Sierra Leone

Located on the coast of West Africa and bordering Guinea to the north and Liberia to the South, Sierra Leone emerged from a decade-long brutal civil war in 2002. Post-civil war, with help from international institutions and donors, it began rebuilding, rapidly achieving some of the world’s highest economic growth rates. When Ebola struck in 2014 and 2015, it plunged the country into yet another difficult crisis.

Sierra Leone boasts rich mineral reserves, fishery resources, plenty of arable land, and tourism potential. Significant opportunities for domestic and foreign investors also exist in energy, water, telecommunications and infrastructure. However, they face significant challenges, including corruption, a weak rule of law, deficient business regulations, and an underdeveloped financial sector. Furthermore, widespread poverty, youth unemployment and a lack of skilled labor, as well as vulnerability to weather conditions and dependency on commodity prices, compound the country’s problems.