{"id":21769,"date":"2011-03-30T20:00:22","date_gmt":"2011-03-31T00:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sierraexpressmedia.com\/?p=21769"},"modified":"2011-03-30T20:00:22","modified_gmt":"2011-03-31T00:00:22","slug":"world-bank-group-takes-stock-of-seven-years-of-supporting-business-in-post-conflict-sierra-leone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/?p=21769","title":{"rendered":"World Bank Group Takes Stock of Seven Years of Supporting Business in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Freetown, Sierra Leone, March 29, 2011 \u2013<\/strong> The Investment Climate team of the World Bank Group and its donor partners today published a report detailing the results of a seven-year program to help Sierra Leone build a strong regulatory environment that is attracting investment, and spurring job creation and private sector growth in the country.<\/p>\n

The Rebuilding Business and Investment in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone Report<\/em> gives a comprehensive look at how the World Bank Group, with the UK\u2019s Department for International Development (DFID) and donors Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway, helped Sierra Leone build the foundations of a strong private sector and begin recovering from a long civil war.<\/p>\n

Through the Removing Administrative Barriers to Investment (RABI) Program, the World Bank Group and its partners helped Sierra Leone reduce business informality, streamline business taxes, promote dialogue between government and private companies, and attract increased investment, mostly in tourism and agribusiness.<\/p>\n

David Carew, Sierra Leone\u2019s former Minister of Trade and Industry, said, \u201cWe started the RABI Program because we all recognized that the private sector is the leader of growth. Thanks to the program, we have seen great progress in the ease of doing business in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel Kyte, IFC Vice-President for Business Advisory Services, said, \u201cThe World Bank Group\u2019s work in Sierra Leone over the past seven years demonstrates our commitment to helping post-conflict countries rebuild their economies and grow a dynamic private sector to increase stability and reduce poverty. The lessons we learned in such a challenging environment are helping us design support programs for other countries recovering from conflict in Africa and around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The World Bank Group\u2019s advisory support helped Sierra Leone achieve the following developmental results:<\/p>\n