A Business Case and Fiscal Space Analysis for Social Protection in Sierra Leone
A report that generates evidence of the monetization of the cross-sectoral impacts of several social protection interventions, their long-term costs as well as the potential avenues of fiscal space creation over the coming 20 years.

Highlights
The business case and fiscal space analysis serves to generate evidence on the monetization of the cross-sectoral impacts of several social protection interventions, their long-term costs as well as the potential avenues of fiscal space creation over the coming 20 years. In providing evidence on the outcomes and impacts of pro-poor spending, the study can support government stakeholders in advocating for existing and future social protection programmes, as well as more general social and pro-poor spending, while pointing towards potential financing avenues. This will illustrate that social protection is not only an investment, but also affordable – even in developing countries. The evidence will also aid in generating an overall understanding that social protection in Sierra Leone necessitates a structured, concerted and systemized effort by the government and other relevant actors to be effectively and efficiently implemented.
As such, the report provides a theoretical overview of both the business case as well as the fiscal space analysis in the context of the Sierra Leone Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) and the National Social Protection Policy (NSPP). This is followed by an in-depth account of the analytical processes undertaken to estimate the returns to the selected social protection programmes over the coming 20 years, as well as their costs and potential financing avenues. Chapter 1 of this report provides substantial evidence on the background of Sierra Leone, the gaps and opportunities for economic growth in the country, as well as the multifaceted role social protection places in the MTNDP and the NSPP.
