On 29 August 2024, the Government of Sierra Leone and the European Union signed a landmark Financing Agreement for the “Nature Nourishes” Programme.
This agreement represents a significant step forward in the collaborative efforts between the EU and Sierra Leone to promote environmental protection and human development across the nation. In line with the Global Gateway strategy of the EU, “Nature Nourishes” also focuses on providing modern quality education for all children and youths, as well as enhancing teachers’ competencies and skills.
“Nature Nourishes” is a EUR 90 million EU-funded programme, focusing on enhancing Sierra Leone’s resilience against internal and external shocks, safeguarding the environment, and improving educational outcomes, in line with the country’s national development plan. A defining feature of “Nature Nourishes” is the Budget Support component, which allocates the state budget up to EUR 65 million over the next four years. The disbursement of these funds is closely tied to the achievement of specific performance indicators, ensuring that the EU’s support directly contributes to tangible and sustainable outcomes.
The key objectives of the “Nature Nourishes” programme are:
1. Environmental Protection: A significant portion of the initiative is dedicated to restoring, managing, and protecting Sierra Leone’s terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems, with a focus on national parks.
2. Improving Education: A core focus is on enhancing access to education and supporting the national Home-grown School Feeding Programme, as well as improving equitable learning outcomes for students at early childhood, primary, and secondary levels.
3. Promoting Sustainable Agriculture: In line with the “Feed Salone” initiative of the Government, Nature Nourishes supports the development of sustainable, eco-friendly agriculture, which is essential for improving health, nutrition, and food security in Sierra Leone.
4. Decentralization: Advancing the decentralization process to improve public service delivery at the local level and ensure that public resources reach the communities that need them most.
5. Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms: Bolstering PFM systems to ensure more effective revenue mobilization, fiscal decentralization and budget execution.
This event marks a significant milestone reached in the cooperation between the EU and Sierra Leone.
In his remarks, H.E. Manuel Müller, the EU Ambassador to Sierra Leone, emphasized the EU’s commitment to supporting Sierra Leone’s path to inclusive and sustainable growth. “This Financing Agreement represents our shared vision of a greener and more resilient Sierra Leone. By tying some of the disbursements to the achievement of key indicators, including those related to public finance management and oversight of the state budget, the EU is not only supporting Sierra Leone financially but also supporting the Government in driving meaningful progress in critical areas such as environmental protection, education, decentralization, tax collection and food security.”
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Finance, Ms. Kadiatu Allie, highlighted the importance of this partnership in advancing the country’s development agenda. “The reform areas supported under this Financing Agreement are consistent with the Government’s priorities—the Big Five Game Changers, as articulated in our National Development Plan. We are committed to achieving the indicators not only because they are tied to the disbursement of funds, but more importantly because we are confident that they will contribute to promoting sustainable growth and job creation while boosting the resilience of the economy.”
The Financing Agreement includes provisions for regular monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that the objectives are met effectively and that the impact is sustainable.
