Feb 03, 2025 Global Indicators Briefs No. 28 Sierra Leone’s Reform Journey to Advancing Female Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion Daniela M. Behr and Alexis K. Cheney* A ccess to nance and equal economic opportunities are crucial for female entrepreneurs, fostering business growth and economic participation. Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders involved in the legal reform processes, this Brief examines how Sierra Leone made strides in its reform journey to expand women’s economic rights, including through the Directives on Provision of Financial Services on a Non-Discriminatory Basis of 2021, the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act of 2022, the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) 2022–2026, and the Employment Act of 2023. e Brief identi es key drivers of reform: gender champions in government and political will, economic data and technical assistance from the international community, multistakeholder coalitions, as well as grassroots activity amplifying women’s voices and bridging the gap between civil society and lawmakers. rough top-down and bottom-up initiatives working in tandem to create lasting change, Sierra Leone has enhanced women’s economic prospects and sets a powerful example for other economies in the region seeking to enact similar laws and policies. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs for Development from seeking employment in the formal sector or starting a business (Perrin, Bertrand, and Klein 2023). When women have equal Mariama Turay, a small shop owner in Freetown, Sierra Leone, access to nancial services, they have more control over their exempli es the transformative power of nancial inclusion. economic resources, which can enhance their decision-making Operating a thriving fabric store, she has expanded her business power within households and societies (Hendricks 2019). By signi cantly thanks to a new nancial initiative that o ers women supporting female entrepreneurs via inclusive policies, nancial credit at a reduced interest rate. Mariama accessed a small, services, resources, and training programs, governments can low-interest loan designed for women in the informal sector, which catalyze sustainable economic growth and foster inclusive helped her boost her small business. Re ecting on her experience, development that bene ts society. she recalled, “I was so happy when I went for a loan and got it with Building on these broader principles of nancial inclusion, a minimal interest rate.” Within three months, Mariama repaid the Sierra Leone’s postwar recovery o ers a powerful example of how loan and saw substantial improvements in her business. Now, with inclusive nancial policies can drive economic progress, especially renewed con dence in her nancial stability, Mariama is planning for women. In the aftermath of a devastating civil war (1991–2002) to access more loans to help her business grow (Liberty TV Online that claimed thousands of lives and ripped apart the nation’s social and Bank of Sierra Leone 2024). and economic fabric, Sierra Leone’s path to recovery has required substantial investments in rebuilding its economy and society. Access to nance and equal economic opportunities are not just Women bore the brunt of the con ict, experiencing widespread enablers of individual business success; they are essential violence, displacement, and loss of livelihoods (McFerson 2012; components of broader economic development. When women TRC 2004). Recognizing that sustainable peace and growth hinge such as Mariama have access to nancial services including credit, on inclusive economic development, the country’s postwar agenda savings, and insurance, they can start and grow businesses, invest in has focused on empowering marginalized groups. Micro, small, education, and contribute to overall economic growth (Abdul and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly those owned by Karim et al. 2022; Adedokun and Ağa 2023; Demirgüç-Kunt and women, form the backbone of Sierra Leone’s economy, providing Klapper 2012). Moreover, granting women access to nancial livelihoods for about 70 percent of the population and accounting services can challenge traditional gender norms that restrict women for more than 90 percent of the domestic private sector (Cherie dbehr@worldbank.org; acheney@worldbank.org *Affiliations: World Bank, Development Economics, Women, Business and the Law. For correspondence: dbehr@worldbank.org; acheney@worldbank.org Acknowledgements: Support for this Brief is provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This Brief would not be possible without the generous expert contributions of Naasu Fofanah, Ann-Sofie Jespersen, Abu Bakarr Kamara, Chiblee Francis Kamara, Mariama Keitta, Sahr Kendema, Yatta Samah, Bamie Joseph Sesay, Momoh Sesay, Georgiana Thompson and Joanna Favour Tom-Kargbo. The authors are very grateful for the valuable support provided by World Bank colleagues Julia Braunmiller, Paula Tavares, and Ana Maria Tribin. The team would also like to thank Norman Loayza, Tea Trumbic, Davis Francis, and Varun Eknath for valuable comments and guidance during the publication process. Nancy Morrison provided excellent editorial assistance. All errors remain our own. Objective and disclaimer: This series of Global Indicators Briefs synthesizes existing research and data to shed light on a useful and interesting question for policy debate. Data for this Brief are extracted from the Women, Business and the Law database and supplemented by interviews conducted during spring and summer 2024. This Brief builds on the information collected during these interviews to reconstruct the development of the legal reforms and the success factors that allowed the reforms to pass. These Briefs carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank Group, its Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. All Briefs in the series can be accessed via: https://www.worldbank.org/en/research/brief/global-indicators-briefs-series. https://www.worldbank.org/en/research/brief/global-indicators-briefs-series. DECIG – Global Indicators Briefs No. 28 Blair Foundation and IFC 2015; World Bank 2022a). ese promoting their economic empowerment for sustainable peace and enterprises are essential to employment and GDP growth, making development. e TRC report pointed out that throughout the them key drivers of the country’s recovery (World Bank 2022a). history of Sierra Leone, including the period after independence Opportunities for female entrepreneurs are particularly essential in and before the war, women have not enjoyed equal status with men contexts such as Sierra Leone where formal employment options and that “to a large extent, the laws of Sierra Leone are are limited. Approximately 97 percent of women in Sierra Leone discriminatory against women” (TRC 2004, Volume ree B, work in the informal sector (ILO 2018; ILOSTAT 2018). Chapter 3). Further, the report highlighted the subordinate position of women in society by citing a 2003 speech of Shirley In Sierra Leone, women’s potential to start, expand, and grow Gbujama, then-Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children businesses remains constrained by numerous challenges, A airs: particularly limited access to nance. According to World Bank Findex data, a gender gap in account ownership persists, with only “Women have little control or in uence over decision-making. 25 percent of women having nancial accounts, compared to 33 Certain socio-cultural practices provide the leading cause of gender percent of men (World Bank 2021). In addition, Sierra Leone is disparity and the inferior status of women is evidenced by factors characterized by a very low penetration of private sector nancing, such as high fertility rates; high infant and child mortality rates; which poses a particular hurdle for female entrepreneurs (Hall et al. high adult female illiteracy rates; exclusion of women from 2021). In 2022, commercial banks extended only 22 percent of receiving certain services and instruments in rural areas such as credit to the private sector (Bank of Sierra Leone 2022). e land, extension services, credit and inputs; and the current ratio of domestic credit to the private sector is thus lower disproportionate workload in agriculture allocated to women” than 2 percent of the country’s GDP, well below the Sub-Saharan (TRC 2004, Volume ree B, Chapter 3, p. 108). African average of about 35 percent (World Bank 2024a). e 2004 TRC report recommended that women play a more is Brief examines how Sierra Leone has enacted legal and prominent role in the nation’s rebuilding process, advocating for policy reforms to overcome challenges for female entrepreneurs. In their increased participation in political decision-making and recent years, Sierra Leone has prioritized gender equality and societal leadership to ensure gender equality, to address the nancial inclusion, fostering an enabling environment for female injustices they su ered during the con ict, and to promote entrepreneurs through landmark legislation and policies. Key women’s participation in economic life (TRC 2004). Further, the reforms discussed in greater detail include the Directives on TRC called for legal reforms to protect women’s rights speci cally Provision of Financial Services on a Non-Discriminatory Basis in in the areas of gender-based violence, inheritance, and participation 2021, ensuring equal access to nancial services for women and to redress grievances and to promote gender equality. It also marginalized groups; the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion emphasized the need to strengthen institutions responsible for the 2022–2026, promoting women's access to nance and economic protection and empowerment of women. participation; the landmark Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act of 2022, advancing gender equality in Sierra Leone’s post-con ict agenda opened a window for political and economic spheres; and the Employment Act of 2023, reform, with a push to reshape the political landscape and increase strengthening labor rights and protections for women in the female representation in decision-making. In the 2002 presidential workforce. and parliamentary elections, the country’s rst elections held after the end of the civil war, the number of female representatives To identify the drivers behind these reforms, this Brief draws on increased signi cantly, rising from 65 as of 1996 to 156 (Abdullah data from the Women, Business and the Law database and 2010). e number of women elected to parliament also more than supplements it with stakeholder interviews with government tripled from 5 to 18, including two women Paramount Chiefs, o cials, representatives from nancial institutions, representing 14.5 percent of the total members of parliament nongovernmental organizations, and members of civil society. (MPs) (IPU 2004). Despite this progress, the representation of Quotations in italics through the Brief were gathered during these women in ministerial positions remained low, with only three interviews. Based on this material, this Brief rst highlights the women appointed (IPU 2004). milestones in Sierra Leone’s ambitious reform journey, which aimed at transforming societal structures and advancing gender e focus of the TRC report on women set the stage for Sierra Leone to rethink women’s role in society more broadly, addressing equality. It then unpacks the drivers of Sierra Leone’s reform the gender-discriminatory laws through comprehensive reforms. e orts—notably, political will; technical expertise and data from e government began implementing the TRC’s the international community; and civil society advocacy, which recommendations, with a focus on improving governance, the rule empowered women like Mariama to achieve their economic of law, and women’s rights. Starting in 2007, Sierra Leone passed a potential. Lastly, the Brief discusses Sierra Leone’s ongoing e orts series of reforms improving women’s rights: the Devolution of to implement the reforms. By uncovering what led Sierra Leone to Estates Act, which ensures equal inheritance rights for women; enact gender reforms, this Brief provides insights on the reform followed by the Domestic Violence Act, which criminalizes process that may serve as a guide for other economies seeking to domestic abuse and provides protection measures for victims. pass and implement similar reforms in the future. en, in 2009, Sierra Leone passed the Registration of Customary Marriages and Divorce Act, ensuring that all customary marriages Milestones in Sierra Leone’s Journey toward and divorces are o cially registered, and requiring consent of both Gender Equality and Financial Inclusion parties to the marriage. Additionally, in 2019, Sierra Leone adopted legislation to criminalize sexual harassment in e Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Sierra employment. ese legislative e orts laid the groundwork for more Leone was established in 2002 as part of the Lomé Peace Accord, comprehensive gender equality reforms in subsequent years. which was signed in 1999 to end the civil war. e TRC was tasked with documenting the human rights violations that occurred Sierra Leone’s commitment to advancing nancial inclusion, during the con ict, promoting healing and reconciliation, and particularly for women, stems from the recognition that inclusive making recommendations for reforms to prevent future con icts. economic growth is essential for sustained peace and development. e nal report of the TRC, published in 2004, underscored the While the immediate postwar years prioritized political stability necessity of including women in the peacebuilding process and and rebuilding social infrastructure, the economic challenges facing 2 DECIG – Global Indicators Briefs No. 28 Figure 1 Sierra Leone’s Gender Equality Reform Journey Source: Data drawn from Women, Business and the Law’s most recent reform database https://wbl.worldbank.org/en/reforms. Note: Policies or other supportive mechanisms captured under the supportive frameworks index, such as the NSFI-1 or NSFI-2, are not yet captured in the panel data set and historical reform database. NSFI = National Strategy for Financial Inclusion. women remained a signi cant barrier to equitable recovery. e critical juncture ahead of the June 2023 general elections. With ndings of the TRC underscored the systemic obstacles that provisions to secure a minimum of 30 percent representation for limited women’s economic empowerment, revealing that women across government, private sector leadership, and sustainable peace would require addressing these long-standing decision-making roles, the GEWE Act re ects Sierra Leone’s inequalities. By 2016, this awareness led Sierra Leone to launch its commitment to integrating women’s voices and contributions into rst National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI-1, all spheres of society. e legislation also advances women’s rights 2017–2020), aimed at broadening access to nancial services for in nance, employment, and social protections, addressing underserved groups and setting the stage for growth led by the systemic inequalities that have limited women’s opportunities and private sector. Although NSFI-1 did not explicitly prioritize economic potential for decades. women’s nancial inclusion, it laid a crucial foundation. In subsequent years, understanding grew around the speci c barriers Building on the reform momentum of the GEWE Act, in May faced by women entrepreneurs, leading the Bank of Sierra Leone to 2023, Sierra Leone enacted the groundbreaking Employment Act issue the 2021 directives prohibiting gender-based discrimination 2023, which introduced several reforms, such as prohibiting in nancial services. Sierra Leone was a leader in this regard: discrimination in employment based on multiple grounds, according to most recent data from Women, Business and the Law, including gender; mandating the principle of equal remuneration only 94 countries have laws or directives in place explicitly for work of equal value; eliminating restrictions on women’s outlawing discrimination in access to credit despite the correlation employment in the mining, construction, factories, energy, water, of such laws with the likelihood of female entrepreneurs seeking and transportation sectors; expanding the length of paid leave for credit when needed (Bertrand and Perrin 2022; Perrin and Hyland mothers from 12 weeks to 14 weeks; granting fathers 2 weeks of 2023). Building on the progress of the NSFI-1, Sierra Leone paid leave for the birth of a child; and accounting for periods of launched its second National Strategy for Financial Inclusion career interruption due to childcare responsibilities in the (NSFI-2, 2022–2026) in April 2022, taking a more calculation of a woman’s pension bene ts. gender-sensitive approach. NSFI-2 aims to promote Such advancements made over the last decades are re ected in gender-responsive nancial services, improving access to credit for Sierra Leone’s improved score on the World Bank’s Women, female entrepreneurs, and ensuring that nancial institutions Business and the Law (WBL) index, which measures gender equality develop products and services that cater speci cally to the needs of in law across 190 economies ( gure 1). By enacting these women. comprehensive reforms, Sierra Leone’s WBL score has risen from Six months later, in November 2022, the Sierra Leonean 31.9 in 1970 to 92.5 in 2023, making it the country with the most parliament unanimously passed the Gender Equality and Women’s reforms on the index between 2022 and 2023 (World Bank Empowerment Act after 13 months of debate (Nyallay et al. 2023). 2024b). For the rst time, the 2024 WBL index also measures the Building on previous reforms, the Act responded to growing extent to which economies implement gender equal laws via policy national and international calls for gender equity and came at a instruments. It captures, for example, economies’ e orts to 3 DECIG – Global Indicators Briefs No. 28 implement laws granting women equal opportunity to start a People–People’s Manifesto, which outlined commitments and business through gender-sensitive national nancial inclusion priorities if elected, strongly advocating for gender equality, equity, strategies, such as in Sierra Leone. empowerment, and the protection of women’s rights (Sierra Leone People’s Party 2018). His agenda prioritized tackling gender-based Unpacking Sierra Leone’s Transformative Reform violence, dismantling barriers to women’s economic Journey empowerment, addressing exploitative working conditions, enhancing gender education, and increasing women’s political Several factors have driven Sierra Leone’s legal reform journey. participation. is manifesto laid the foundation for key legislation e case of Sierra Leone is a testament to the power of both such as the GEWE Act. President Bio’s election manifesto states top-down and bottom-up initiatives working in tandem to create that recognizing “women’s roles and their empowerment is critical lasting change. At the top, reform drivers included gender to poverty reduction at the household level and to the overall champions, political will, and broad coalitions providing an development of the nation” (Sierra Leone People’s Party 2018). In enabling environment for enacting gender equal laws and e ect, provisions in the GEWE Act directly translate the vision of gender-sensitive policies. Simultaneously, international actors President Bio’s election manifesto (section 3.3.2) by mandating a including the United Nations and World Bank supported Sierra minimum of 30 percent representation for women in government Leone’s reform e orts by providing economic data and technical roles, including parliamentary seats, local councils, and cabinet assistance. From the bottom up, reform drivers include domestic positions, the private sector, and other leadership roles. President grassroots e orts led by civil society organizations (CSOs), which Bio, on many occasions, on radio and TV, stressed his support for were instrumental in not only gathering input from women across broad reform, urging members of parliament to pass key legislation Sierra Leone but also in amplifying their voices within the national like the GEWE bill (Ighobor 2023). In several instances he stated, discourse on gender reform, and engaging parliamentarians. is “You cannot say you are serious about development, and you lock combined top-down and bottom-up approach was driven by a up more than 50 percent of your energy in the kitchen, or shared understanding that empowering women and ensuring somewhere else, and expect to make progress” (Clottey 2023). gender equality are crucial for Sierra Leone’s overall economic President Bio’s commitment to addressing challenges faced by development, ensuring that reforms are comprehensive, inclusive, women—as indicated in his manifesto—convinced Emerson and sustainable. Lamina, an opposition leader in parliament at the time, to switch from opposing GEWE to supporting it (Kayembe 2023, citing Gender Champions in Government Emerson Lamina). Gender champions in government played a crucial role e Female Caucus of Parliament in Sierra Leone also played a spearheading reform e orts. ese leaders recognized that pivotal role in advancing gender reforms, particularly through its promoting gender equality is not just a social imperative but a concerted e orts to pass the GEWE bill. Comprised of women catalyst for the country’s development. parliamentarians committed to enhancing women’s rights, the caucus worked tirelessly to bring gender issues to the forefront of ese gender champions were pivotal in advocating for gender legislative discussions. eir advocacy was instrumental in reform amidst Sierra Leone’s deeply ingrained patriarchal social reigniting e orts to pass the GEWE bill between 2018 and 2019, structures, which have long perpetuated gender inequality across as they collaborated closely with international partners such as the the country. Cultural norms, especially in rural areas, restrict United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to gather women’s access to education, employment, and land ownership. support and push the agenda forward. e caucus members not ese traditional systems often undermine women’s economic only advocated for the bill within parliament but also engaged with independence by treating them as dependents of male relatives, CSOs and grassroots communities to ensure broad-based support. limiting their ability to own property or access credit (Cherie Blair eir leadership and persistent e orts were crucial in overcoming Foundation and IFC 2015). “Counteracting harmful cultural norms resistance from male parliamentarians, securing the passage of the and confronting stereotypes by engaging with in uential community GEWE bill. Veronica Sesay, Chair of the Women’s Caucus in leaders was key” to reform e orts, Bamie Joseph Sesay, Assistant Sierra Leone’s parliament, explained, “Our best tactic was not to Director – Gender in the Ministry of Gender and Children’s challenge the men, but cajole them [to understand that] investing A airs, emphasized. in women is the best way to develop a country” (Devin 2023). Former President Ernest Bai Koroma was instrumental in laying the groundwork for broad reforms. His outspoken, public support The Economic Argument for Gender Reform: The of women’s empowerment, particularly evident in his Importance of Technical Expertise and Data administration’s development strategy (2013–18), emphasized the goal of empowering women and girls through a variety of initiatives, Despite the activities of gender champions across all levels of including increasing “access to justice and economic opportunities” government and the political will for reform, altering longstanding and “improving the business environment for women, with access norms and introducing signi cant change to a system that had been to nance and capacity development” (Government of Sierra Leone in place for decades proved to be cumbersome. Former Minister of 2013). e commitment of Koroma’s administration to gender Gender Manty Tarawalli played a crucial role in overcoming equality was not just rhetorical; it was embedded in the opposition by reframing the GEWE bill not just as a human rights issue but as an economic necessity. By using data and economic government’s strategic objectives, with concrete initiatives to enact arguments, Tarawalli positioned the bill as a pathway for Sierra gender equality legislation. Naasu Fofanah, Koroma’s special gender Leone to become a middle-income economy (Kayembe 2023). is advisor, highlighted the importance of political will in driving the strategic shift in narrative, from a rights-based view to an economic reform agenda: “Various stakeholders were able to align [on these growth perspective, was pivotal in gaining broader support in gender reforms] because they knew that President Koroma would be parliament. Former Minister Tarawalli summarized: “We had to behind it—and that he believed in it.” shift people’s ideas and change the argument from just rights-based e commitment to reform persisted with the change in to economic growth…Once we started that conversation, we saw a administration, with the election of President Julius Maada Bio in bit of a change” (Ighobor 2023). Likewise, Ms. Fofanah recalled, 2018. In February 2018, President Bio launched the party’s “ e biggest breakthrough was proving that gender issues—especially election manifesto, New Direction: One Country One women's empowerment—would increase GDP.” 4 DECIG – Global Indicators Briefs No. 28 Data and evidence were crucial in shaping these arguments. e would transform the composition of parliament. According to Bank of Sierra Leone, in developing NSFI-2, for instance, leveraged former Minister Tarawalli, "No man was willing to leave and give sex-disaggregated data from sources like the World Bank’s Global their seat to a woman. e Cabinet chopped this Bill to death” Findex Database to highlight the economic disparities faced by (Kayembe 2023). women and to advocate for a nancial inclusion strategy more Former Minister Tarawalli led a rigorous and strategic campaign targeted to women. Bank of Sierra Leone Deputy Director to build broad support for the bill, engaging cabinet members in Momoh Sesay noted: “We realized after assessing the [Findex] data, one-on-one discussions to address their concerns and emphasize that women are one of the most deprived sectors. If we want to develop the bill’s signi cance for national development. She further the economy, we need to go down the bottom of the pyramid and engaged legal experts, including prominent gures like Nicky include women.” Spencer-Coker, a High Court solicitor, and Neneh Lebbie, e Bank of Sierra Leone’s collaboration with technical experts President of the Parliamentary Female Caucus, to draft the also drove the development of a gender-sensitive NSFI-2. e legislation. Drawing on international examples of countries that development of the new strategy drew on lessons learned from an had successfully advanced female representation, they crafted a bill independent evaluation carried out under the auspices of the that re ected both global insights and local priorities, provided United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and from legal counsel, as well as logistical and technical support throughout feedback gathered during stakeholder consultations with industry the legislative process (Kayembe 2023). Former Minister Tarawalli players within the nancial sector. e UNCDF evaluation report emphasized that “the process involved a collaborative e ort” noted that NSFI-1 was (1) unfocused, broad, and ambitious; (2) bringing various partners together, including prominent female ine ective in the implementation of a strong governance structure politicians and gender activists, as well as the opposition (Kayembe and working groups; and (3) lacking an e ective sex-disaggregated 2023). At the same time, Minister Tarawalli used various data and measurement framework (Hall et al. 2021). Incorporating communication channels (radio, social media, television, and the recommendations, the NSFI-2 takes a more focused approach print) and traveled to all 16 districts of Sierra Leone, including to target women, youth, rural populations, and MSMEs. NSFI-2 remote villages, to both broadcast the bill and improve it based on aims to increase the percentage of adults with access to formal stakeholders’ particular issues and input. Former Minister nancial services to 70 percent by 2026, focusing particularly on Tarawalli underscored the bill’s economic bene ts by stating that women, rural communities, and small and medium enterprises the bill “meant a thriving home and a thriving nation” (Kayembe (SMEs). In e ect, the NSFI-2 de nes women as one of the 2023). Public consultation with community members helped strategy’s target groups. It describes initiatives to support increase the bill’s salience and promote it to the top of the “women-centric product development” and link market women legislative agenda. and women-owned SMEs in village savings and loan associations Multistakeholder consultations also drove the development of (VSLAs) as well as osusu groups (informal savings and credit NSFI-2, contributing to its content and generating buy-in. associations) to nancial service providers. Further, the strategy Consultations brought together stakeholders from government ( includes sex-disaggregated indicators in its nancial inclusion the Ministry of Finance, the National Revenue Authority and the dashboard to monitor the outcomes of the strategy. Financial Intelligence Unit); the private sector (including Aligning with international best practices was a success factor for commercial banks, mobile money operators, and the Small and reform, according to many of the stakeholders interviewed. Medium Enterprises Development agency); and civil society “International organizations like the ILO and the World Bank were groups (National Association of Farmers of Sierra Leone and the also involved in the reform progress, ensuring that our process aligned National Organisation for Women) to identify gaps and with international standards,” Chiblee Francis Kamara, Acting constraints to nancial inclusion in Sierra Leone and therefore Commissioner of Labor and Employment, noted. e passage of address them in the strategy. the Employment Act occurred within the scope of the World Bank’s Sierra Leone Second Inclusive and Sustainable Growth Grassroots Advocacy and the Role of Civil Society Development Project Financing (World Bank 2022b). Speci cally, in Driving Gender Reforms a World Bank advisory team drew on Women, Business and the Law data to provide diagnostics of laws restraining Sierra Leonian CSO advocacy played a vital role in Sierra Leone’s reform women’s economic empowerment as well as inputs to the draft process from the ground up, ensuring that the voices of rural Employment Act for Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Employment, communities and women would be heard, and these stakeholders Labour and Social Security. According to Mr. Kamara, “ e World would be empowered. According to Sahr Kendema, Program Bank was instrumental in guiding the drafting process, especially in Manager of the Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), the ensuring that provisions such as maternity and paternity leave were passage of other laws increasing women’s rights, such as the 2022 included, which were essential to ful lling our commitments to Public Elections Act and the 2022 Customary Land Rights Act, international labor standards.” e technical input facilitated the created a policy window for the GEWE Act and triggered the Ministry of Employment’s transmission of the bill to the Ministry support of CSOs, which in turn garnered the support of of Justice, which then submitted the bill to parliament. In 2023, parliamentarians. “It took 13 months, but it was still fast for us. the bill received bipartisan support from parliament in March and Because we had the support of civil society organizations, and President Bio assented to the bill in May. there was, above all, the political will,” current Minister of Gender and Children's A airs Isata Mahoi noted (Mahoi 2024). In Multistakeholder Coalitions garnering support for the GEWE bill, CSOs such as CGG and the 50/50 Group were instrumental in organizing public forums and Multistakeholder coalitions were instrumental in overcoming consultations, providing platforms for citizens, especially women, challenges to enacting gender reform. Initially, the proposed to voice their concerns and aspirations. ese e orts ensured that GEWE bill faced resistance within the cabinet, with some ministers the bill was not just a top-down initiative but had grassroots hesitant to support such a wide-ranging reform. e cabinet support, which was essential for its legitimacy and eventual initially opposed the GEWE bill because they did not want women passage. Additionally, CSOs provided technical expertise and to usurp men’s seats in parliament. At this time, women comprised facilitated dialogue between the government, civil society, and the only 12 percent of parliamentary seats and—from the perspective private sector, helping to create a broad coalition of support – of the cabinet—increasing women’s participation to 30 percent referred to as the GEWE Yellow Ribbon Campaign Group – that 5 DECIG – Global Indicators Briefs No. 28 was crucial in overcoming resistance within the political tangible bene ts for all women, including those in rural and establishment. underserved areas. CSOs engaged in widespread consultations, traveling to both Assistant Director of Labor and Employment in the Ministry of urban centers and rural villages to ensure that the diverse Employment, Labor and Social Security, Georgiana ompson, experiences and needs of women were thoroughly understood and remarked that since the Employment Act has entered into force, integrated into the legislation. By engaging directly with the Ministry has collaborated with the Sierra Leone Labor communities, advocates of women’s rights and economic Congress and Employers Federation to promote gender equality empowerment ensured that the concerns of women were included through occasional sensitization and awareness-raising exercises. in the discussions, while strengthening the communities’ support of the initiatives in the process. Between July and August 2021, Former Minister Tarawalli aptly highlighted the challenge of CGG organized an initiative to consolidate feedback on how to implementing GEWE: “ e challenge that we see … is to ensure improve the GEWE bill under the #Manyvoicesonemessage social that we bring the law to the people. It is not only for urban or media campaign, in which it presented the draft of the bill to educated women. Everybody knows that the act [GEWE] has been female members of the community across ve regions (Port Loko, passed, but what exactly does it mean to grassroots women? How Makeni, Bo, Kenema, Freetown), encouraging participants to does it touch their lives? We need now to explain it to them so that lobby members of parliament to support the bill when tabled in they know their rights under this law” (Ighobor 2023). Similarly, parliament. en, on September 16, 2021, CGG and Trócaire Minister Mahoi acknowledged that “we have come a long way in organized a virtual meeting with more than 50 CSOs to discuss the advancement of women for honoring our commitments … their concerns and recommendations for the GEWE bill (Lahai We still have a long way to go to achieve gender equality and the 2021). e meeting spurred the development of the GEWE empowerment of women. We no longer need 30 percent of Yellow Ribbon Campaign Group to further mobilize community women's representation because we have already achieved that. We support and encourage parliamentarians to endorse the bill want 50 percent” (Fornah 2024). (Devine 2022). e yellow ribbon symbolized solidarity with the E orts to implement the GEWE Act are underway. cause and was used as a visual marker to unite supporters across the Development partners continue to support the implementation of country. e e orts of the Yellow Ribbon Campaign were critical the GEWE Act through technical assistance and Development in keeping the GEWE bill on the legislative agenda, ultimately Project Financing. Sierra Leone’s 4th National Women’s contributing to its successful passage in parliament. Conference, “Actualizing Women’s Rights: Implementing Gender In addition, CSOs were pivotal in garnering parliamentary Equality and Women’s Empower Act (GEWE Act),” in May 2024 support. Mr. Kendema mentioned that “the battle began upon the re ected the ambition to translate the law into practice. e frst parliamentary reading of GEWE in a male-dominated conference brought together leaders, activists, and stakeholders parliament” in October 2021. At that time, the parliament of from various sectors to discuss and strategize on the Sierra Leone was composed of only 12 percent women MPs (IPU implementation of the GEWE Act. en, on June 24, 2024, the 2021). Recognizing the resistance from some male Ministry of Gender and Children’s A airs validated the GEWE parliamentarians, CGG employed a strategic and diplomatic Regulations during a workshop supported by the World Bank and approach. They organized informal dinners and meetings with UN Women. e Regulations incorporate input from those opposing the bill, creating opportunities for open dialogue stakeholders, including women’s groups and CSOs, and call for and persuasion in a less formal setting (Devine 2023). CGG the e ective and e cient implementation of provisions in the strategically highlighted the successes of other African nations, GEWE Act. Parliament has yet to adopt the Regulations. such as Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa, which had already Similarly, translating the targets and ambitions outlined in the made significant strides in women's empowerment and received NSFI-2 into practice is key. While some nancial service providers international acclaim for their efforts. By presenting these have launched nancial literacy campaigns and increased the examples, CGG aimed to demonstrate the potential benefits for availability of nancial products for women-owned or women-led Sierra Leone and to encourage lawmakers to align with these SMEs, many women are still not aware of these products, or may regional leaders in gender equality. This comparative approach be discouraged by the bureaucracy, strict collateral requirements, helped challenge opposition and build broader support for the bill and high interest rates. Mariama Keitta, a female farmer and within parliament. When momentum toward enacting the GEWE Gender Focal Person in the National Federation of Farmers of bill lagged after 12 months (in November 2022), CGG launched Sierra Leone explained: “I have never asked for a loan. e banks the #bringbacktheGEWEbill social media campaign. The require too much collateral and do not provide enough time to repay campaign played a role in resurfacing the bill and moving it to the the loan.” Her experience contrasts with shop owner Mariama top of the legislative agenda. One month later, parliament passed Turay and highlights the need to scale interventions to reach the the GEWE Act. bottom of the pyramid. Scaling the services outlined in NSFI-2 Similarly, for the adoption of NSFI-2, various youth, women “from thousands to millions will be the true test for the success of the and farmers organizations such as the National Organisation for ambitious reforms,” Joanna Favour Tom-Kargbo, Economic Justice Women and the National Association of Farmers of Sierra Leone Manager of Christian Aid, emphasized. were key in ensuring that the strategy was responsive to the needs of marginalized groups, particularly women and rural Conclusion communities. According to Deputy Director Momoh Sesay, these engagements proved instrumental in fostering support for the is Brief highlights the critical synergy between top-down strategy from the organizations, which, in turn, generated support factors and bottom-up grassroots initiatives to drive tangible legal from the Ministry of Finance and the Governor of the Bank of and policy reforms. Government initiatives and international Sierra Leone, Kelfala Kallon. support provided the necessary framework and resources for change, while grassroots movements grounded reforms in the needs of the people—thus fueling both political and public What’s Next? Implementation support for the reforms. From the top, drivers of reform included As Sierra Leone continues its journey toward gender equality gender champions in government, broad coalitions, and and nancial inclusion, implementing gender-equal laws in policymakers’ use of data and technical assistance from the practice is crucial in ensuring that recent reforms translate into international community. From the bottom, CSOs drove reform 6 DECIG – Global Indicators Briefs No. 28 by conducting widespread stakeholder consultations and fostering galvanizing broader support, demonstrating that gender equality is buy-in as well as lobbying parliamentarians. 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