship Trades by Gender tailoring (9.7%). These gender differences reflect tradition, cultural normsandindividual preferences. hairdressing. Aswithvocational training, tailoringispopularamongwomen (20.6%), butfew menalsoselect auto mechanics,andmasonryare almostentirely maledominant,whilewomen predominate incatering and Similar to vocational training, menandwomen selectdifferent trades asapprentices. For example, carpentry, Source: Sierra Leone’s 2014 LaborForce Survey Figure 12:Working-age Population inApprenticeships by Type (percent) 40 driving andsoapmaking. Center,” offers 6-12 months courses anda range ofskillstrainings suchashairdressing, tailoring,catering, employment. For example, inMoyamba, alivelihood skillstraining institutionrunby Red Cross, called“Car to become lawyers, doctors, nurses orpoliticians. Othertrainings offer alternative courses onpossible and formal training inteaching andnursing. Additionally, theAGYW noted theirambitiousaspirations A few alsomentionednon-traditional skills,suchaspottery making,drivingandtraffic controller “flagger”; or they willself-select into industriesorjobsthatmay have basedontraining. limited opportunities would indicate thatwithoutexposure to abroader segmentofmarket needs,orwhatskillscould beusedfor, alreadyopportunities provided by ELA,includinghair-dressing, tailoring,tie-dye, soapmaking,andothers. This When asked whatkindofskillsthey were interested indeveloping, mostreferenced thetypes oftraining trainings aswell. AGYWs were asked to training aseriesofquestions pertaining andself-employment. During theFGDs, appreciated participants therole oflife skillstraining andexpressed interest inother Focus Group Participants’ Perspective onSkillsTraining perspectives ontraining specific to BRAC ELA. to project-based trainings thatoffer awide range one-off ofshorter courses. Thesectionsbelow note In additionto traditional educationprograms andTVET institutionofferings, AGYW have often access SKILLS TRAININGS unremunerated labor. Insomecases,youth endupdoinglarge amountsofwork for afew meals. Informal apprenticeships are alsoaway for unscrupulousemployers orfamily members to obtain provide adeeperperspective ondistinctionsbetween AGYW andABYM. the survey datadidnotindicate differences inlikelihood thata young person would findemployment, nordidit yielded thegreatest differential inincomes –around 50%higher– relative to teaching diplomas.Unfortunately, certificate hadhigherearnings,andthose receiving certificates from theMinistryofLaborandSocialSecurity However, thetype ofaccreditation doesseemto matter for income. Those whoreceived avocational training 3% was found amongthosewhodidvocational training compared to thosewithnotraining inthesameareas. median earningsremaining at about$100amonth.For vocational training only, aslightincome difference of Survey found thatin2014 there was noincome difference associated withservingasanapprentice, with When lookingattherelationships between income, apprenticeships andvocational training, aLaborMarket Vocational training, apprenticeships andlivelihoods certifications, whileproviding key entrepreneurial, soft, and technical skills. business mentor to helpyouth get skills.The approach provides market demandedskills, andalignsto national apprenticeship model,SkillsTraining for Advancing Resources (STAR), by pairingapprentices withatrained any accrediting entity. For instance, BRAC Bangladeshhassuccessfully implemented a6-monthon-the-job provide structured learningandacertificate upon completion, even ifthe isnotcertificate recognized by contrast, vocational training, even from localNGOsandcommunity-based organizations, ismore likely to be accessed at:http://www.sierra-leone.org/Laws/2007-7p.pdf environment, andbehelpedresponsible for harm causedto theapprentice inthecourse oftraining. For more information theactcan not require anapprentice to bepaidawage, onlyrequires theapprenticeship provider to provide food, asafe andhealthy work The Child RightsAct of2007 setsaminimumage andskillrequirement for apprenticeships bothformally aninformally, anddoes 40 In 29 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 30 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone significant instability to the country’s economy. Moreover, Sierra Leone has faced continued challenges since decade, butthishasbeendependent onextractive mining, especiallyofiron ore; fluctuatingprices have added Sierra Leone hasextraordinary natural resources andhasshown impressive economic growth inthe last Sierra Leone’s Economic Context thus growth inemployment orself-employment potential. that have thepotential to beaccessible to AGYW, andthatalsoshow indicationsofincreasing indemand,and informant interviews andfocus group discussions. The mainfocus isto understand economic opportunities secondary dataintheform oftrade dataandreported economic growth, aswell asprimarydatafrom key capacity ofnew labormarket entrants, by sectors andoccupations. The analysis isinformed by the ofuse employment orself-employment, thissectionanalyzes thepotential for thecountry’s economy to absorbthe With abetter understanding ofSierra Leone’s AGYW, andthesystem thatprovides themwithskillsfor Economic andSector Context and Analysis their life. boys aswell asdrop-outs –shouldbenefitfrom theBRAC ELAprogram to functioneffectively in allaspectsof still inschool,thoughfact ittargets inandoutofschoolyouth. They recommend thatallchildren –girls and their concern onthestructure oftheprogram, whichthey believed was geared toward onlyyoung girlswhoare However, there didappearto be some confusion aboutaspectsofBRAC ELA.Ininterviews, parents alsoraised project inception, asBRAC isrecognized asacommunity leader. daughters get helpontheirschoolwork. Parents were content withhow BRAC approached themfrom the and theBRAC ELAprogram, specifically referring to BRAC’s after-school program, whichhashelpedtheir value ofaneffective education for theirchildren. They expressed and theirsupport commitment to trainings any child,you have helpedthewholenation.” Mostoftheparents interviewed, even ifilliterate, recognize the benefited themfinanciallyandwill continue todosointhefuture. Oneparent noted, “When youhelpagirlor school retention andprevention ofteen pregnancy –andfelt thatthelivelihood activitiesoffered by ELAhave their children aswell asthemselves. They noted thesocialbenefitsoflife skillstraining –especiallyaround ELA andthelivelihood trainings offered. Parents are supportive oftheELAprogram andseeitasabenefit to Parents from Bo, Kambia,Moyamba andPort Loko were interviewed to better understand theirperceptions of Parents View onSkillsTraining distance to thetraining intuitionsandcost oftransportation. outside theirvillages, sosomeAGYWs are discouraged to complete oreven thetraining start becauseofthe communities. There are othertraining institutionsoffering similar types oftrainings, butthey are located Most groups agreed thatthetraining provided by BRAC ELAdirectly was theonlytraining available intheir 4 among theobstaclesinvestors face. the shortage ofskilledlabor, inadequate infrastructure, uncertain legal system, andhighlevel ofcorruption are 46 45 44 43 42 41 taken fulladvantage ofduty-free exports dueto lackofproper certificationanddocumentation. Sierra Leone joinedAGOA in2003, whichwas recently extended until2025. However, thecountry hasnot OPPORTUNITIES ANDCHALLENGES FROM THEUSAFRICA GROWTH ANDOPPORTUNITY ACT up to date, thesecond largest driver is‘other services,’ whichmakes upapproximately 10%ofGDP. agriculture employs 80%ofSierra Leoneans, andrepresents approximately 60%oftheGDP. Whiledataisnot economy, yet luckilyhave ahigherpotential to generate employment orlivelihoods for AGYW. For example, the Ebolacrisis,leadingeconomy to contract by 21.5%.Otherindustriesalsoplay arole inthecountry’s volatility anduncertainty. For example, ore prices declinedrapidly in2015, whichoccurred inconcurrence with which isdependentoninternational markets, hasbeenaninconsistent driver ofeconomic growth, introducing representing ofGDP growth 98.2% in2014, whileagriculture contributed only0.3%.Yet iron ore, theprice of Since thediscovery ofiron ore in2011, miningbecamethemaindriver ofgrowth, withiron ore exports industries andjobsthatpresent economic for opportunities youth andAGYW. to overcome thesesignificantchallenges, they doimpacttheeconomic environment, andthesubsequent its civilwars, mostrecently withtheEbolacrisis.WhileSierra Leoneans have continued to show astrong ability and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the European andAmericanmarkets undertheEverything butArms(EBA) Initiative andtheUSAfrica Growth terms ofopportunitygeneration for many Sierra Leoneans. Foreign manufacturers have duty-free access to Trade hasbeenamajorfactor Sierra insupporting Leone’s economy, butonethatremains underdeveloped in in agribusiness, fisheries,ecotourism, andmanufacturing. Conference onTrade and Development (UNCTAD) report concluded thatSierra Leone hasmajorFDIpotential services, personal care services, deathcare services….” promoting oradministering religious activities,grantmaking, advocacy, andproviding dry-cleaning andlaundry broad category thatexcludes publicwork, andspecificallycaninclude “equipment andmachinery repairing, according to several KIIs. and mediumenterprises (SMEs), create more jobsandincrease foreign currency earningsfor Sierra Leone, could beusefulto diversify theeconomy. Asaregional market link,AGOA hasthepotential to develop small has acomparative advantage given itsvast arable landsuitablefor thecultivation ofavariety ofcrops that Yet in2017, thenon-iron ore economy grew by only3.6%, slower growth thanthe4.3% in2016. (post-Ebola), there was adramatic turnaround with FDIincreasing to $560million. outbreak. Investment flows thenhittheirlowest level since 2010, declining to $138millionin2016. In2017 Following steady growth until2012, foreign direct investment (FDI)was severely impacted by theEbola followed by wholesaleandretail trade. . opportunities-opened-with-the-us.html AGOA. (2017). Sierra Leone: Trade OpenedwiththeU.S.https://agoa.info/news/article/15261-sierra-leone-trade- Opportunities countries/west-africa/sierra-leone/sierra-leone African Development Bank.(2017). Africa Economic OutlookandWorld BankSierra Leone Overview (2018). https://www.afdb.org/en/ are notmanufactured goods ofSierra Leone origin. Leone ofwhich$30millionwas precious metalsandstone, $iron ore ($8million)andmachinery and instruments($5million)which foodstuffs andawiderange ofprocessed goods. (www.agoa.info, July2017). $47 In2017 theUSimported millionofgoods from Sierra due to problems ofcertificationand documentation. The agreement isbroad andallows duty free to theU.S.oftextiles, import AGOA was created in2000 butasoflate 2017 Sierra Leonean businesses hadstillnottaken advantage of thisfree trade agreement UNCTAD. (2018). World Investment Report using globalstandard classifications. Bureau ofLaborStatistics.Otherservices. https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag81.htm 2009: Country Notes: Volumes 1and2 . OECD Publishing. pp. 561–562. African Development Bank,OECD -Organisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment (2009).African Economic Outlook 44 aswell asChina’s zero tariffandIndia’s Duty Free andQuota Free privileges. 42 Tourism represents thethird largest contributor, 43 The 2018 United Nations 46 45 Sierra Leone Moreover, 41 This isa 31 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 32 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone agricultural commodities have alsoledto unpredictability for inputsfor agro-processing SMEs. training offerings, rarely going beyond basicbusiness plansand start-up advice. Highly unstable markets for that doserve themhave basicbusiness training materials butlackkey information andexperience with agro-processing SMEsgenerally lackaccess to stablemarkets. The business development service providers challenges rural communities andyouth face. not aprocess whichmany Sierra Leoneans would know to follow, orphysically beableto, given thetravel While onecontact didnote thatinformation onAGOA could bemadeavailable viatheUS Embassy, thiswas been conducted, specifically focusing onquality, standards, labelingand requirements for theU.S.market. export process required. Inorder to promote AGOA andincrease theexportcapacity, several trainings have products exported to theU.S.DuringKIIs,SMEsnoted thatthey lackclearinformation onAGOA and the of information andknowledge onquality, standards, packaging, andlabelingrequirements, especiallyfor those 49 48 47 agribusiness investors indicated aroundparticularly access to finance, investment, skills,andmarket information. Ina2017 survey, many areWhile opportunities growing, Sierra Leone remains achallengingenvironment for SMEsto navigate, CONTEXT FOR SMES access to landonwhichto develop goods. access to electricity, pooraccess to finance, limited ordamaged road infrastructure, few storage facilities and Supply-side challenges exist thatcanmake exportofsomethesegoods difficult,includinginadequate project implemented to target suchgoods could tapinto anexisting market Sierra Leone isknown for. counties, and how thosethenpassed onto globalmarkets. Nevertheless, theseare to note, asa important challenges around tracking goods flow, the research team was unable to linkwhichproducts camefrom which (5.13%), andmedicalinstruments(4.40%). Unfortunately, given limited datacollection inSierra Leone, and their own category (9.39%), honey metalclaspsandbuckles(5.96%), (6.26%), measurement instruments extractives, includeanarray ofhigher-complexity commodities, whichare too nicheto bespecifiedunder aluminum ore to Romania andcocoa beansto theNetherlands.The top goods exported to theUS,beyond at 37.83%, 18.40%, 9.49% respectively, and5.2% mostlyexportingiron ore to China, diamondsto Belgium, 4.83% ofSierra Leone’s export market. WhileChina, Belgium,Romania, andtheNetherlandsare allhigher other products are created inSierra Leone thatfindmarkets abroad. For example, theUS represents only products. Whilethey create value for Sierra Leone, they typically require few skillsofSierra Leonians. However, Currently, mostofthecountry’s exportsare extractive –minerals, oilsandgasses, andraw agricultural with low interest rate.” skillstraining,soft capacity building, agriculture tools andmachineries,storage facilities andaccess to finance Williams, AGOA Sierra Leone Coordinator, “Sierra Leone hasagreat potential; with hence, SMEsneedsupport countries are low. This isdriven by several demandandsupply-side challenges. Asnoted by Ayodele Wake According to the2019 AGOA strategy report, Sierra Leone exportvolumes to theUSandotherAGOA Assessment (EIA) fees andexportprocedures. andimport A2017 agribusiness diagnostic withdraw theirinvestments. The maininvestor concerns were thegovernment’s annualEnvironmental Impact World Bank.(2017). SLIEPA Capacity NeedsAssessment for Aftercare inAgribusiness. agribusiness investors andseven business intermediaries. This findingisbasedontheAgribusiness Investors Forum, SLIEPA, May 2017 anda2017 survey of13large foreign anddomestic AGOA. (2019). Sierra Leone AGOA Response Strategy Paper. 48 thatthey hadto downsize, abandonplannedoperations, ortotally 47 Challenges interms ofunderstanding market demandincludelack 49 showed that Figure 15:Top Four Sierra Leone Groups Export for 2010 -2016 WITHIron Ore Source: World Bank2016 Figure 14:Sierra Leone ImpactofEbolaonGDP(%) through 2016. to decrease onlyslightly, whileremaining positive. Inreality, GDPperformance duringthisperiodwas negative study showed (inFigure 14below, inred), inprojections ofpreliminary 2014 data,thecountry’s GDPwas set 51 50 this was causedby Ebolaaswell asthecollapse oftheinternational Iron ore market. growth. Onecommonly cited statisticisthatSierra Leone’s GDPgrowth shrank by 21.5%in2015. In reality, However, thecrisiscausedby thespread ofEbolaandadependence oniron ore dramatically undercut this In spite ofchallenges, in2014 Sierra Leone hadbeenonitsway to apost-civil war economic recovery. Impact ofEbolaonGDP explore/?country=196&partner=undefined&product=undefined&productClass=HS&startYear=undefined&target=Product&year=2010 Center for International Development atHarvard University. (2010).The Atlas ofEconomic Complexity. http://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/ macroeconomics/publication/2014-2015-west-africa-ebola-crisis-impact-update World Bank.(2016). “2014-2015 West Africa Ebola Crisis:ImpactUpdate”. Accessed at:http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/ 51 50 AsoneWorld Bank 33 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 34 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone new highof$560millionin2017. foreign direct investment, whichnow supersedes theamountjustpriorto theonsetofcrisis,reaching a With theEbolacrisisnow behindit,Sierra Leone hasseenaneconomic resurgence, inthearea particularly of agriculture” were nolonger working asaresult. or self-employed peoplewas significant: “9,000 wage workers and170,000 self-employed workers outsideof 55 53, 54 52 million …equalto 16%oftotal economy GDP.” Leone withtourist arrivals down by 50%from 2013 to 2014. Itisestimated thatSierra Leone ‘lost’over $67 Travel &Tourism Council (WTTC) notes, “The impactofEbolaonTravel &Tourism was immediate for Sierra The above figure illustrates more clearlyhow otherareas of theEbolacrisis.As the export fell after World tourism; andAgriculture includecocoa beans,starches, wholefish, coffee (not roasted), pears Notes: Stone includeDiamondsandprecious metals;Minerals includeiron ores; Services includetravel and Figure 16:Top Three Sierra Leone Groups Export for 2010 -2016 WITHOUTIron Ore apparent. Below isthesamegraph, butwithouttheinfluence ofIron Ore: looking attheimpactofEbolainterms oftrade data,theoutsized impactofthecollapse ofiron alsobecame severe shocks: thelingering effects oftheEbolaepidemicand collapse ofiron ore prices in2014. When The figure ontheprevious page shows adrastic fall inminerals in2015, anadverseexports impactof two GDP growth lostdueto Ebola–upto 10% inthecaseofSierra Leone. an uptickinbusiness. Data backs uptheview thatspendingby international aiddidhelprecover someofthe faced fewer sales,whileareas withproximity to foreigners orwhere money was beingspentto treat Ebolasaw KIIs offered amore detailedview oftheimpactfrom Ebola.Asone respondent noted, typical shop locations sierra-leone/investing-3 Santander Trade Portal “Sierra Leone: Foreign Investment”. Accessed at:https://en.portal.santandertrade.com/establish-overseas/ macroeconomics/publication/2014-2015-west-africa-ebola-crisis-impact-update reports/2018/impact-of-the-ebola-epidemic-on-travel-and-tourism.pdf World Travel andTourism Council. (2018). ImpactoftheEbolaEpidemiconTravel &Tourism. https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/ World Bank.2016. “2014-2015 West Africa EbolaCrisis:ImpactUpdate.” http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/ 55 Moreover, astheeffects ofEbolahave subsided,more Sierra Leoneans have 52 54

53 Nonetheless theimpacton employed diamond producer, andKenema, thesecond largest city inSierra Leone. a migratory surplus,whileallotherdistrictshadnegative migratory balances, except inBo, Kono, thelargest Figure 17below shows 2015 netmigration by thedistrictofresidence. The western urbanandrural areas show 57 56 cutting challenge, asidentified by as FGD participants well asKIIswithemployers andministryofficials, wasa a lackofformalandrestricted jobopportunities access to training institutionsintheircommunity. Across- as access to education,healthcare, andelectricity. The FGD inBo, Kenema, Kono andPort Loko alsostressed flooding,landslidesandmudslides)particularly and, mostimportantly, lackofadequate publicservices, such extreme poverty, severe declinesinagriculture, environmental changes (recurring natural disasters, KIIs noted several reasons alsocontribute to themajorfactors drivingrural-urban migration. These include Source: StatisticsSierra Leone, 2015 Population andHousingCensus Figure 17: NetMigration by District ofResidence (2015) annual urbanpopulationgrowth rate of3.11% andannualrural populationgrowth rate stagnatingto 1.55%. the civilwar ofEbola,Sierra andaftermath Leone hasexperienced extensive rural-urban migration, withan Another factor influencingtheeconomic opportunities for AGYW hasbeentheprocess ofurbanization. Since Urban Migration due to areview andauditofallgovernment miningcontracts, andgovernment ministrydepartments agencies. in new government spendingpost-election have affected government payments anddisbursements offunds transition to thenew government hasalsoaffected someaspectsoftheeconomy. According to KIIs,changes returned to work, andmajorcommodities like iron have begunto recover asanexport product. However, the rbanization.pdf https://www.statistics.sl/images/StatisticsSL/Documents/Census/2015/sl_2015_phc_thematic_report_on_migration_and_ Statistics Sierra Leone. (2017). Sierra Leone 2015 Population andHousingCensus. Thematic Report onMigration andUrbanization. population-wb-data.html Trading Economics. Sierra Leone Rural Population. https://tradingeconomics.com/sierra-leone/rural-population-percent-of-total- 57 57 56

35 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 36 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 60 59 58 disruptions orshocks to AGYW’s lives. and growth ofemployment orself-employment theconclusion after ofaproject orintheface oflocal examination inSierra ofopportunities Leone’s demandmeansthat there isagreater likelihood ofsustainability other factors thatare generating the economic demand for employment andnew enterprises. Grounding an has faced. oftheapproach Aspart to understanding for opportunities AGYW, thisreport willnow explore Sierra Leone isgrowing hasapotential for investment andeconomic expansion despite thechallenges it Where arethe Opportunities? of rural distress migration. options inrural areas, withaspecialfocus onwomen andyouth, isfundamentalto addressing theroot causes to smallholderfamilyscaling upthesupport members andcreating alternative andsustainablelivelihood including unemployment andfood insecurity. According to theFood andAgriculture Organization (FAO), KIIs noted thatagriculture andrural development have thepotential to address theroot causesofmigration, Village, Bo district participant in Giema job in the city” -FGD business orseeka either set uptheir community can in the neighboring other institutions Graduates from the institution. … community to access to gooutside the trade orskill have who want to learna community. People institutions in this no training “There are i6064e.pdf Food andAgriculture Organization oftheUnited Nations.Migration Agriculture andRural Development . http://www.fao.org/3/a- ‘Kekes’ are three wheeledmotorized auto-rickshaws usedfor transporting peopleandgoods, through negotiated fairs. com/article.aspx?articleid=285720812&Country=Sierra Leone&topic=Economy&subtopic=Forecast&subsubtopic=Inflation. EIU DigitalSolutions.(2017) .“Sierra Leone.” InflationEmerges asPotential Drag onGrowth, Accessed on28July2017 at:country.eiu. 60

in 2017. inflation hasmore thandoubled since theEbolacrisis, to almost20% that islarge enoughto cover basiccosts. According to theIMF, young peopleto findemployment orsome form of regular payment inflation ontherise for basic goods, itisincreasingly necessary for hire inrural areas, peoplemigrate to urbancenters. Moreover, with on possible jobs.With businesses or nomiddleclass thatmightstart mines andlarger commercial agriculture cutdown firmshasfurther Additionally, financialchallenges thathave led to theclosure of from rural areas andseeKeke driving asaway to make quickmoney. driverswheeled cart) are notfrom Freetown –instead they come informant referred to arecent studythat70% ofKeke (three in rural areas, meaningmoney won’t bespentonhiring.Onekey there islittleextra (liquid)money inmicro andsmallbusinesses intherurallack ofjobopportunities areas. For example, many note further contributefurther to thismigration. “Kekes.” activity suchas sellingfood products onthestreets ordriving communities, to engage inaless physically demandingeconomic Many young peoplemigrate to urbanareas, leaving smallfarming rainy season,astheroads are terrible, sothey migrate to thecity.” youth intherural areas. It’s hard for themto find food duringthe inaccessible by rural AGYW. AKIInoted, “Nothing isattractive for skills, andtraining are necessary; however, thosebasicservices are job loss. To secure aformal jobintherural areas, basiceducation, 58 59 Mostcompanies have closed,leadingto ahigherrate of Perceptions of agriculture asunattractive andunprofitable in 2017. the sameproduct over thesame timeperiod.The size ofeachbubbleindicates theUSdollarvalue ofexports product duringagiven timeperiod;and(2)onthey-axis, theannual growth rate ofSierra Leone’s exportsof exports into two dimensions:(1)onthex-axis, theannualgrowth rate oftheworld market for aparticular 61 One tool to analyze thedynamicbehavior ofrecent trade isthetrade share matrix. with patterns ofmarket behavior. has grown orifmarket shares have indeedexpanded. Therefore, to combine itisimportant thevalue ofexports sector selectionevaluation. Itisnecessary to assess whetherexports have grown onlybecausethemarket size In considering growth potential, boththevolume andperformance ofexports emerged ascriticalcriteria inthe TRADE BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS trade isanexcellent indicator ofoverall economic dynamismorlackthereof. data-poor environments like Sierra Leone, therelative availability ofhighlydetailedsub-sectoral dataregarding but thatthere ismoney flowing into industrieswhichinturncreate adjacent economic Also, in opportunities. This doesnotmeanthatAGYW willnecessarily work directly substitutingindustries, inexports orimport shed somelightonwhere AGYW, individuals, often canfind work orcreate their own livelihood opportunities. the country’s economic prospects. Data thatstem from flows, exportorimport whichare closelytracked, can While Sierra Leone faces economic challenges, includingasubstantialtrade to deficit,itisimportant recognize Trade ShareMatrix for Sierra Leone country’s exports are growing faster thanaverage; thiscorresponds to the“cash cows ” quadrant inthe Quadrant -+indicates thattheworld market isgrowing slower thanaverage (or shrinking), butthe shrinking); thiscorresponds to the“challenges” quadrant intheBCG Matrix. country’s exportsare growing slower thanaverage (or Quadrant -indicates thattheworld market andthe quadrant intheBCG Matrix. average (or shrinking); thiscorresponds to the“opportunities” than average, butthecountry’s exports are growing slower than Quadrant +-indicates thatworld markets are growing faster Group” (BCG) Matrix. corresponds to the“stars” quadrant inthe“Boston Consulting the country’s exportsare growing faster thanaverage; this Quadrant +indicates thatboththeworld market and BCG Matrix. trade share matrixhasasimilarstrategic dimensionbutisusedhere primarilyasapredictive device. see Koch. R.,(2009).The Financial Times Guideto Strategy. How to Create and Deliver aUsefulStrategy. 3rd edition.London. The Group for theanalysis offirm-level strategy. For acompact andaccessible treatment ofthestrategic implicationsoftheBoston matrix, The trade share, orBethesda,matrixisanadaptationof the venerable Boston matrixoriginallyintroduced by theBoston Consulting Trade Share Matrix 61 The matrixcategorizes

37 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 38 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone ‘unremarkable’ inthecontext ofSierra Leone’s exports. growth indemandworldwide, and36.1% growth inSierra Leone’s exports) would beconsidered completely dynamism ofanexport product. Aproduct thathappenedto belocated rightatthecenter oftheframe (4.4% has beenaddedwithred dotted lines.Inessence, thesered linesare therelevant frame to evaluate the Leone’s exports(parallel to thex-axis) andtheaverage growth oftheworld market (parallel to they-axis) the “relative” context to optimize thefour quadrant titles,aframe showing theaverage growth ofSierra annual) growth rates over theperiod2010-2017, whichisthemostrecent dataavailable. Inorder to provide behavior oftrade inSierra Leone relative to theworld (see Figure 18),showing annualized (compounded 62 The resulting Sierra Leone trade share matrix,which covers thetop 12exportgoods, Comtrade. Source: FHI360calculationsbasedonexport datafrom MITObservatory ofEconomic Complexity &UN Figure 18:Sierra Leone Trade Share Matrix,Top 10Commodities, 2010-2017 cleaned by CEPII. These are thetop 12outof462 products intheHarmonized System (HS) codes atthe4-digitlevel asreported by UNComtrade and • • represent exportsectors thatAGYW canbeinvolved in. ore, andsawn food. Inparticular, sawn wood and frozen fishare growing atan average rate andpossibly market, includesarapidly fading market inexcavation machinery, palmoil,non-fillet frozen, titanium The “cash cows” quadrant, indicatingwhere Sierra Leone’s performance isstrong inarelatively weak growing atanabove average rate, includesonlydiamonds. Sierra Leone’s ‘stars’ quadrant, where Sierra Leone’s growth isabove average inmarkets thatare also 62 outlinesthedynamic Source: MITObservatory ofEconomic Complexity &UNComtrade. AGYW *Coffee and Palm oilare includedinthe top 12 to exports reflect potential growth sectors andopportunitiesfor Palm Oil Coffee Scrap Iron Sawn Wood Excavation Machinery Non-fillet Frozen Fish Rough Wood Aluminum Ore Cocoa Beans Diamonds Titanium Ore Iron Ore Commodity Table 5:Growth Rate ofSierra Leone’s Top in2017* 12Exports for thetarget group, andwe selected potential sectors outofthetop 20export products. In thefinalanalysis, we have filtered outthesectors where wedon’tsee realisticpossibilities forjob generation 63 an excellent opportunity. Sierra Leone’s exportshaven’t grown atallduring thisperiod,themarket for premium Arabica coffee isgrowing faster andrepresents For example, whiletheglobalcoffee industryasawholeisgrowing slightlyslower thanthegrowth rate ofallexportsworldwide, and • • trade statisticsfor thatentire product category. sectors,these export since thenicheswhere AGYWs may participate notbethosewhichdominate the Even though,they fall underthe“challenges” quadrant, there’s stillpotential opportunityfor AGYWs in exports are bothgrowing slower thanaverage, includescocoa beans,coffee, rough wood andscrap iron. Finally, theproducts found inthe“challenges” quadrant, where boththeglobalmarket andSierra Leone’s export growth rate isbelow average, contains aluminumore. The “opportunities” quadrant, where theglobalmarket isgrowing faster thanaverage butSierra Leone’s 95 5293 9019 334 527 546 5054 46331 40458 143 27455 5 2014 EXPORTS (Thousands ofUS$) 63

3623 4681 9112 13207 13259 23880 30873 68679 72587 104397 140907 211463 2017 140% -9% 0% 69% 59% 72% 30% 6% 9% 156% 26% 356% CAGR Growth Rate 39 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 40 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone able to contribute to others. from workers, andare uncomplex, meaningthere islittlelikelihood inthatindustrywould participants easilybe past, andare far to theperipheryof thefigure. This meansthatproduction ofthese goods requires few skills In contrast, products thatdowell interms ofexports, seenonthefar right,don’tcontribute asmuchinthe as well asskillsthatcanbetransferred to othersectors, alsoare beginningto exhibit potential for acluster. in agricultural goods suchasfresh fruit.Textiles, whichare more complex, andtypically require higherskills, complex goods orthosethatrequire highskills.However, potential clusters appearto betakingroot, asseen makes sensegiven theeconomic challenges Sierra Leone hasfaced, anditslimited ability to produce more where greater congregation ofskillsallows for easierentryofaproduct into production inSierra Leone. This The Product Space for Sierra Leone alsoindicates there are noothermajorclusters. These would beareas expected given therole thatagriculture plays inthecountry’s economy. sectors. For Sierra Leone, onecanseethatstronger clusters exist for certainagricultural goods. This canbe create programs to diversify industriesto capitalize onpotential linkages, orinvest inalready heavily linked the country onto itsoptimalpathofgreater economic complexity and,therefore, GDPgrowth. They canthen the current exportbasket inthecountry andidentifytheproducts that,ifitdiversified into them,mightsend map ofeconomic complexity atthenationallevel. This canallow policymakers andimplementers to look at Understanding whatgoods Sierra Leone exportsthathave ahighRCA matters asthey essentially serve asa complexity andgrowth. to create spillovers for interms ofskillsandabilities,thuspotentially drivingopportunities greater economic exports. Moreover, for thosewithacolor, andcloserto other products inthecenter, there isgreat potential currently exportsmore thanits“fair share” ofthatproduct globallygiven thetotal value ofSierra Leone’s Those withacolor indicate arevealed comparative advantage for Sierra Leone, whichmeansthatthecountry the center oftheweb require more complex skillsandabilities,whilethoseontheperipheryrequire less. 64 “a measure oftheknowledge inasociety thatgets translated into theproducts itmakes.” traded goods interms ofthecomplexity ofskillneededto make them.Specifically, this complexity indicates country. The following tool –theProduct Space –isavisualway ofrepresenting thenetwork thatconnects all they generate, butalsofor how thosegoods linkbackto skillsrequirements andabilitiesofpeoplewithinthe Goods thatSierra Leone are exports for notonlyimportant thecurrency they bringinandtheeconomic growth thus drivinggrowth inthesector. comparative advantage meansthattheirefficiencyin production ishigher, and are more likely tofind buyers, comparative advantage (RCA) acountry like Sierra Leone hasinproducing suchproducts. Acountry withthat map. This tool differs, inthatitlinks how difficultitis to create products,ortheir complexity, withthe revealed Another way ofidentifyingareas ofpotential economic areas ofgrowth isthrough theuseofproduct space Product Space institutions-and-income-inequality/ OECD. (2016). Economic Complexity, Institutions,andIncome Inequality. http://oecdinsights.org/2016/09/20/economic-complexity- 64 Products towards 66 65 male-owned enterprises. (1.6% vs. 5.4%). non-farm laborisfemale (63.8%).However, women-owned enterprises are less likely to hire outsidelabor enterprises provide thesecond largest source ofjobsinthecountry agriculture after andagreater share of ups andasmicro-businesses withthepotential to grow andabsorbAGYW into their enterprises. These population works innon-farm householdenterprises thatcanactbothascatalysts for new AGYW start- As aresult oftheabove situation,Sierra Leone possesses few large-scale formal employers. 31%ofthe total population. Theopportunities. besteducated alsohave highemployment rates, butthey represent atiny fraction ofthe discussed inalater sectiononpathways to employment, thissector offers thegreatest livelihoods growth The highestemployment rates are inrural areas where subsistence agriculture absorbsthemostlabor. As population isself-employed inagriculture (includingforestry andfishing,animalproduction andcrop farming). growth prospects could remain low. Moreover, mostworkers are situated intheagricultural sector. 59% ofthe While somemajorsectors cangenerate mostremain opportunities, informal, meaningthatproductivity or Labor Market Employment Context and Challenges Source: Atlas ofEconomic Complexity, Harvard Figure 19:Sierra Leone’s Product Space Analysis Ibid. persons inemployment isinsufficientinrelation to alternative employment situations.” activity to produce goods orprovide services for pay orprofit.” Under-employment isdefinedby theILO as“whentheworking timeof The officialILO definitionof“employment” is“all thoseofworking age who,reference during ashort period,were engaged in any 66 Female-owned enterprises hire anaverage of0.08 workers vs. 0.34workers in 65

41 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 42 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 67 of activity oreven earningswhileemployed.” found that“employment ismore closelyassociated with[reduced] income poverty thanskills,jobtype, sector higher educationandthosewithlittleornone,between thegenders, theWorld Banklabormarket survey prospects for AGYW. Ina2014 World Banklaborforce survey, despite large earningsgaps between thosewith to emphasizeIt isimportant therole thattheinformal sector cannonetheless play inimproving economic Figure 20:Economic Activity by Sector andRegion No school Women Men Youth Overall Table 6:Findings from World BankLaborForce Survey, 2014 more sustainable. remain high.Ofcourse, aligningthoseactivitieswithmarket demandcanspurincome growth andmake them anyIn short, income-generating activity helpsreduce poverty even ifdisparitieswithinandacross households reducing poverty. Ibid, p. xvi. self-employment (%) Agricultural 69.8 58.7 59.7 58.8 59.2 67

Put anotherway, having any jobisthegreatest contributor to Non-agricultural self-employment (%) 27.7 36.8 24.8 31.9 31.3

Wage 2.5 4.5 15.5 9.3 9.5 employment (%)

circulated, requires andoften apresence inFreetown inorder to meetwithrelevant representatives. businesses, information ontheprocess onegoes through to beableto markgoods withthisbrand isnotwidely the actdoesnotlay outspecificdetailsofwhat constitutes a‘Sierra Leonean’ product. Second, for many small The policyandimplementationare stillrelatively new, meaningthere are several challenges thatremain. First, respond to government tenders withgoods orservices madeinSierra Leone. (SLLCA). SLLCA inturnservices abroader platform through whichlocalSierra Leonean businesses can Local Content Act of2016 enabling environment for localSierra Leonean firms. This strengthening effortcame from theSierra Leone 69 68 Cultural Affairs. Development; Agriculture, Forestry, andFood Security; Fisheries andMarineResources; andTourism and The “Made inSierra Leone” brand was launchedin2017 asaneffort by theMinistries of Finance and Economic improving for opportunities AGYW. data collection theteam learnedofatleastonepolicyeffortunderway inSierra Leone thatmay beof use to report alsonoted key considerations here, whichcanchange policyenvironment expectations. Duringthe in Sierra Leone butare alsothesource ofchallenges asitimpactsthelabormarket andAGYW broadly. The As noted inaprevious section,policiesandregulations thewellbeing cansupport andlivelihoods ofAGYW Micro and SmallEnterprises Policies and Regulations withPotential to Support AGYW-Owned *Findings from theSierra Leone LaborForce Survey (World Bank:2014), p. 12. Tertiary degree Tech degrees +certify Completed uppersec. Completed lower sec. Completed primary Incomplete primary localcontent.gov.sl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Local-Content-Agency-Act-2016.pdf Government ofSierra Leone. (March 2016). “The Sierra Leone Local Content Agency Act.” Accessed on6June 2019 at:http:// trade-and-industry-champions-launch-of-made-in-sierra-leone-brand/ Trade and IndustryChampions launchofMade–InSierra Leone Brand.” Accessed on6June2019 at:http://sliepa.org/ministry-of- Sierra Leone Investment Promotion &Export Agency: Improving Investment andFacilitating (December Export. 2017). “Ministry of 68 The implementationofthebrand ofalarge hasbeenpart effort to improve thebusiness 69 thatcreated asimilarlynamedagency –theSierra Leone Local Content Agency self-employment (%) Agricultural 0.0 9.0 21.8 35.0 47.8 52.4

Non-agricultural self-employment (%) 10.3 17.0 36.9 44.8 41.5 40.4

Wage 89.7 74.1 41.4 20.2 10.7 7.2 employment (%)

43 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 44 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Figure 21:Program Mapping facilitated engagement thatwould allow for continued ofBRAC support ELAparticipants. as focused as BRAC ELAonthelivelihoods ofAGYW, there are potential synergies for andopportunities a programs are focused onpromoting and/or developing SMEsandcreating market linkages. Whilenonewas geographic overlap andincludeasummaryofprogrammatic detailsabouteachoperation. Many ofthese overlap withBRAC ELAprograming goals orgeographies. Five ofthesehave beennoted below interms of The research team encountered numerous projects inSierra Leone thatdemonstrated areas ofpotential Employment Programs GapAnalysis foropportunities AGYW and,more broadly, Sierra Leonean youth. examples ofapproaches thatbuildonlearningfrom otherprojects andhave demonstrated success increating employment for opportunities AGYW. This isinnoway anexhaustive list,butprovides somecomparative This following sectionwillprovide abriefoverview ofhow otherprojects have addressed livelihood or Opportunity Sectors for AGYW Employment 5 Table 7: GoSL and Donor Supported Programs in Sierra Leone Focusing on Youth and AGYW

Project Duration County Project Description

ReGrow West Africa in Sierra 2016 - 2018 Freetown ReGrow West Africa was organized to promote post-Ebola economic recovery and long-term Leone economic development in Sierra Leone. Through this program, thirty SMEs completed a one-year business development and training program. ReGrow West Africa supported impact enterprises Funder: USAID and Chevron with significant postive socio-economic or environmental impacts on their local communities.

Implementer: ReSolve

Smallholder February Bo, Bombali, The SCP is a flagship sector program aimed at empowering the rural poor to increase their food Commercialisation Program 18, 2016 - Koinadugu, Kono, security and income on a sustainable basis, leading to long-term economic development and (SCP) November 30, Kenema, Kailahun, poverty reduction. It focused on the intensification, diversification, and commercialization of 2021 Moyamba, Pujehun, smallholder agriculture through improving value-addition and access to marketing. The project Supervising Entity: IFAD Bonthe, Port Loko provides capacity building to extension workers and farmers utilizing Farmer Field Schools, Western Urban, strengthening Agro-business centers (ABCs) that serve the functions of bulking center, inputs Implementer: Global Western Rural, and outputs marketing, equipment renting, communication and technical advisory services Agriculture & Food Security Kambia, Tonkolili for production and processing. It also provides on-farm water management including the Program (GAFSP) construction of carefully planned structures such as peripheral canals, inlet and outlet structures, etc. that contributes towards perennial Inland Valley Swamps (IVS) rehabilitation, as well as strengthening of IVS associations to ensure the maintenance of the rehabilitated structures, and the development of youth contractors to carry out IVS development services. Finally, the project also strengthens Financial Service Associations and Community Banks to increase access to affordable financial services.

Skills Development Project September Freetown The Development Objective of the Skills Development Project for Sierra Leone is to increase Funder: World Bank 25, 2018 - access to demand-led skills training and build the foundations for a demand-led skills Implementer: Ministry of October 31, development system in Sierra Leone. It has two components. First component, Skills Development Finance;Ministry of Technical 2023 Fund (SDF) aims to increase access to demand-led skills upgrading in Sierra Leone. The and Higher Education SDF supports skills demand and supply through two corresponding windows: (a) Window 1 targets selected training institutions that wish to improve the relevance and quality of their training programs and to introduce new short-term courses for out of school unemployed and underemployed youth, with a focus on girls; (b) Window 2 targets businesses in the productive sectors (agriculture/agro-processing, fisheries, mining/extractives, construction, and tourism) that need to address the skills gaps to expand their production and markets or to upgrade their production process to climb higher up the value chain. Skills upgrading initiatives to be supported by the SDF will be selected through a competitive process based on the merit and the labor market relevance of the initiative. 45 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 46 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone

Project Duration County Project Description

Innovation Axis Active Freetown Innovation Axis is an incubator and accelerator combined with a co-working space and networking hub, to build a vibrant Entrepreneurial Ecosystem that will support disruptive, Funder: Various funders high-growth and value creating entrepreneurs in Sierra Leone With sister organizations GEN SL and Innovation SL, innovations Axis forms a community harnessing the creativity, talents and resources of diverse stakeholders to birth, incubate and scale up unlikely technological solutions to development issues with high impact.

Youth Employment Support June 30, 2010 All 14 districts The objective of the Youth Employment Support Project for Sierra Leone is to increase short term Project - June 30, employment opportunities and to improve employability of targeted youth. 2015 Funder: World Bank Administered by Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED)

Implementer: Youth Secretariat (YS) and National Youth Commission (NYC)

Source: all details provided directly through KIIs or via secondary source data collection. each ofthequadrants. The key groups canbesummarized asfollows: clarifying divisions,thegreen dotted linesdemarcate four quadrants, numbered inthecircles atthecorner of illustrate populationsize butshouldnotbeinterpreted asproportional, dueto datalimitations). For thesake of The boxes represent different groups ofSierra Leone AGYW alongthepathway (size isintended to roughly Figure 22: Sierra Leone Pathways to Employment up pathways interms oftheiroverall economic security andability to perform entrepreneurially. The pockets ofgrowth concept are laidoutinFigure 22 below, illustrating how individualsandfirmscanmove community. businesses to findastablelocalmarket oroffers opportunities for AGYW tofindemployment withinalocal study intheregion. Inthese pocket areas, growth hasoccurred andhaspotential to enableAGYW-owned anyway, identifyingthemandunderstanding theirpresence require inadistrictdoesoften amore intensive more-developed firms.Because officialdatadoesnot exist to tracktheir existence, and many are informal and self-employed atthislocallevel, individualsto identifyopportunities andalsoto engage withlarger or even growing whentheopportunityarises.These smallbusinesses exist becauseoftheability ofentrepreneurs district level –smallbusinesses exist, maintaininglivelihoods for theirowners andsometimesemployees, or actors donotprovide amajorsource ofemployment inSierra Leone. Incommunities –atthevillage, town, or Sierra Leone haslarge anchorindustrialsectors thathave traditionally dominated itsGDP;large formal sector Pockets ofGrowth • economy, andthemajority ofthepopulation. people whotend to be mostvulnerable andunemployed. This quadrant represents muchoftheinformal Most vulnerable AGYW belong to thelower-left quadrant (1)ofthegraphic, alongwithothergroups of

Entrepreneurship Capacity Low High (Risk-taker, pro-active, multi-tasking, networking, Inse leadership, management, self-management, etc.) cure entrepreneur Potential Unemployed s (e.g. hawkers) Self-employed Vulnerabl (J ob se curity &ec e Level ofSecurity onomic opportunities Artisans Individual Artisans Individual d t Startups Nascent manager contractors &owner, Independent Interns &apprentices s Employees MSME E MS mp ME owner Secure business l ) oyees s

entrepreneur Successful Employees Sector Forma Se cure l

s Intrapreneurs 47 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 48 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Petty trade Food processing Fish andfisheryproducts Electrician Agriculture Employment orSelfEmployment Table 9:Employment andSelf-Employment BasedonEmployer Opportunities Demand Respondents noted thefollowing sectors have thepotential for employment andself-employment: Market Demand-Sectors andProducts detail). assessment, priorto targeting eachsector (see programming recommendations opportunities for further be ground-truthed inanarea ofSierra Leone where aprogram mightoccur, through astudyorlabormarket are notspecifiedaccording to district,unless otherwisenoted. Eachpotential area ofopportunity should typicallyopportunities fall into groups 1and2intheEmployment Pathways mapabove (Figure 22). These for AGYW across numerous sectors, aswell for asopportunities self-employment. These employment Responses from key informants around Sierra Leone indicate there are for opportunities employment Employment Sector Opportunities • • • • • • • • • • conventional business support). access to anew market, pitch contest access opportunities, to finance, orother forms ofmore may needmore to connect (e.g. tangiblesupport to opportunities mentorship, market information, but remain relatively insecure interms ofjoborincome. This population,whohave many skillsalready, The upper-left corner (4) consists ofpotential entrepreneurs whohave entrepreneurial skillsandabilities foropportunities AGYW. and potentially expand thisgroup, itisoutsidethescope ofthispaperto elaborate, given thefocus on founders oflarge, successful formal sector firms.Whilethere are policychoices thatbenefit could further entrepreneurs’. They benefitfrom highentrepreneurial capabilitiesandhigheconomic security, suchas At theupper-right corner (3)ofthisgraphic are thosewhomightbeidentifiedastrue ‘opportunity the removal ofsuchemployees. performers butcannotbefired due to laborlaws that,whilepossibly well meaning,incidentally restrict someone working less formally. facet Oneimportant ofthisisthatsometheseemployees may below- to theconsistency ofhaving asalariedjob, whichprovides regular payments more frequently than The lower-right quadrant (2)includesemployees intheformal sector whoare themostsecure, due Food scientists Quality control technicians, Local sellers Electrician Mechanic Fresh fish Smoked/dried fish; Welders Textiles andsewing (new styles) Poultry production Tourism (urban) Truck drivers • • • • • • • Chef Marking agent Sales Agent Accountant Food andBeverage assistant Cleaners andhousekeepers Front deskpersonnel • • • • • • Talent acquisition Marketing manager Social mediamanager Videographer Cooks repair Building maintenance staff/ Sierra Leoneans, employs Sierra Leoneans atthespecialeconomic zone (SEZ) inNewtown, 24 milesoutside through engagement withinthevalue chain.For example, Sierra Agra, afruitjuice firm owned andoperated by Firms already operating in thearea offer chances for employment, andthecreation ofself-employment production, andtextiles andclothes.The 2019 AGOA Strategy alsonoted thattextiles are indemand. employment for AGYW, are wood furniture production, handicrafts, processing andpackaging food, fruitjuice Several sectors ofmanufacturing thatrespondents noted could holdpromise interms ofjobs,orself- rural communities, infood processing. offers anotheropportunity for AGYW to engage inurbansettings,or inasector withpotential, particularly for Sierra Leone’s manufacturing sector issmallanddisparate. However, the ability to process andproduce goods Manufacturing demand, more willfail. certain forms of self-employment, andhow iftoo many ofonetype ofbusiness exist, andthere isnotadequate for fish. to At thesametime,itisalsoimportant keep inmind factors around thesaturation ofamarket for and Moyamba are known for large scalegari production; andthewestern area inTombo District isknown that association thanonenotproducing thatgood. Aswas reported, Makeni districtisknown for garata; Bo goods are produced. Aproducer sellingacertaingood associated withtheregion ismore likely to benefit from Finally, asone respondent to consider noted, itisimportant theperception oftheregion interms ofwhat may beundernourished andless appealingto customers. addition, there isaneedfor chicken feed production, asmany chickens thatare raised withoutaregular diet poultry for meat oreggs.Chickens offer bothasource ofprotein andincome. One respondent noted that,in Another source ofincome for many, ininstances particularly where AGYW donotown land,istheraising of the industrymay face challenges inthefuture. Moreover, asnoted inTable 9, theseproducts are falling interms ofSierra Leone’s trade share, indicatingthat these typically are grown atlarger commercial plantations,lessening thepotential for micro-and smallfarmers. 70 the sustainability oftheproduct. palm oil,andnatural honey, thoughconsiderations around how thesewould beharvested are for important includes agriculture andagro-processing products suchascashews, cocoa, processed cassava (“gari”), ginger, as well, suchascashews, lemongrass, orcoffee. For theUS, for example, the2019 AGOA strategy report in demandbothdomesticallyandabroad. Otherproducts thatare less common have seengreater demand a high-demandfood staple,otherproducts, suchasplantains,cassava, andrefined palmoil,have increased American markets could expand potentially further incomes for farmers inSierra Leone. Whilerice remains Respondents noted thatthere isanexpectation thattheexportofagricultural goods to African, European, and improve nutritionwithinfamilies andamongAGYW. demanded by aglobalWest African expatriate population.Moreover, certainproducts have thepotential to for Freetown markets. Inaddition,thesegoods, ifuniqueandofastandard quality, are alsoalready being offers boththechance to produce goods for a regional domesticmarket, as well as goods thatare purchased Numerous respondents noted thatagriculture remains oneoftheareas ofhighestpotential country-wide. It Agriculture AGOA. (2019). Sierra Leone AGOA Response Strategy Paper. 70 Whilethecountry stillexportsalarge amountofcocoa andcoconut shells, 49 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 50 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 71 trade, restaurants andhotels. International Development andCooperation (DTDA), thesector employs anestimated 460,000 peopleacross AGYW, becauseofthenumerous actors thatitcontains. According to theDanish Trade Council for sources corroborate theteam’s hypothesis thatthesector isamajor employer for Sierra Leoneans, including on employment inthe sector inSierra Leone, estimates (below) are revealing. Furthermore, othersecondary While tracking dataaround tourism isdifficult,andthe research team wasunable tolocate specific numbers shops, orothertourism-orientedhotels, business, gift amongothers. such asagriculture andfood processing hotels andrestaurants, to support manufacturing ortrade to supply transportation services, andalongwiththenumerous guides,destinations,entertainment, attendant sectors, with noeducation.Asanindustry, tourism isbroad, includinghotels, guesthousesandhostels, restaurants, Tourism offers numerous asoneKIInoted, opportunities, for thosewithPhDsallthe way down to those KII noted. Leone isdifferentiated since isimportant traditional sandandsea tourism isnow widespread globally, asone though maintainingtargeted marketing material willbekey. Further creating aclearmessage ofhow Sierra to expand itsappeal.Efforts to raise Sierra Leone’s profile asa touristdestinationhashadsomesuccess, numbers have yet to grow, investment into tourism indicates raised expectations thatthecountry isexpecting 81,000 international tourists atitspeakin2013, theyear priorto theEbolaoutbreak. Whileattendance history oftourism, asSierra Leone was seenasagrowing destinationpriorto thecivilwar. Sierra Leone saw create economicfor opportunities AGYW aswell asfor allpeople.Part ofthisisgrounded inthecountry’s In additionto agriculture, tourism was repeatedly cited asanindustrywithsomeofthegreatest potential to Tourism new goods, even withincommunities thatare considered often too poorto sustainalocalbusiness. to tryandsupplyto themarket alsomustevolve. New domesticmarkets are growing, for withopportunities Sierra Leone. Demandfor products andcertainjobschange andsoexpectations around whichproducts orjobs the income for anAGYW working Onerespondent asanartisan. noted thatproducts andgoods are evolving in good, helpdifferentiate itfrom otherproducts, andincrease theprice atwhichitcanbesold,andthusincrease as project-specific contractors. The opportunityinsuchcasesisthatadding value can expand themarket for a products, suchashand-sewn reusable sanitarypads.The firmemploys up to 50peopleatatime,butmostly Another key informant focused specificallyon textiles and woodwork hasbegun to experiment onnew market mightbeableto provide. working inspecific roles on farms, canlink to markets are thatoften able to pay prices higherthanwhatalocal have neededlocalfarm producers incontract farming efforts. This hasmeantthat young farmers, or youth In multipleinstances, projects focused onbuildingupSierra Leone’s agro-processing andagro-export fields within more rural communities inSierra Leone. establish adomesticsaleseffort,meaning farmers could also gain asideincome by sellingthesupplement Bo. Inadditionto working infarming, transportation, processing, packaging roles, thecompany isworking to Sierra Leone. Whilethecompany isstillrelatively small,itsources from farmers inKabala,Kamia,Kono, and is Bennimix,whichproduces anutritiousfood supplementfor babiesandchildren usingingredients from Freetown, andhasengaged withupto 4,000 farmers to source fruit,in120communities. Anotherexample www.ulandssekretariatet.dk/sites/default/files/uploads/public/PDF/LMP/lmp_sierra_leone_2017_final.pdf Danish Trade Council for International Development andCooperation (2017). “Labor Market Profile: Sierra Leone”. Accessed at:http:// 71 Two otherestimates by KIIsgive amore granular perspective. For example, mechanized methods. Moreover, miningtends to produce relatively few direct jobs,asthelargest international firmsuselargely unhealthy for settingsand,particularly AGYW, feature potential exposure to sexual assault andotherharm. remain incountry for decadesto come. Yet traditional mining-specificjobsare dangerous, occurring often in and bauxite hasallowed thecountry away to shift from diamondsandiron ore, ensuringthattheindustry will Mining isindisputablyoneofthelargest contributors to Sierra Leone’s economy. The discovery oftitanium Mining staff in communities. this opportunitywas driven by therecent Ebolacrisis,andthesubsequentdemandfor more skilledhealthcare local nurses, socialworkers, orothercommunity-level medicalstaff. Itismore thanlikely that recognition of Both KIIsandFGDs for mentionedtheopportunities agrowing needfor healthcare staff. This could include Healthcare they’re willingto test applicantsonaptitudeorpotential ability more thanrelying onlyonadegree. requirements. Moreover, asthesector isgrowing, withmore hotels beingbuilt,demandby large hotels means easier to train youth intheservice/hospitality traditional sector asoften educationcredentials are nothard learning quickly, whichisofvalue to AGYW andyouth lookingfor employment. Asonerespondent noted, it’s over 50bedrooms, mighthire upto 60or70 employees. The sector alsooffers numerous opportunities for a hotel with17bedrooms, asmallerhotel, would hire approximately 15to 16people.Alarger hotel, with Operator - Adventure Tourism help us expand.” find the staff to because wecannot we struggle to scale out there. Currently the talent that is waybetter offinding manager, and/or a manager, marketing social media cook, videographer, for skilled tasks, e.g. reliable workers qualified and need better “[We]

out to localbusiness. of security staff operate out ofasmallenterprise, to be contracted guard Itwas against theft. reported that,insomeinstances, groups its basiclevel thismeansaperson watching ahomeorbusiness to is occurring, security was mentionedasanarea thatwas growing. At Particularly inurbanareas, orinrural areas where new construction Security ‘hospitality’ work willbekey to helpthesector grow. understanding ofwhateachentailandthebasicscomprise jobs, from guidesanddrivers to cooks, staff. andsupport artisans, An existopportunities withinrural communities for abroad range of sector grows, anincrease inthevisitsoftourists willclarifywhat and anunderstanding entail.Asthe ofwhatsuchopportunities can create localemployment, butthesector stillneedskey skills Employment inrural areas around eco-adventure orcultural tourism be directly expanding into thisopportunity. Insuchinstances,opportunities. onlyoneenterprise was known to was noted by several KIIsto specificprovide thisbroader baseof generating businesses. The expansion ofadventure oreco-tourism to createstable salariedjobsoropportunities theirown income prosperity, for orenoughopportunities AGYW lookingfor more based sun-and-sandapproach isunlikely to spurbroader economic However, to keep itisimportant inmindthatasingularurban- 51 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 52 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 72 find jobs. Search provides short-term skillsbuilding training to applicants,to prepare themfor theworkforce andto websites, postingonsocialmedia,andmessaging via WhatsAppto recruit candidates. Additionally, Job Recruitment agencies like Careers SLandJobSearch usevarious strategies suchaspostingjobsontheir most disadvantaged youth. of mouthandpersonal networks are stilltheonly meansoffindingajobinthe formal sector, whichis certainly methods are through word ofmouthandpersonal networks. KIIswithAGYW inthedistrictnoted thatword through newspaper ads,recruitment agencies, andsocialmedia;themostcommon informal recruiting Leone, recruitment happensthrough bothinformal andformal methods.The formal recruiting methodis for skilledemployees; andprograms young lookingto support peopleinfinding InSierrawork opportunities. Understanding recruitment iscrucialfor AGYW whoare lookingfor employment; employers whoare looking HOW RECRUITMENT ANDTRAINING WORKS goods for bothtrade andtourism, alackoftrained, qualified,and experienced textile designers. andart AGOA Response Strategy papernotes, amongchallenges faced by smallbusinesses producing artisanal constraints faced by sectors with thepotential to grow, suchasthosenoted above. For example, the2019 While thesupplyofskillsisnotasolutionto mosteconomic challenges, itdoeshelpovercome very specific Skills needed Nigerian importers, itoffers aspace inwhichSierra Leoneans canalsofindameans to increase theirincome. wholesaler orhomemade.Whilethesector hasmany foreign traders, suchasLebanese-owned wholesalers or a relatively turnaround. short InFreetown, petty trade includesawidearray ofgoods, eitherpurchased from a to individuals;workingopportunities aspetty traders provides for anopportunity AGYW to make money with from localwholesalers. Petty trade, inSierra particularly Leone’s urbancenters, increasingly offers income Petty trade istheeconomic practice ofbuyingandsellinggoods, eitherfrom across regional borders, or Petty Trade TVETs orthrough apprenticeship placements, suchasplumbers, electricians,andbasicconstruction. Finally, there are additionaltechnical jobsthatminingfacilities need.These canincludetrades learnedat sold to contracts thatprovide localfood to mines;andwaste management, bothtrash removal andrecycling. mine sites directly, orcontracted through catering firms; farming ofagricultural products from nearby farms or uniforms; transportation of resources andpeopleto andfrom mininglocations;provision ofcatering orfood to they rely often onabroad range ofindustries.Several examples include tailoring,sewing, andrepair of to find work ordevelop alivelihood inasector adjacent to mining.Given thelarge scaleofminingoperations, In spite ofthesenegatives, several KIIsindicate thatthere were stillsignificantopportunities for young people staff are brought often in to fill key roles,and to train localstaffinthoseskillsiftimeallows. settings, where larger formal firmsoperate, if roles are unable to befilled bySierra Leone’s talent pool, foreign learning, businesses mustcontinuously builduptheskillofitsstaffthrough repeated trainings. Inurban salary expectations, canleadto highturnover. Inaddition,because ofemployees’ limited foundation inapplied was noted thisisnota one-off process. Mismatched expectations around whatajobentails,its workload, or applied foundation, makingitnecessary for eachbusiness to train AGYW intheskillsrequired. Moreover, it Frequently, KIIsnoted thatskillsgenerated inTVEToreducationalinstitutionswere theoretical, andlacked an frequent message from theKIIswas thegeneral needfor higher-quality skills,regardless ofindustryorsector. AGOA. 2019. Sierra Leone AGOA Response Strategy Paper. 72 A

context?;” exist and“Whatopportunities to link to larger country-wide value chainsorexternal markets? chain (e.g. textiles) thatare accessible to AGYW?;” “Whatcanbeusedto helpenterprises inXcity’s economic answer questionsthatcaninform program design, suchas“Are there withinthislimited value opportunities programming thatissimilarto working withlarger value chains.Micro-value chainanalysis canthen help Having identified dynamic,informal micro-value chainsatthelocallevel, onecanthentake anapproach to responsible for thechannelsofactivity normallytaken onby alarger populationofmarket participants. restrictedoften to alimited region, suchaswithinadistrictortown, andtypically onlyoneortwo actors are markets, creation ofnew products, oridentifyingjobsadjacent to thelocaltextiles sector. The flow of goods is country cloth widely recognized, thisattempts may to note thatotheropportunities exist includingdifferent industry thathasexisted for alongtimeinSierra Leone, withmany traditional techniques suchastie-dye and smaller micro value chainintextiles, asector BRAC hasalready engaged atadistrictlevel. Whiletextile isan Here we provide two examples. Oneshows tourism inSierra Leone asanindustry. We alsoillustrate a stabilize orgenerate new for opportunities AGYW employment. to enter. jobs they canprovide, orget asenseofwhere there may bemore room for AGYW lookingatself-employment value chains,onecangather information abouthow they interact inaneconomy, andspecifically the types of to show thedifferent actors atthenationallevel, oratamicro level inamore informal economy. By mapping value chainshave beentraditionally usedto show how goods flow through aneconomy, they may alsobeused Value chainswithjobmappingoverlays canshow employment for opportunities AGYW andyouth. While Value Chains withEmployment Opportunity Examples tasks to maintainthebusiness. Overall, theskillsgap poseschallenges inrecruitment. trained candidates; inmany instances, theowner takes fullresponsibility for thetraining andotheradditional A smallandthrivingbusiness ismosthighlyimpacted becauseofthecost ofin-housetraining andretaining being taughtinschoolandwhatisneededonthejob–quality educationcombined withpractical knowledge. KIIs withemployers andrecruitment agencies noted thatthere isasignificantdisconnect between whatis Employers alsocompensate by providing in-housetraining themselves, since itiscostly to hire expatriate staff. 74 73 opted to hire internationally. 56% ofemployers saidthey trained staff to buildupcapacity to filldifferent occupation gaps,while15% vocational certificate alongwithpractical training. The SkillsNetwork Analysis conducted by GIZstated that have difficultiesfillingseniorand technicalpositionsthat require aminimumofuniversity degree or technical employers andrecruitment agencies was thatapplicantslacktechnical, practical skills.Employers orsoft also roles. There are several reasons behindthehiringchallenges, butthemainoneidentifiedduringKIIswith tests duringtherecruitment process to vet applicants.However, employers stillencounter challenges filling key Most employers andtherecruitment agencies conduct interviews, andfor somekey roles, conduct knowledge Eleanor Sohnen.(2017). “Key Approaches to LaborMarket Assessment”. Workforce Connections GIZ. 2018. SkillsNeedsAssessment 74 Data collected inSierra Leone indicates thatdistrictlevel value properly, chains,whensupported can 73 Thus, employers usemultiplestrategies to findthebest-qualified applicants. 53 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 54 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone Figure 23:Tourism Value Chain withEmployment Opportunity Overlay Hotel Services KEY Receptionist Housekeeper Restaurant/Food Services Waiter Chef/Cook Food &Beverage Agent OtherServices Sales &Marketing Professionals Artisans Drivers/Captains Tour Guide Travel Agent Front Office Agent/Manager Figure 24: Textile Micro-Value Chain withEmployment Opportunity Overlay tourism are underdeveloped andare spaces for potential tourism growth. the deepergap analysis ofwhatactors exist inthisspace, KIIsdidindicate thatallsectors butseaandsand might travel. Inthisinstance, they are thereasons why aperson mightvisitSierra Leone. Whiledelvinginto Along thetop inblueare thedifferent channelsof tourism, denotingseveral pathways alongwhicha tourist noted inthekey below thevalue chainmap. for AGYW andyouth are illustrated by thejobicons outsidethetourism actor boxes ingreen. These roles are at eachstage ofthetourism process, asnoted by thestage indicators ontheleft-hand side.The opportunities As onereads from thebottom ofthefigure, tourists move upthe value chain to engage withdifferent actors service industry, thevalue chainillustrates theprocess ofguestsmoving through thechainto target activities. different tourist actors. In Figure 21,the value chainis read from thebottom up. Inthisinstance, as tourism isa that were mentionedeitherasfeasible for youth andAGYW entering ajobmarket, orinhighdemandfrom the maywhat opportunities exist across thecountry. This listisillustrative, showing positionsfor someoftheroles This value chainmapwithemployment overlay portrays abroader view ofthetourism value chain,illustrating KEY Apparel Production identification Opportunity Distribution Seller Suppliers Trader Designing STAGES Supply Cut &Sew Roadside stalls DISTRICTS/FREETOWN R&D: Dresses, Sewing Professional Designer tie dye, etc Weaving, Knitting,

Local Market Finishing Fabric/traditional cloth Demand/market analysis R&D: Advenced Designbags,Tshirt fashionable cloths,etc. FREETOWN production Advanced Store No/ littlechallenge Challenge Branding or marketing AGOA 55 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 56 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone that engage infoods services, work inagriculture, orengage inagro-processing are less likely to receive loans collateral. Furthermore, somebusinesses are less likely to receive funding,according to oneKII.Businesses under traditional landtenure laws, they are notrecognized asowning property andthusunableto leverage because theculture views menasmore appropriate recipients ofloans.Moreover, asmany women operate on savings. Moreover, according to two financialbusiness KIIs, women often face unequallendingpractices younger upabusiness mustlikely peoplelookingto start borrow from informal sources oroperate based and youth. First andforemost, laws dictate thatloanscannot beprovided to peopleunder18,whichmeans Banking andaccess to finance isanothermajorchallenge for micro- andsmallbusinesses run by young women Financial services unpredictability ofshocks andraises therisks for someonetryingto make aliving. working, orcanleadto theloss ofgoods ifrefrigeration isrequired. Ineachinstance, thisincreases the at sundown. Alternatively, thiscan limittheirability to produce goods, whenelectricaldrive machinescease for someself-employed AGYW, asthey’re limited to whatever lightthey cangenerate, ormustcease work on hydroelectric power. Inrural areas, many are frequently withoutregular electricity. This causesdifficulties dry season,electricaloutages canbeadailyoccurrence. This isdueinlarge to Sierra part Leone’s dependence Sierra Leone faces numerous challenges around electricalgeneration. Even inFreetown, especiallyduringthe Electricity in theregion hasbeenoneindicator ofthis. positive news to overcome. However, someKIIsnote thatthisview isfading, andincreased interest ininvesting of perceptionoften amorphousand isadifficultchallenge asitis inparticular requires timeorother dramatic investment andtourism thatcontinues to befelt throughout thecountry, according to several KIIs.The issue 75 Blood Diamondhave created astigmatized perspective ofSierra Leone. Unfortunately, thenegative characterization generated by thecivilwar, theEbolacrisis,andmovies like International reputation when working to identifyanddevelop livelihoods opportunities. intervention to solve, they shouldbekept inmindasareas where projects willhave to address insomeform constraints thatare worth noting.Whiletheseare likely to fall outsideofthecapability ofany oneproject or According to conversations withKIIsandFGDs, AGYW- andyouth-run micro- andsmallenterprises face Constraints interms ofcreating opportunities unlock further new orbetter positionsfor AGYW. potential bottlenecks for growth inthesector andcould beareas where greater orintervention support might where actors are limited orapparently absent,are noted inboxes withanexterior dotted line.These represent value chain,andlinkto thekey below. Here, though,gaps orchallenges atdifferent stages ofthe value chain, of thevalue chain.Colored arrows amongtheboxes indicate jobsthatAGYW oryouth could fillintheapparel and thedotted lines,separating eachstage. Boxes rightofthestage arrows denote eachactor ateachstage some form ofvalue addoccurring ateachstage. Stages are noted ontheleft-hand sideby thecolored arrows up. This value chainisportrayed more traditionally, inthatitshows goods moving upthevalue chain,with young peopleinaclothortextile industryinSierra Leone. Here, too, thevalue chainisread from thebottom The value chainmapwithemployment overlay inFigure 24 illustrates thevalue for chainandopportunities org/visitsierraleoneorg-says-blood-diamond-movie-is-bad-news-for-sierra-leone/ “VisitSierraLeone.org says ‘Blood Diamond’movie isbadnews for Sierra Leone” (2018). Accessed at:https://www.visitsierraleone. 75 This hashadadampeningeffect on the burden ofcertaintasks andliabilitiesassociated withabusiness, andthuslower theirindividualrisk. financial resources andabilitiesfinancialbusiness management canbebuilt.Italsohelp womenshare to develop group businesses canovercome somechallenges by providing agroup structure through which who face discriminationandbias,orfor potential borrowers withoutcollateral. young Supporting women person’s ability to beself-employed. Inmany instances, however, thiscanbeproblematic for young women, requirements heapedonaperson allatonce. canmake Obtainingaloanorfinancialsupport orbreak a young For many AGYW, alivelihood starting activity canbehigh-risk,with arange ofresponsibilities and Rationale BUSINESS LOANS TO JUMPSTART GROUP BUSINESSES andgrowthopportunities inAGYW livelihoods orimprove theenabling environment for suchopportunities. This sectiondetailsareas where BRAC mightbuildonitsELAapproach to eitherdirectly new support Programmatic Opportunities rationale for each,andanopportunityexample. livelihoods andemployment for opportunities AGYW. These are detailedbelow, brieflyhighlightingthe an overview ofpotential programming thatmay opportunities assist inthedevelopment of andsupport Using KIIandFGD data,andsecondary sources gathered onSierra Leone’s context, thispaperprovides Analysis ofProgramming Opportunities terms ofmedium-to longer-term benefits(beyond income andstatus). require. Anotherinformant highlighted thateffortsneed to bemade to clarifythe value of work to youth in also describedyouth expectations asbeingunrealistic andlackinganunderstanding ofwhatwork andcareers In multipleinstances, KIIsdescribedyouth asnothaving therightculture oreducationto want to work. They In multipleinstances, KIIemployers describedyouth themselves asto blamefor theirown unemployment. Employers’ perceptions ofyouth an abundance ofcaution. According to onerespondent, thisisinfact nottheresult ofrequired policy, butachoice madeby banks outof carrying greater risk.Inaddition,banks setinterest often rates of20-30%thatare seenasprohibitively high. as repayment cycles for production typically fall outsidenormalloanrepayment requirements, andare seenas 6 57 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 58 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone expands. This by canbedoneinpart BRAC coordinating withrelevant officials, tourismsector businesses lies withidentifyingwhichsectors are mostlikely to employ AGYW andhave the potential to grow astourism restaurants, traders, entertainment, transportation, servicesetc. artisans, –acore andsupport, opportunity Given thebroad network ofbusiness types that comprise the tourism sector –hotels, guesthouses, Opportunity African nationsandprepare skilledworkers andentrepreneurs theservices to support offered. this goal, itmustenhance itsuniquetourism optionsthatallow thecountry to standoutamongotherWest visitors andaneedfor expanded tourism infrastructure andhumanresources. Yet for Sierra Leone to achieve employer inthecountry. With the growing globaldemandfor destinations,Sierra Leone cananticipate more 76 sector. increase intourism employment, with1in5jobsgloballythelast10years already created inthetourism ‘developing’ countries to their neighbors. This expansion into new destinationsisexpected to create afurther Global demandfor tourism isgrowing rapidly. Many tourists are traveling from whatwere previously deemed Rationale TOURISM OPPORTUNITY IDENTIFICATION ANDSKILLS-BUILDING Figure 25:EcoBank’s Group Solidarity Loan Model groups are ofamanageable size. constitution thatsetsbasicrules.UndertheEcoBank model,there to ensure canbeupto 15participants, the the group. Duringtheloanperiod,group istaughthow to manage andrunitself, includingestablishinga bearsback. Eachparticipant thecollateral responsibly for theother, thusensuringastake inthesuccess of member canbegiven isresponsible onemillionleones,andeachparticipant for theothers to pay theirloans observation ofthedynamic,andregular meetingsto ensure suchagroup isagood fit. Then, eachgroup save upto 250,000 leonesto illustrate group saving dynamics.Suchgroups areafter officiallyestablished Under thesolidarity loan,groups are trained how to runabusiness together. The group asawholemustfirst unavailable, BRAC’s financingarm could offer aloan forasimilarstructure. Group Solidarity Loan. InaKII,representative noted thatEcoBank isopento engagement withtheirmodel.If couldin whichparticipants ‘graduate’ ingroups orclusters to engage withaninstrumentsuchasEcoBank’s Once BRAC have ELAparticipants undergone financialliteracy training underBRAC, anopportunity exists Opportunity 1 WTTC 2018 76 Group Solidarity Loans Build trusted team, to access InSierra Leone, tourism isadiverse andmulti-faceted sector thatisalready thesecond largest 2 Opportunity Identify 3 with business buildingskills GroupSupport Loan participants centers (ABCs) to promote anagribusiness culture inrural communities. and malesmallholderfarmers, includingtraining onvalue chains, andhasdeveloped agriculture business in Extension in2016. The extension system hasinitiated projects to provide better extension services to female groups. Additionally, NjalaUniversity (NU)helpedlaunchtheNetwork for GenderandNutritionStrengthening Women’s Farmers Forum (SleWoFF), created in2005,alsoseeks to aidwomen farmers, withover 500active 78 77 promote inclusionofwomen incommunity agricultural extension systems. (MAFFS). The “Women inAgriculture andNutrition”(WIAN)unitwas created withinMAFFS in2015 to with theIFC andWorld Bank-supported projects withtheMinistryofAgriculture, Forestry, andFood Security room for coordination around projects women thatsupport inagriculture. Oneexample could beengagement or engaging withstructures theirsustainablesuccess. andinstitutionsthatcansupport Inparticular, there is foradditional opportunities AGYW to benefitin terms ofimproving technical ability, opening upnew markets, AGYW inBRAC’s priority districts.Leveraging thework otherprojects have doneorare doingcanprovide Numerous programs inSierra Leone target oftheeconomy eitherparts thatcanaffect AGYW, ortarget Rationale LAYER WITHANDLEVERAGE OTHER PROJECTS Figure 26: Train AGYW inTourism-Relevant Skills growth industry. skills learned,potentially earnanincome orlinkto afull-timejobandbuildunderstanding ofapotential high apprentices give orinterns. Suchopportunities young peopleinbothrural andurbansettingschances to apply Finally, BRAC canwork to mapandengage employers to take inopportunities onBRAC as ELAparticipants solving, accountability, and self-control, amongother, whichwillhelpAGYW succeed across arange ofjobs. (English, French, skillsthatare etc.), andsoft considered often cross-cutting, suchasteamwork, problem trainings relevant to key sectors intourism. According to KIIs,core skillswould include language proficiency BRAC canwork withlocalbusinesses, training to partner institutions,ortheirown team to develop ordeploy might begrowing now orhave thepotential to grow inthenext year. With ideasaround potential jobsinmind, (hotels, tour guides,etc.), andmembers ofthecommunity inwhichthey operate, to understand whatareas 1 For adiscussion ongender andextension, seeUSAID, Sierra Leone LandscapeAnalysis, 2017, pp11-14. found at:https://ag4impact.org/sid/socio-economic-intensification/building-human-capital/agricultural-extension/ Agricultural extension systems are essentially the“delivery ofinformation inputs”or tangiblefarm resources to farmers. Definition sector inSierra Leone intheTourismopportunities Identify detailsof 2 tourism skillswithAGYW tranings institutions to train Work withemployers and 78

77 3 Another, theSierra Leone internships insector link AGYW to apprenticeship or Work withtourism employers to 59 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 60 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 79 that projects, orprograms canplay inproviding andstructure, technical support thesepolicies have theability retail partnersandraise theprofile of goods produced by BRAC Moreover, ELAparticipants. given the role branding. Suchbranding hasthepotential to linkAGYW-owned businesses to markets of withthesupport During field research, numerous respondents noted thepresence ofpoliciessupporting “Made inSierra Leone” Rationale AND LAWS SUCHAS“MADE INSIERRALEONE” HELP AGYW ORYOUTH BUSINESSES TAKE ADVANTAGE OFRELEVANT POLICIES Figure 27: LinkSkillsGapsto Relevant Partner Projects where asimilarapproach hasbeentaken. talented AGYW could join.BRAC could alsolookto modelsofengagement inothercountries, suchasGuinea, implementers andtechnical partnersto leverage existing trainings thatmostinterested andagriculturally and business management training. To achieve this,BRAC could potentially work withlocalagricultural knowledge andskillsdevelop locally-based advisoryservices businesses, withBRAC facilitating theirtechnical In thiscontext, apotential training innovation would beto helpyoung women from BRAC ELAwithagricultural extension workers to visittheirtargeted farmers. negative perceptions ofextension workers and,dueto apoorfeeder road network system, infrequent travel by insufficient numberofqualified extension workers, inadequate and transportation communication facilities, VCs by linkingfarmers to private sector actors. Despite thisprogress, majorconstraints remain, includingan projects work withMAFFS to improve agricultural development by enhancingefficiencyalongthemajor based onresearch from nationalresearch centers, especiallyfor rice andcassava. Several donor-funded and sub-districtlevels to strengthen thecreation, adoptionanddissemination ofagricultural technologies imbalanced gender dynamics.The World theMAFFS Bankhassupported to train extension staffatthedistrict from maleextension officers ifthey receive any atallandhasthepotential tointroduce discriminatory or agents could more easilyengage withwomen farmers. Currently, mostwomen farmers receive information Sierra Leone needsmore women extension agents, asitisbothanopportunityfor employment becausesuch Opportunity 1 group. USAID Strengthening Agriculture Value Chains andYouth (SAVY) project (CNFA 2016) ensures thatifproper advice results inincreased yieldsandprofits, thenapercentage ofthegain ispaidto theextension consulting paid basedupontheresulting increase incrop yield. This avoids poorfarmers needing to front thecost for extension services and trained advisors develop acloseconnectionfarmers withparticipating andsignaperformance contract withthemwhereby they are Specifically, theStrengthening Agricultural Value Chains andYouth (SAVY) project seeks to create input/extension businesses where livelihoods orbusiness goals notoffered by BRAC Identify skillsneededofAGYW to obtain 79 2 skills, whengeographically appropriate Link AGYW to projects offering relevant

Computer skills Agricultural Training Specialized Sales skills Figure 28:IdentifyPolicies thatcould AGYW Support Businesses interested inproducts branded withboth BRAC andMiSLbranding. could thenalsofacilitate market linkages to localstores inbothrural andurbancommunities that would be identify areas where minimaltraining orresources could beusedto prepare products for MiSLbranding. BRAC under MiSL.Usingthisinformation, itcanexamine thetraining capacitiesofthelocalBRAC ELAprogram, and Based onitsprogramming, BRAC canwork withtheGoSLto understand whatproducts are already branded grocery stores, andMiSLhandicrafts andtextiles canbefound inhotels orothershopsaimedattourists. Leone (MiSL) brand efforthas received from support government, MiSL food products can be found insome 81 80 The percentage ofwomen engaged insmallholderagriculture hasbeenincreasing substantially association, etc., are allproven pathsto livelihood development. in rice production, seedproduction, livestock andfishproduction, how to develop avillage savings andloan of whatthey produce. This could bedoneby scaling-upanddeepeningitsactivities,since training AGYW is anopportunityto deepentheagricultural training offered to AGYW to improve thequantity andquality holistic approach. However, basedontheapparent potential intheagricultural sector mentionedinKIIs,there BRAC isalready actor inSierra animportant Leone’s agriculture sector andappliesbestpractices through its Rationale DEEPEN TECHNICAL TRAININGFOR AGRICULTURE in Sierra Leone inorder to meetcompetitive pressures from goods.” imported The brand was intended to improve “performance andattractiveness for goods andservices madeandoffered forOpportunities Business Action (SOBA) project effort to improve productivity ofMSMEsinthe country. In 2017, aneffort to create a “Made inSierra Leone” brand logo was ofaSierraformed aspart Leone Opportunity micro enterprises andsmallbusiness owners take advantage ofsuchpolicies. populations ofyoung people,BRAC could provide valuable insightinto theoperation andchallenges ofhelping to helpAGYW leapfrog orform groups thatcanmeettherequirements. Asabodythatrepresents large numbers ofAGYW active inagriculture. to urbanmigration rates have beenhigherfor malesthanfemales, sothere hasbeengrowth intheshare and mentioned intwo KIIs,Sierra Leonean women dominate the jobsintheagricultural sector. Inaddition,rural 1 MAFFS-SLAgricSectorReview.pdf Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS). Agriculture Sector Review. http://opendatasl.gov.sl/sites/default/files/ prepares-to-launch-the-official-made-in-sierra-leone-brand-misl/ SOBA. (2017). “Sierra Leone Prepares to Launch theOfficialMadeinSierra Leone Brand (MiSL)”. http://sobasl.org/sierra-leone- support AGYWsupport businesses Identify policiesthatcould 2 and how to follow them understand policyrequirements Work withGovernment to 3 80 Since theMadeinSierra engagement withpolicies AGYWsupport potential for Align trainings with policyto 81 andas 61 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 62 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone agro-processing, indicatingthatitcould helpdrive economic growth more effectively thanothersectors, can addvalue to produce andcreate better livelihoods. The World Bankhasnoted strong prospects for Agro-processing heldoutasakey isasegmentthatoften growth area where bothrural andurbanAGYW Skills to diversify andimprove agro-processing climates change, andmitigate thedegradation to theirown landthrough thenatural farming process. erosion control, small-scaleirrigation, organic waste management) canhelpAGYW farmers prepare as farming resource management. Training insoilandwater conservation andmanagement (e.g., crop rotation, AGYW farmers’ adaptability andresilience to environmental shocks by improving theirunderstanding ofgood practices canandhave degraded Sierra Leone’s natural landscapesanditsresources. BRAC canhelpimprove As was noted duringatleastoneKII,changingenvironments andharmfulnatural resource management Skills to improve natural resource management AGYW are prospective trainees. knowledge ofallproducts they sell.Many inputsuppliers are inurbanareas aswell, sobothurbanandrural their products, butthesuppliers alsoneed to improve theirfinancialliteracy, business management skillsand advice onhow to usetheirproducts correctly. Sometimessupplycompanies train localinputsuppliers about Input suppliers provide improved seeds,organic andchemicalfertilizers, pesticides,farm equipmentand Skills to buildinputsuppliercapacitiesandservices activities. drip irrigation, instead ofspendingtimedoingtraditional irrigation, they willhave timefor otherproductive traditional techniques canbelabor-intensive andtime-consuming. IfAGYW are to implement supported farmers inusingsimple,low-cost farming efficiency toolssuchasdripirrigation. Normallyirrigating using and how to gain access to timelyinformation to ensure success. For example, BRAC could AGYW support cultivation techniques, optimaluseofinputssuchasimproved seeds,appropriate technologies andequipment, 83 82 Practical training inGoodAgricultural Practices (GAPs), Skills to increase agricultural productivity (primarilyfor rural AGYW) could improve for opportunities AGYW. The following are several areas where direct BRAC engagement onnew, expanded, ordeepenedactivities Opportunity peppers andspices, snackfoods, improved natural packaging from bambooandreeds, etc.). processing skillscould beintroduced to more AGYW (e.g., makingjam,solarfruitdrying,processing ofhot extraction, etc. are widelypracticed, butskillsneedupgrading, andless well-known income-generating agro- At level, theartisanal agro-processing skillsfor rice milling,fishsmoking,groundnut paste-making, palmoil a few commodities, suchasoilpalm,rice, andforestry products.” international companies linked to foreign investments thatoperate modernprocessing plantsthatinvolve just a vast numberofsmall,low-productivity informal firms coexist withasmallnumberoflarge domesticand juices, lemongrass, andrubberfor export.The Bank hasobserved that“a few medium-size formal firmsand for domesticand regional markets; someprocessors are alsoinvolved innichecommodities, suchasfruit with investment concentrated opportunities inoilpalm(mainlyfor exports), processed rice, andpoultry World Bank.(2013). Sierra Leone Growth Pole Diagnostic . handling. healthy food andnon-food agricultural products. The training would comprise standardized modules about production, processing and GAPs are definedby theFAO asasetofprinciplesapplied to on-farm production andpost-production processes, resulting insafe and 82 includingskillsdevelopment for plantingand 83

and skills-building Tourism opportunityidentification Group business loans Opportunity livelihood generation for AGYW. Those are summarized below: Finally, thereport proposes programming thatcould opportunities helpunlockways to improve employment or as valuable for employment. this process, thereport alsoexamines skillsbroadly, aswell asspecificskillsemployers and youth alike noted for hiringorlivelihoods creation for AGYW, atthecommunity particularly level, through micro value chains.In examines Sierra Leone’s economic context and the potential for some industries to create greater opportunities training context to understand how AGYW engage withlearningandbuildingskills.From there, the report AGYW. Buildingonananalysis oftheBRAC ofparticipants ELAprogram, itthenreviews theeducationand This report reviews Sierra Leone’s context specificallywiththeaimofidentifyingopportunities forthese are better adapted to theircontext themincarryingSierra andneeds, willhelpsupport Leone forward. BRAC ELAandotherprograms, from theirgovernment, educationand training institutions,and policies that poor nutrition.Yet they represent thecountry’s inevitable next generation, they andthesupport get now from for livelihoods, riskofsexual assault, earlychildhoodmarriage, exposure to HIV, andotherhealthissues like its citizens. Sierra Leone’s AGYW andyouth are faced withnumerous challenges, from limited opportunities Sierra Leone isacountry withmuchpotential, andasitscontext continues to improve for soasopportunities Conclusion training through stronger women’s farmer associations andlarger women-owned businesses. providing skillstraining inmany oftheseareas, thechallenge willbehow to optimize theimpactofsuch borrow andrepay loans,accounting, stronger socialandcommunication skills,etc. WhileBRAC hasbeen improved marketing skills,improved management know-how for post-harvest handling andstorage, how to or unstructured micro-income generation, they needbasictraining inbusiness andfarm management, As AGYW beginto seetheiragriculture-related activitiesasbusinesses andnotjustassubsistence cultivation Skills to buildagribusiness acumen 7

Potential Benefit • • • • • • fields skills)(soft Skills required intourism are alsolikely to equip many AGYW to work inother Tourism isabroad inmany industrywithopportunities different types of work Tourism willcontinue to create new jobs Increases potential to leverage into business Lowers risk Provides opportunityfor women to save 63 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone 64 Job Demand and Employment Market Analysis: Sierra Leone agriculture Deepen technical training for such as‘Made inSierra Leone’ advantage ofrelevant policiesandlaws Help AGYW oryouth businesses take other programs Layer withandleverage Opportunity

Potential Benefit • • • • • • • • Improved farming skillscan alsocontribute to better nutrition farming-adjacent opportunities Increasing AGYW technical farming skillscanopenupnumerous farming and expand quality food exports(pertheproduct space map) Agriculture isstillamajoremployer andonewithsignificantpotential to Leone Could linkAGYW to sustainableuniquemarkets for sellinggoods inSierra for support Policies offer achance to link AGYW businesses to sustainablemechanisms Could greater support market linkages andorientation from Layering andleveraging ensures astronger foundationto build ofsupport of theBRAC ELAprogram to leverageOpportunities success inotherprojects could compound impact 65 8 Leone Sierra Annex: Bibliography

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