The Ministry of Employment, Labour, and Social Security, in partnership with the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the Sierra Leone Employers’ Federation, concluded regional stakeholder consultations for the National Social Protection Bill on June 28, 2024. This extensive engagement was aimed at gathering input from various social protection stakeholders to shape the forthcoming legislation.

Funded by the World Bank, the consultations focused on inclusive participation to ensure the new legal framework for social protection in Sierra Leone is comprehensive and representative. The proposed bill aims to establish a Social Protection Authority, which will coordinate interventions from both private and public sectors. This Authority will oversee the Social Protection Bread Basket, a fund dedicated to supporting social protection activities, from which implementing agencies can request resources for their respective programs.

The consultations covered all regions of Sierra Leone, culminating in the Western Area. Participants included representatives from various public and private sector entities, reflecting broad communal support for the initiative.

Deputy Minister of Employment, Labour, and Social Security, Lansana Mohamed Dumbuya, emphasized the ambitious goals set by the African Union’s African Strategy on Social Protection during his keynote address at the opening ceremony in Freetown. He highlighted that the Strategy aims to increase social protection coverage from the current average of 17% to 40% by 2025.

“The African Union has urged leaders across the continent to allocate more resources to social protection to meet this target,” Dumbuya stated. He noted that the Government of Sierra Leone, along with its partners, developed the Social Protection Policy in 2018, the Social Protection Strategy for 2022-2026, and the Social Protection Bill in 2022 to harness various social protection interventions.

Dumbuya also emphasized the government’s commitment to building an inclusive social protection system that leaves no one behind. "This consultative process is a testament to our dedication to creating a comprehensive social protection law that addresses the needs of all Sierra Leoneans,” he added.

The successful completion of these consultations represents significant progress toward establishing a robust social protection framework aimed at supporting and protecting all citizens of Sierra Leone.