Project Case Study
Strengthening Sierra Leone’s Public Financial Management
Supporting the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and National Procurement agency
After the end of civil war in 2002, Sierra Leone had a decade of significant economic and social progress. But the combined impact of the Ebola epidemic of 2014-15, and a significant decline in global iron ore prices, severely damaged economic growth in recent years.
Increasing demands for social services in a constrained economic environment put considerable pressure on public finances.
In the post-Ebola recovery period, donors and the Government renewed commitments to Sierra Leone’s national ‘Agenda for Prosperity’ – which sets the ambition for the country to reach middle-income status by 2035.
Robust public financial management systems, particularly procurement systems, will be essential to maximising the value of Sierra Leone’s limited public resources and to deliver essential public services and sustained development.
Adam Smith International and Linpico, on behalf of the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone, provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and National Public Procurement Authority to implement reforms and strengthen compliance with payroll and procurement procedures.
The programme supported the implementation of the Government’s strategy to strengthen management and control of the public payroll. And we developed and rolled-out a manual of procedures to ensure that government suppliers would comply with procurement laws and regulations and to enhance transparency, competition and value for money in Sierra Leone’s public procurement.
Impact
- Public sector wage bill is more sustainable, through reduced operating cost, allowing more spending on services that make a real impact
- More transparent and accurate public payroll operations, which minimizes wastage from inaccuracies and reduces the risk of fraud
- Improved transparency and more open competition in national procurement ensures that Government gets better value for money from procurements and reduces the risk of corruption
