By Bailor Amid Saheed Kamara
Freetown, Sierra Leone — In the story of Sierra Leone’s development, there is a powerful force we have yet to fully unleash — the economic potential of our women. Gender equality is often spoken of as a human rights goal, but it is also one of the smartest economic strategies any nation can pursue. Around the world, evidence shows that when women are given equal opportunities to work, lead, and own resources, entire economies grow faster, fairer, and more sustainably.
The numbers tell their own story. The World Bank estimates that countries lose up to 15% of their GDP to gender inequality. In Sierra Leone, where women make up 52% of the population, the stakes are enormous. Closing the gender gap in our labor force alone could add as much as 500 million US dollars to our GDP in the next decade. And in agriculture — where women form 70% of the workforce — giving them equal access to land, credit, and training could raise productivity by as much as 30%, boosting both food security and exports.
Progress is happening, but it is still just the beginning. In 2023, the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act became law, requiring that 30% of leadership roles in both public and private sectors be filled by women. Following the recent elections, women now hold 18% of parliamentary seats — modest, but higher than in previous years. Some government institutions have begun weaving gender considerations into their policies. The Ministry of Planning is incorporating gender analysis into the new national development plan, while the Ministry of Finance is testing gender-responsive budgeting so that public funds better address the needs of both men and women.
Gender is also beginning to shape how we build and plan our infrastructure. Public works projects such as the Freetown Urban Transport Project now include gender audits to ensure safer, more accessible travel for women — especially market traders at busy hubs like Dove Cut and Goderich. Civil society groups, such as the 50/50 Sierra Leone group and Purposeful, are pushing for more women-friendly workplace policies in Parliament and the Judiciary, from sexual harassment safeguards to childcare facilities.
Still, deep-rooted challenges remain. Only 14% of landowners in Sierra Leone are women. Just 12% of senior civil service roles are held by women. And more than 60% of national surveys fail to collect gender-disaggregated data, making it harder to design policies that address women’s realities. On top of this, old social norms and biases continue to discourage women from leadership and decision-making. These are not just social problems — they are economic roadblocks.
When women succeed economically, everyone benefits. Studies show that women reinvest up to 90% of their income back into their families and communities, creating ripple effects in education, health, and local business growth. Across Sierra Leone, inspiring examples are already proving the point. In Kailahun and Kono, women-led cooperatives in agriculture, poultry, tailoring, and digital services — backed by the Ministry of Trade — have seen incomes rise by over a third in just two years. These gains are not isolated; they are blueprints for what could happen nationwide if barriers are removed.
The path forward is clear: Sierra Leone must enforce the GEWE Act in full, expand gender-responsive budgeting to every ministry, invest in better gender data, open more public procurement to women-led businesses, and strengthen gender equality units in government. This is not charity — it is smart economics.
As our nation works toward middle-income status, leaving half the population behind is not just unfair, it is unsustainable. The more we include women in shaping our economy, the more resilient, innovative, and prosperous Sierra Leone will become. The question is no longer whether gender equality matters for growth — it is whether we are ready to claim the wealth and progress that comes when women and men move forward together.