January 2, 2007

ACDI/VOCA Conducts World Bank Value Chain Study in Sierra Leone

ACDI/VOCA is conducting a value chain analysis in Sierra Leone for the World Bank’s Private Sector Development Project. It will provide the analytical underpinnings for further development of the country's high-value agriculture sector in addition to specific recommendations for enhancing the competitiveness of selected Sierra Leonean horticultural and livestock products. From January through March 2007, the ACDI/VOCA team in Sierra Leone will strategically select industries, conduct a thorough analysis of each value chain, and bring together relevant stakeholders to collaborate on increasing industry competitiveness.

This study is part of the preparation for a large, long-term World Bank-funded project in Sierra Leone, the Rural and Private Sector Development Project. Utilizing the value chain approach to increased competitiveness is particularly useful in Sierra Leone where, like other post-conflict and post-disaster environments, production cycles have been disrupted and the trust needed to facilitate transaction efficiencies has broken down.