Abdu Muwonge, Country Manager of the World Bank Group in Sierra Leone, made a clarion call during a statement at the opening ceremony of a one-day validation exercise for the National Climate Finance Strategy for Sierra Leone, held at the New Brookfields Hotel on Tuesday, 17th June 2025.
This exercise attracts stakeholders from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the government, Development Partner Organisations, Civil Society Organisations, Educational Institutions, and local council representatives.
Abdu Muwongo further stated that the strategy should be in the interest of the people of Sierra Leone rather than in the interest of individual institutions, thereby calling on participants to take ownership of the document and develop an achievable strategy.
The World Bank Country Manager noted that, given the significance of the exercise, participants should consider other opportunities that may arise from this strategy, stating that this is not the final stage but will require the legal, institutional, and administrative frameworks, along with other structures, to ensure its full implementation.
According to Sellu McCarthy, the head of the Climate Finance Unit at the Ministry of Finance, this process is a follow-up to the various stakeholder consultations held prior to the development of the draft strategy.
He continued that this validation exercise will allow stakeholders to scrutinise the draft strategy and provide input before producing the final document.
In her statement, Deputy Minister of Finance I, Kadiatu Allie, stated that this strategy is more than just a policy, but a collective commitment by the government of Sierra Leone to mobilise, manage, and direct financial resources to strengthen resilience, reduce emissions and protect the people, economy and the environment.
She further noted that the various climate change vulnerabilities the country is facing are putting immense pressure on public finance, undermining development gains, and threatening the well-being of citizens.
Kadiatu Allie informed her audience that the National Finance Strategy is a tool to scale up investment in climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience, aiming to unlock and coordinate public and private finance, strengthen institutional capacity, and align with the country’s financial systems and global commitments such as the Paris Agreement.
She thanked the World Bank for both technical and financial support, as well as the various stakeholders who are working together to shape this document.
Credit: MOF Communications
