By Mahmud Tim Kargbo
For decades, Sierra Leone’s economic policies have been fixated on one dominant goal: growth. National budgets, development plans, and international partnerships have all revolved around increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), often hailed as the single most important indicator of national progress. But what if this growth narrative is flawed—dangerously so?
Like many other developing nations, Sierra Leone has bought into the “growth is good” ideology, driven by donor expectations, IMF prescriptions, and a legacy of post-war recovery strategies. Yet, an expanding body of global and local evidence now suggests that this obsession with economic expansion—what environmental historian J.R. McNeill called a “growth fetish”—may be doing more harm than good, especially for countries like ours.
- The GDP Mirage: Measuring the Wrong Things
In Sierra Leone, GDP is often presented as the yardstick for success. In 2023, for example, the country recorded an estimated GDP growth rate of 3.2% despite global economic headwinds. But who truly benefited from this growth?
GDP in Sierra Leone captures formal economic transactions, yet fails to account for environmental degradation, the informal economy (which comprises over 60% of employment), or social well-being. Like Simon Kuznets, the economist who first formalised GDP, warned: not all growth is beneficial, and we must distinguish between quantity and quality.
Instead of worshipping GDP, we should be developing a new dashboard of indicators that reflect what truly matters for Sierra Leoneans:
Access to affordable and quality healthcare (still elusive for over 70% of the population)
Quality education and youth employment (youth unemployment exceeds 60%)
Environmental resilience (especially critical given our vulnerability to climate change and deforestation)
Income equality and access to public services
- Growth Hasn’t Delivered Social Progress
Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Sierra Leone has seen fluctuating growth rates, largely driven by mining booms and donor inflows. Yet, these gains have not translated into widespread social progress. In fact, according to the UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI), Sierra Leone ranks 181 out of 191 countries (2023). Life expectancy remains under 61 years, maternal mortality is among the highest globally, and access to safe drinking water is still a challenge in many rural areas.
Growth has concentrated wealth in the hands of the selected few elites, while the majority remain trapped in poverty. The 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index found that over 56% of Sierra Leoneans suffer from multiple deprivations—education, health, and living standards.
- Growth Serves Elites, Not the People
Large-scale investments in sectors like mining and infrastructure may boost GDP, but they often benefit foreign corporations and the selected few local elites rather than ordinary citizens. The current growth model grants power to those with capital and technology—mainly multinational firms operating in our extractive sector. In return, the country sees limited local employment and severe environmental costs.
Policies that could enhance wellbeing—such as strengthening labour rights, improving public education, enforcing environmental regulations, and taxing the ultra-rich—are often dismissed for fear they might “slow growth” or “hurt investor confidence.”
- Consumerism and False Promises
Urban consumer culture is growing in Freetown and other cities, encouraged by imported products, advertising, and global media. Yet, over 70% of Sierra Leoneans live on less than $1.90 a day. Our consumption-driven model is simply unsustainable, environmentally and socially.
We’ve been led to believe that buying more will lead to happiness, but studies in psychology and economics consistently show otherwise. True wellbeing stems from social bonds, meaningful work, cultural identity, and a healthy environment—all areas where Sierra Leone has enormous potential but has not prioritised.
- Environmental Degradation: Growth’s Hidden Cost
Our forests are vanishing, rivers polluted, and biodiversity threatened—all in the name of growth. The mining sector, while contributing significantly to GDP, has also devastated ecosystems, displaced communities, and undermined traditional livelihoods.
Climate change is already hitting us hard, from floods in Bo to coastal erosion in the Western Area Peninsula. Yet, Sierra Leone continues to prioritise extractive growth over climate resilience and renewable energy innovation.
The Case for Post-Growth in Sierra Leone
The time has come for Sierra Leone to consider a post-growth framework—a model that prioritises genuine human development, equity, and ecological sustainability over blind GDP expansion.
This does not mean rejecting economic activity. Rather, it calls for:
Redirecting investment toward health, education, and renewable energy
Protecting natural ecosystems and community lands from extractive overreach
Creating inclusive employment in agriculture, services, and circular economies
Developing alternative metrics of progress such as the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), wellbeing indices, and environmental health data
Countries like Bhutan (with its Gross National Happiness framework) and even some European regions have begun to explore post-growth pathways. For Sierra Leone, embracing such a paradigm could lead to more resilient, equitable, and meaningful development.
Final Word: A New Development Narrative
We’ve clung to GDP growth as a sign of progress, yet it has failed to deliver true prosperity for the majority of Sierra Leoneans. The Post’s recent editorial in the U.S. defending endless growth echoes what many of our own policy elites believe—but it’s time we question that belief.
A post-growth future, where the focus is on wellbeing rather than wealth accumulation, could be exactly what Sierra Leone needs to break free from cycles of inequality, donor dependency, and environmental harm.
It is not heresy—it is hope.
