Sierra Leone Economic Diversification Project
- Client: Government of Sierra Leone
- Partners: Conservation Capital
- Project Duration: April 1 - July 31, 2024
Project Overview
Solimar International has been contracted by the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) to develop an official national Wildlife Tourism Policy as well as a Comprehensive Business Plan and Costed Action Plan. Over the course of a 16 week planning process, Solimar will analyze both current and previous wildlife tourism efforts, generate strategic policies for the GoSL, and brief stakeholders upon completion of the project. Key areas of interest include Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Tourism Development, and Wildlife Tourism Management.
Solimar’s determination to create a sustainable, impactful Wildlife Tourism Policy and Comprehensive Business Plan and Costed Action Plan is focused on strengthening the legislative framework of wildlife conservation while at the same time identifying demand-driven wildlife tourism development opportunities in Sierra Leone that enhance the visitor experience, support local economies, and contribute to wildlife conservation.
Major Activities and Results
- Protected Area Site Visits – Site visits to Outamba Kilimi National Park and Loma Mountains Forest Reserve to collect data on wildlife tourism opportunities, community input, conservation challenges, infrastructure, training & investment needs
- Draft Wildlife Tourism Policy – A draft Wildlife Tourism Policy that supports protected area management, reduction of human-wildlife conflict, community participation in wildlife tourism, tourism revenue sharing, and innovative conservation finance mechanisms.
- Draft Business Plan – A draft Wildlife Tourism Business Plan that outlines development objectives such as tourism products/services, training and infrastructure needs, marketing objectives, and management objectives such as sustainability best practices and monitoring
- Draft Action Plan – Built from the Business Plan’s strategic objectives, the Action Plan will include primary activities and timeline, a detailed budget, accountable parties, and monitoring metrics
