SFG1312 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR THE REVITALIZING EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN SIERRA LEONE (REDiSL) Prepared by: Dr Ralph Bona Lecturer, Institute of Environmental Management and Quality Control Njala University, Freetown, Sierra Leone On Behalf of: Ministry of Education, New England Ville, Freetown, Sierra Leone March 31, 2014 Updated by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology May 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................... 1 A. Limitations of study ................................................................................................................... 6 3 SCOPE AND TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE ESMF .......................................................................... 7 Preparation of the ESMF ..................................................................................................................... 7 Consultations ...................................................................................................................................... 7 4 METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................................. 8 A. Consultative Meetings ............................................................................................................... 8 B. Preparation of ESMF .................................................................................................................. 8 C. Deliverables ............................................................................................................................... 8 5 OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT AREA: THE SIERRA LEONE ENVIRONMENT ....................................... 9 A. Administrative and Political structure ....................................................................................... 9 B. Government and Administration ............................................................................................... 9 Social, Political and Economic Aspects ............................................................................................. 10 A. Marco-Economic Environment ................................................................................................ 10 Agriculture ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Mining ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Forestry ............................................................................................................................................. 12 Fisheries ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Tourism ............................................................................................................................................. 12 Land Tenure ...................................................................................................................................... 13 Population ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Education and Literacy...................................................................................................................... 14 Employment and Poverty ................................................................................................................. 14 Biodiversity ....................................................................................................................................... 15 6 LEGISLATION AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ........................................................................... 16 List of regulations, legislation and policies ....................................................................................... 16 1) National Environmental Policy, 1994 ................................................................................ 16 2) National Lands Policy ........................................................................................................ 17 3) National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, 2003 ...................................................... 18 4) Wildlife Sector Policy ........................................................................................................ 19 5) Land Tenure and Ownership ............................................................................................. 20 6) Environmental Protection Agency Act, 2008 .................................................................... 20 ii 7) Forestry Act, 1998 ............................................................................................................. 21 8) The Fisheries Act ............................................................................................................... 22 9) The Factories Act – 1974 ................................................................................................... 22 10) The Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972............................................................................. 24 11) Local Government Act, 2004 ......................................................................................... 25 12) Forestry Regulations ..................................................................................................... 25 13) The Fisheries Regulations.............................................................................................. 26 14) The Draft Wildlife Regulation........................................................................................ 27 15) Regulations related to schools and Ebola ..................................................................... 28 4.1.1 International Conventions ............................................................................................. 28 16) United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) ....................................... 28 17) Convention on wetlands of international importance (RAMSAR) ................................ 29 18) Other International Conventions to which Sierra Leone is a signatory ........................ 29 7 OPERATIONAL POLICIES AND GUIDELINES OF THE WORLD BANK ............................................... 30 8 IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES ....................................................................................... 34 9 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS ................................................................... 46 Purpose ............................................................................................................................................. 46 Grievance Redress Mechanisms ....................................................................................................... 48 10 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK ..................................................................... 50 A. Background .............................................................................................................................. 50 B. Screening for Decision on Level of Environmental Assessment .............................................. 50 C. Responsible parties .................................................................................................................. 52 Assessment of Potential Impacts of Sub-components ..................................................................... 52 D. Environmental Assessment Process ........................................................................................ 54 E. Awareness Raising in Communities ......................................................................................... 55 F. Independent Environmental Consultants ................................................................................ 56 G. Relationship between the EPASL and Consultants .................................................................. 56 H. Environmental Supervision, Monitoring & Information Systems ............................................ 56 11 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. 57 APPENDIX 1 - Subproject classification based on the initial impact assessment ............................. 57 APPENDIX 2 - Criteria for Decision on Level on Environmental Assessment .................................... 58 APPENDIX 3 - General Guidelines for Screening of Sub-components .............................................. 61 APPENDIX 4 – Checklist for the Issuance of Environmental Impact Assessment ............................. 62 APPENDIX 5 – Impact Assessment Review Form .............................................................................. 64 iii APPENDIX 6 - The Sierra Leone Topography, Environment, and Resources .................................... 79 APPENDIX 7 – Summary of Consultations......................................................................................... 89 Appendix 8 – Guidance Note and Protocol..................................................................................... 106 Appendix 9 – Summary of Consultations update 2015 .................................................................. 107 iv 1 INTRODUCTION The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) is preparing a project on Revitalizing Education Development in Sierra Leone (REDiSL). The REDiSL grant is processed under the development project financing instrument available to the government of Sierra Leone for the global partnership for education fund and it builds on the progress achieved through the previous EFA-FTI, and is also embedded in the Education Sector Plan (ESP) for 2014-2018. It aims to support interventions underpinned by authorities as they are laid out in the ESP, with the following objectives: i) Improve access, equity and completion; ii) Improve quality and learning outcomes; iii) Strengthen education service delivery The overall objective is to improve the learning environment in targeted schools and establish system for monitoring of education outcomes. As part of the process of project formulation, the preparation of the Environmental and social management framework (ESMF) was commissioned. The recommendations will be elaborated into project and site specific management action plans for the project as required by the World Bank. This ESMF is prepared by Dr Ralph Bona, former Environmental Manager of CEMMATS Group Ltd, the lead environmental consulting firm in Sierra Leone, and who is also now, the consultant for the Environmental Protection Agency Sierra Leone (EPA-SL), with inputs from staff of the MEST and EPA-SL. 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION A. Project Components reviewed The REDiSL is a US$23.5 million grant processed under the Investment Project Financing (IPF) instrument available to the Government of Sierra Leone from the GPE Fund as well as the Sierra Leone Multi-Donor TF. It builds on the progress achieved through the previous EFA-FTI operation and is embedded in the ESP (2013-2018). It is funded by a $17.9 million allocation from GPE; and $5.6 million equivalent from a multi-donor TF, currently funded by DFID. COMPONENT 1 – Improving the learning environment and opportunities in targeted areas 1.1 Performance-based School Grants ($4.4 million) The objective of the performance-based school grants component is to improve the learning environment and opportunities in primary and junior secondary schools in targeted districts. Financial incentives (grants) will be provided to schools in most marginalized districts based on a fixed set of criteria related to poverty and education outcomes. Schools must meet agreed outputs or outcomes to receive funding. This is an innovation in the education sector in Sierra Leone, but it has been tested with some success in the health sector. 1 The project will provide grants to schools in three phases, and the amount disbursed to schools will be based on the number of results that schools achieve. The specific objectives of the system are to: (1) provide additional resources at school level to cover the cost of delivering services and removing the need for ‘informal’ charges in primary school; (2) increase educational equity, since local councils with the lowest educational outcomes and highest poverty levels are targeted; (3) improve the learning environment and opportunities in selected schools – by strategic selection of the indicators and targets; and (4) strengthen capacities of local councils, district education staff, and heads of schools in the administration of the grants. Grants will be provided in three phases. Phase 1: All approved primary and junior secondary schools will receive a grant of up to US$1,000 at the start of the year. Selected schools will have (or commit to) the following: (i) Have a school management committee (SMC) or Board of Governance, with relevant executive; (ii) have a bank account with the relevant signatories; (iii) record teacher attendance daily; (iv) record student attendance daily; (v) keep daily record of when school is open; (vi) submit all required reports as necessary; (vii) maintain updated accounting records. Phase 2: All schools who meet the Phase 1 requirements will be eligible for 2nd round funding, but the amount received will be based on results achieved. The more targets a school achieves, the larger the amount of funding that they will get. Phase 3: Rewards will be given to schools that have made the most improvements in performance. The amount of funding remaining will determine the amount to be received by schools as well as the number of schools eligible. 1.2 Piloting approaches to increase school readiness (US$1 million) The project would support the establishment of approximately 50 pre-primary classrooms; half of these will be attached to Government supported schools and the rest hosted in Community Learning Centers, which are established in select communities and managed by the Department of Non-Formal Education within MEST. There will be new construction in about 25 classrooms but it will be classrooms added to existing schools. No new land acquisition is expected. The classrooms will primarily serve children age 5, many of whom are currently enrolling in Grade 1 and adding to the already challenging learning environment at that level. In addition to the classrooms, the Project will support teacher and caregiver training for those who will be teaching in the pre-primary classrooms. This will include initial 3 weeks of training and then ongoing training throughout the school year. Approximately 110 teachers will be directly trained through the project, but materials will also be made available to teacher training institutions throughout the country for use by teachers and caregivers considering working in ECCE. 2 To ensure the quality of service delivery, the project will also support the capacity building of the MEST to establish Minimum Quality Standards for ECCE. These Minimum Quality Standards would be applied to the classrooms established under the pilot, along with a sustainable system for monitoring and supporting compliance. To achieve this and ensure sustainability of efforts and commitment to ECCE, a pre-primary unit will be created within MEST (MEST funding will be used to pay MEST staff) separate from primary level responsibilities (which is the current arrangement). 1.3 Strengthening reading outcomes at early grades (US$6.9 million) To support the ESP’s aim of improving the pedagogical methodologies used by teachers to improve learning outcomes, the operation will support a comprehensive national reading program intended to improve literacy in early grades and create a culture of reading as a foundation for learning. Specific interventions would include: Reading books for primary classes (1-3) and relevant learning materials (teachers’ guides and teaching support packets for trained teachers). The GPE would finance the production, and distribution of approximately 1.8 million reading books for grades 1-3 for all primary schools throughout the country. This would be an approximate ratio of 2 reading books per student though they are developed to be used and re-used so it is likely students would be exposed to more titles throughout the school year. These books would complement the current syllabus and would be selected using criteria based on literacy-levels, literary value, and social- cultural relevance. Teachers and students are expected to use the books as tools to complement literacy skill and fluency based instructional goals, using strategies such as word family work, vocabulary learning, comprehension teaching, reading aloud, storytelling, literary games, and individual silent reading. Grade-level reading campaign. The project will support the roll out of a reading campaign using multiple channels. At the community level, there would be Talking Drum Studio stories and similar events. At the national level, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) will be approached to carry bi-monthly interviews and presentations about the importance of literacy and the ways in which parents and schools work for children’s success together. At the school level, the SMC would be asked to create regular slots for learning about literacy using proposed topics such as “importance of learning to read�, “why do we want our children to be able to read?�, and “how do children learn to read�. Schools can also hold short storytelling events with print outcomes, or make alphabet books with help from teachers. Training for teachers of early primary grades. The project will fund the development of a training that to help teachers understand effective teaching for quality outcomes. These training will include tools like teacher lesson guides, pedagogical materials, as well as scope and sequence lists. These are part of the teacher training initiative to support more. As demonstrated by initial results of a pilot training currently under implementation, enhanced lesson planning and strategy guides show positive increases in teacher’s skills and student’s knowledge. The training will be carried to 10 percent of the primary schools teaching workforce (about 3,800 teachers over the three years and 600 pre-service teachers in 3 training). To ensure sustainability of the practice, the project will also work with the MEST and teacher training institutions to integrate the training on the use of supplementary reading books into the pre-service and distance learning for initial teacher training on college campuses where early primary school teachers are certified. To achieve this, the cohort of trainers will include representation from all the Teacher Training College Departments of Language Arts to insure their abilities to participate in the development of new practices with new pre-service teachers in the second phase. COMPONENT 2 – Strengthen education service delivery 2.1 Improvements in teacher management (US$3 million) The Teaching Service Commission (TSC) The project will make the TSC functional and would be used to cover operational costs of the Commission both at central and decentralized levels. The main output for this intervention would be an effective and efficient management of the teaching labor force underpinned by a database which would inform management decision making with respect to the promotion of professional development and performance of teachers and reporting protocols from districts. 2.2 Building the foundation for better measurement of learning outcomes (US$1.1. million) Building on previous outputs, the project would establish and operationalize a semi- autonomous assessment unit within the Directorate of Policy and Planning of the MEST to coordinate the design and execution of assessments at lower and upper primary and JSS. The project would fund a Class 4 assessment in Mathematics and English. Sample selection, data collection, data processing and editing, weighting and variance estimation would be sub- contracted to Statistics Sierra Leone or another entity that has experience in the work to be carried out and does not require much, if any, capacity building to incorporate the learning assessment into their work programs. 2.3 Robust consistent school data collection (US$0.4 million) The REDiSL will build on the system already in existence to support the ministry in mainstreaming a briefer version of the school census in off years so not all data is collected annually but those indicators will be relevant for monitoring purposes of the project are included. 2.4 Establishing a system for implementation of the Education Sector Strategy ($4.4 million) The REDiSL will develop a strategy for monitoring the Education Sector Plan and for reporting on its outcomes. In this context the project will provide technical assistance to the MEST, TSC, and Local Councils to undertake M&E activities with the aim of ensuring information flows to all parties (students, communities, and educators) and enforcing accountability. In line with the aim of bringing about the transformation of the MEST envisioned in the ESP, the Project would also drive the transformation of the MEST towards enhanced capacity, at 4 central and local council levels, building on the recommendations outlined in the Capacity Development Study carried out in 2011. The unit would be responsible for coordinating donor intervention and reporting, which will in turn lead to improved efficiency in service delivery. This unit would serve as a vehicle for donors to align their support to the MEST, using a best practice approach that has been tested in the health sector. Once executed, this setup should catalyze significant transformation in the education sector and enable the Government to achieve the targets set out in its ESP. COMPONENT 3 – Project Management and Supervision 3.1 Project Management and Supervision (US$0.9 million) This component will provide the necessary funding for the operations of the project implementation unit to be housed within the MEST. In addition to funding the administrative costs associated with implementation of the components above, it will also support fiduciary management, procurement, and auditing (Details are noted in Annex 3). In addition, it will fund the day-to-day costs of operation and systems needed including accounting systems, FM audits, capacity building workshops, and field visits. As such, the Project is expected to finance the ESP Secretariat, namely (i) ESP coordinator, (ii) Finance Officer, (iii) M&E Officer, as well as the procurement specialist (consultant) and project assistants. Update 2015: COMPONENT 4 – Support the implementation of MEST Ebola Strategic Response Plan This component supports the implementation of select activities in the MEST Ebola Response Plan, complementing work supported by partners and the Government. It is based on emergency needs identified by the MEST as a result of the Ebola Crisis. The Ebola Response Plan was endorsed by the local donor group at the end of 2014. 4.1 Emergency Radio and Television Program ($.5 million) In an attempt to maintain learning for school students, the MEST developed Emergency Radio and Television Education Programs which used radio and television to deliver the curriculum during school closures. Subject areas covered included mathematics, language arts, integrated science, and life skills. The lessons were broadcast over 41 radio stations that are part of the Independent Radio Network (IRN) and the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). The SLBC also broadcasted educational programs via its TV station (SLBC TV). 4.2 Establishing safe and secure learning environment ($1.465 million) MEST and the GoSL want to ensure that schools are safe for students to return, particularly as some schools were used as ‘holding centers’ for suspect cases by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) because of insufficient beds in hospitals and health centers. In that respect, about 9,000 schools, with a special focus on those used as ‘Ebola Holding Centres’ will be cleaned using the MoHS protocol developed with the National Ebola Response Centre 5 (NERC) following guidelines of the World Health Organization (see Appendix 8). The project is financing the cleanup of 66 percent of the schools, while UNICEF and others are covering what’s remaining. The recommendation is that each school, irrespective of enrolment, receives a minimum of 4 wash and hygiene kits. Schools with enrolment above 50 would receive an additional kit for every additional 50 students/pupils. 4.3 Monitoring of the Emergency Radio Education Program (EREP) and School Reopening ($55,000) Given the importance of monitoring of school reopening as well as the dissemination of progress/reporting to donors and public, the Project will support monitoring schools reopening, with expected outputs such as information on robustness of enrollment, use of prevention protocol, addressing suspected cases, etc. Under this activity the implementation of ESMF will also be monitored. 4.4 Social Mobilization and Public Information ($138,000) As part of the Education Response Task Force consisting of MEST staff, key partners and civil society, a Social Mobilization Working Group (SMWG) was created and has been working on issues related to the reopening of schools in Sierra Leone. It prepares and communicates; (1) all key messages relating to the opening of schools for pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community; (2) all key messages around activities of what precautions are being taken to keep all children safe at school; (3) in conjunction with the Protocols Implementation Working Group, all new rules that will need to be adhered to when teachers and children return to call; (4) all sensitization of key political, social and community groups. A. Limitations of study Consultations were carried out and relevant information will be disseminated throughout the execution of the project which will keep to the tenets of a proper Public Consultation and Disclosure Process (PCDP) for an ESMF. Update 2015 Due to the emergency situation in the country and the need to quickly move forward with activities, consultations were not carried out specifically for the ESMF update. However, the Project ensured that all activities supported were in line with the Guidance Note and Protocols: Sierra Leone Operating Safe and Protective Learning Environments in Ebola Outbreak Contexts (see Appendix 8) which had been developed by the Government of Sierra Leone, supported by UNICEF and other partners, and per guidelines provided by the World Health Organization. 6 3 SCOPE AND TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE ESMF Preparation of the ESMF The ESMF has considered the following: a. The types of investment to be financed by REDiSL, by examining the potential environmental and social impacts, both individual and cumulative, for each type of sub-component. The study has consulted information available from the existing project documents, investigated similar sub-components already operating in the project areas and results from any pilot operations. The study has describe the principal problems and environmental and social impacts which may result from investments and suggested appropriate mitigation measures; b. Upgrading and proposing streamlined procedures for the environmental assessment (EA) and subsequent supervision of sub-component to be integrated into the project implementation manual. The procedures include a format for simple checklist of relevant environmental and social criteria to be taken into account in the evaluation of micro-projects and a process to discuss environmental and social issues with the communities and local authorities throughout the process of micro-project formulation and implementation. The procedures have been designed to ensure that the EA process is seen as assisting the design of micro-projects and not as an obstacle to project implementation; c. Assessing through interviewing key Government counterparts and other stakeholders, the institutional capacity to carry out EA and to manage environmental and social issues of subproject design and implementation; and recommending steps for building capacity and strengthening institutions in order to better manage the environmental and social issues associated with the project activities. Describing the implementation/institutional framework, including the grievance redress mechanism, with the objective of clarifying the roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the ESMF for effective environmental and social management of REDiSL activities. Proposing and cost capacity building including training for the key implementing agencies and other stakeholders. d. Preparing a public disclosure notice and guiding the client in disclosing the ESMF as per the World Bank and Sierra Leone requirements. Consultations The consultant supported government counterparts in organizing stakeholder consultations on the environmental and social aspects of the project. The consultant has presented the preliminary ESMF at a one-day stakeholder consultation/briefing. Any pertinent suggestions and recommendations made during this consultation has been considered in the final report and summarized in an annex to the ESMF which includes: (i) A summary of items discussed including a list of issues raised by stakeholders (ii) A description of the way the issues raised have been addressed by the project and in the ESMF (iii) A list of attendees Update 2015 7 (iv) Due to the emergency situation in the country and the need to quickly move forward with activities, consultations were carried out with institutional stakeholders prior to the adoption of the Guidance Note and Protocols: Sierra Leone Operating Safe and Protective Learning Environments in Ebola Outbreak Contexts (see Appendix 8) which had been developed by the Government of Sierra Leone, supported by UNICEF and other partners, and per guidelines provided by the World Health Organization. The Guidance Note and Protocols was also shared with Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone for feedback. (v) A comprehensive national medical waste management plan has been developed, which addresses the requirements for handling medical waste from the treatment of the EVD. This ESMF therefore focuses on the other aspects of the project which have environmental impacts. 4 METHODOLOGY This exercise consisted of a combination of desk review of available data, consultative meetings and preparation of the ESMF. A. Consultative Meetings Consultative meetings were held to solicit stakeholders’ perception of the project and sub- components and their environmental and social ramifications. Consultative meetings were organized with the EPASL to assess their capacity and track record in implementing and independently monitoring environmental and social impacts and compliance. B. Preparation of ESMF The consultant has reviewed all relevant documents, and consulted national and World Bank guidelines and IFC performance standards and local legislations, regulations and policies in formulating the plan. The draft plan was submitted to the Ministry of Education for reviews and comments. C. Deliverables Outputs of this undertaking are as follows:  Environmental and Social Management Framework  General Environmental and Social Management Framework  E&S Monitoring Framework  Suggestion Public consultations process and grievance redress mechanism 8 5 OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT AREA: THE SIERRA LEONE ENVIRONMENT A. Administrative and Political structure Administratively, Sierra Leone is divided into four region, split into 14 districts which are in turn split into 19 Local Councils. These Local Councils are elected locally and oversee 149 chiefdoms. The structure starting from the bottom to the top is village, chiefdom, Local Council/district, province and country. B. Government and Administration Freetown is the capital city where most of the Government Ministries are located. District councils were established in the year 2000, with the appointment of management committees. The Government is committed to decentralization. The elected councils constitute representative bodies with delegated powers and funds for local governance. Councils are operating and the government is slowly devolving power and functions of various Ministries to these bodies. The responsibility for provincial administrative matters is within the purview of The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, which is responsible for Provincial Administration. The Minister is assisted in his duty by a Resident Minister in each of the three provinces whose offices are in the respective provincial headquarter towns. The Resident Ministers are assisted by Provincial Secretaries at provincial level. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in consultation with the respective Paramount Chiefs, appoints local court chairmen in the 149 chiefdoms in the country. The local court houses are known as court barries, of which there are 287 throughout the country. The Native Administration utilizes the services of the Chiefdom Police and “lock ups� for law enforcement purposes. The Local and or Town Council is the highest political authority in the locality, with legislative and executive powers, and responsible for promoting the development of the locality and the welfare of the people in the locality with the resources at its disposal (The Local Government Act 2004). The Local Council is responsible among other things, for:  The mobilization of human and material resources necessary for overall development and welfare of the people of the locality;  Promoting and supporting productive activity and social development;  Initiating and maintaining programs for the development of basic infrastructure and providing works and services;  Initiating, drawing up and executing development plans for the locality;  Overseeing Chiefdom Councils in the performance of functions delegated to them by the local councils; 9  Determining the rates of local taxes, approving the annual budgets of Chiefdom Councils and overseeing the implementation of such a budget; and  The local council is also responsible for the formation of committees. The Council has a major stake in all development programs and collection of licenses and taxes within their localities. Before the legislation of the Local Government Act 2004, chiefdom administration was centralized mainly in the District Offices. But since its legislation, the Local Government Act 2004 splits the administration of the eleven chiefdoms in the Port Loko District between the Port Loko District Council (that oversees and supervises the chiefdom budgets) and the Provincial Secretary’s Office (that oversees and supervises chieftaincy elections and land disputes). The Port Loko District Council is one of the nineteen local councils established by the Local Government Act (LGA) of 2004 to be “the highest political authority in the locality� with “Legislative and executive powers,� and with powers to “generally promote the development of the locality and the welfare of the people in the locality with the resources at its disposal and with the resources and capacity as it can mobilize from the central government and its agencies, national and international organizations, and the private sector.� Social, Political and Economic Aspects The long term perspective studies (NPTLS) for Sierra Leone which culminated in the Sierra Leone vision 2025 has a critical look at the past and current performance on peace and development, and evaluates the economic, social, political, technological and environmental situation of the country. The Agenda For Prosperity (2012-2017): Pillar 6 – Social Protection The Government of Sierra Leone commissioned the Agenda for Prosperity in 2013. Pillar #6 “Accelerating Human Development� seeks to develop human capital, to empower people to reduce poverty, and to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals following significant strides 2008-12. Strategies will accelerate human development, through improving education quality and access, providing extensive health services, controlling HIV/AIDS, providing safe water and improved sanitation, population policy including reducing migration to the cities and slowing fertility, and mainstreaming gender parity. Pillar 6 refers to Social Protection but also includes education as one of the facets. Inequity based on gender, age, location, education and income impacts livelihoods. Malnutrition is widespread; while female barriers to education include high teenage pregnancy and early marriage. A. Marco-Economic Environment The country’s small open economy is predominantly agricultural, and sustain about two- thirds the population at a bare subsistence level. Agriculture accounts for 47.5 percent GDP, but in terms of export earnings the mining sector is more significant than agriculture. Diamond remain the chief export earner, with significant reserves of other minerals such as gold, rutile, bauxite, chromite and iron ore, as well as a potential of only about 20% of GDP due to improper policies for the exploitation and utilization of the resources in the sector. 10 More particularly the trade in diamonds as the principal mineral resource exposed to smuggling and other related illegal activities. The agricultural and mining sectors co-exist with small modern sector that provide services accounting for about 25.2 percent. Sierra Leone attain independence in 1961 with the immediate post independent era showing encouraging signs of steady economic growth of around 4 percent a year during the first decade. The fiscal and foreign exchange position was healthy and manageable single-digit inflation rate. The prospect for sustained growth were doomed by the decade of the 1970s, mainly as a result of the first external oil price shock during that period. During the half of the 1970s GDP, growth averaged around 3 percent per annum, and by the period 1975 – 1980 it slowed down around an average of 1 percent a year, mainly due to falling earnings from the mining sector. In the wake of the second oil shock, rising import costs compounded the expansionary budgetary policies, with government expenditures exceeding 30 percent of GDP. This trend resulted in worsening fiscal and current account deficits towards the end of decade. The consequences of inadequate development efforts, ill-conceived economic policies, and generally the oil price shocks of the 1970s all counted for the speedy deterioration of the economic structure. Sierra Leone’s economy suffered a major stagnation in the decade leading to the civil war and thereafter. Over two-thirds of the population lives in the rural areas with subsistence farming as their main activity. A large number of people live below the poverty line. The economy is largely dependent on the extraction of mineral (such as diamond, rutile, bauxite and gold) and subsistence agricultural practices. Industrial development is still in the formative period, with import substitution comprising the major industrial activity (Richards 1988). Development in the country has stagnated for too long, with Sierra Leone being frequently ranked as the least underdeveloped country. Agriculture Sierra Leone is an agricultural country. Agriculture is the largest sector in the economy, providing employment for over 60% of the labour force, and contributing about 35 to 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), (GOSL, 1994). The area under cultivation is estimated as 409,674 ha. Most of the agriculture is carried out in the uplands largely slash-and-burn, with rice cultivation making up the bulk of the subsistence activity. Rice, the staple food, is grown by more than 80% of the farmers. Rice is gown for over 300,000 to 400,000 ha of land with an annual production of 450,000 to 550,000 mt annually. Rice alone account for as much as 85% of the agriculture sector’s contribution to GDP. Apart from the upland rice is produced in 4 other distinct ecologies - inland valley swamps (IVS), mangrove, riverine grassland and bolilands. Upland rice is usually intercropped with up to 16annual crops. Cash crops such as oil palm, cocoa, and coffee are still exported in a small scale compared to countries like Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, which have huge plantations and a large share of the world market. Livestock production is largely free range. They include cattle, goat, sheep and pigs. In 1984 the estimate of ruminants was 33,200 heads of cattle, 264,000 sheep and 145,000 goats. There are an unspecified number of pigs and rabbits. The birds (poultry) include chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, and pigeons. The latter are mostly kept as pets. Mining The mining sector, though smaller than the Agricultural sector, account for over 90% of the country’s export earning, though its contribution to the GDP has currently stated down. Construction, Manufacturing, Industry, Commerce and Other services are other sectors of the economy 11 Forestry The contribution of the forestry sector to national development in Sierra Leone is both quantifiable as in the case of timber products and non-quantifiable as in the case of erosion control. However its contribution, especially the energy sector, infrastructures development, biological research, food security, employment and welfare services etc. is significant but is generally underestimated. The quantity of firewood, local building materials and even timber that is utilized by rural communities is yet to be quantified. If this is done the estimated 6-7% contribution of the forestry sector to the GDP will increase. Most dwelling houses in villages utilize bush pole, canes, etc. in the construction of mud and wattle buildings. Of the total annual roundwood removals in the country, 95 percent by volume of the harvest is for firewood; 3 percent for poles and 2 percent for sawn timber (FAO, 199). Assuming that 80 percent of the 4.5 million people in Sierra Leone resident in the rural areas use firewood for cooking at a per capita annual consumption of 1.63m3, then about 4,8 million m3 of firewood has not been properly accounted for in the consumption of forestry’s contribution to the GDP. Sierra Leone timber provides the bulk of construction timber for local construction industries. There is presently a proliferation of timber stores in the city and the provincial and districts headquarters. The impact of local timber on the construction and carpentry industries could best be valued in terms of foreign exchanged saved due to the availability of the commodity locally. The roundwood requirements for the production of timber, poles and firewood is about 4 million m3 and is rising and about 95 percent of which is utilized as fuelwood (FAO, 1982). The estimated annual round wood consumption is 2.91 million m3, 2.75million m3 of which is consumed as fuelwood, 0.17 million m3 as poles and 0.04 million m3 as sawlogs. Fuelwood demand is expected to increase at a rate of 1.8 – 2.0 percent per annum. Fisheries Fishing both marine and inland is an important economic activity in Sierra Leone. It is the principal source of livelihood for a large proportion of the population of the coastal villages. Fish and other seafood are important sources of protein for the people. Fisheries contribute about 20% to the GDP. However industrial fisheries are primarily in the private sector. Fishery development activities are concentrated on the artisanal fishermen by assisting them to improve their techniques of production and processing (such as smoking and curing of fish) and by improvement of the infrastructures of credit, storage, transport and marketing, have been undertaken in the post independence period (GOSL, 1985). The Fisheries Division lacks the capability for effective patrolling of fishing in Sierra Leone territorial waters. Tourism Sierra Leone has exceptional advantages for development of tourism – a dry season of 5 to 6 months, excellent beaches, a superb landscape of villages and hills along the coast and a hinterland with a great variety of landscapes and vibrant culture. The Tourism industry is still in its infancy. The ten years civil conflict has exacerbated the slow growth and development of the sector. Most of the limited infrastructures of the tourism industry were destroyed. Before the war, in 1987/88, the number of charter tourists coming to Sierra Leone, mainly from UK and France, seemed to have reached a plateau of about 20,000 per year since 1978/79. Major increases in numbers will require large investments, public and private, in hotels, physical infrastructures and various tourism related services. Already in place is the establishment of a hotel and tourism training school to address the need for trained 12 manpower. The construction of the Freetown-Masiaka Road and the Peninsula Road which is under construction will improve access to the most scenic beaches in the Western Area and will also simulate construction of hotels along the beaches. Land Tenure Two basic types of land tenure system exist in Sierra Leone, that in the Western Area (former colony) and that in the provinces. In the Western area, land which is not state land can legally be bought or sold. The Paramount Chief is the chief custodian of the chiefdom lands. There is a general notion that land is communal. In fact, it is neither wholly commercial nor individualistic. Preferably, it can be said that the rights of individual exist within the context of, and side by side, with group with the same and tenure system. Land throughout the provinces is regarded as the property of well-defined and discrete social groups such as the families and/or the entire community which might consist of several families, clans or lineages. Therefore, the individual does not possess absolute title to land. Rather his right in land is derived from the fact that he is a member of a given family, clan or lineage. Each head of family that owns land retains the right to determine who, within or outside of the family, uses any tract of land for agricultural purposes for a given period of time as long as it is not sold. He is, however, prohibited from disposing of land of the group either by sale or mortgage. Population Sierra Leone has had three population censuses since independence in 1961. The first census was in 1963 and it showed that there are 2,118,355 persons in the country. The 1974 census put the population at 2,735,159 and the 1985 census indicated that there were 3.5 million people in Sierra Leone. There are about 4.5 million people in the country. Population figures generally show that there are more women than men in the world. In Sierra Leone there are about 98 males to every 100 females countrywide. In terms of the age structure about 41 percent of the population are under 15 years of age 53 percent between 15 and 59 years and over. The population is not evenly spread across the country. About 68 percent of the population lived in the rural areas and over 80 per cent live close to the forest or forest regrowth and depend on it for their livelihood. The national average population density increased from 38 persons per km3 in 1974 to 49 per km3 in 1985 and in 1992 it increased to about 58. It was projected to increase to 80 per km3 by the year 2000, if the population increased continued at the observed trend. The national average density varies considerably among the districts, chiefdoms and towns. Generally these regions which have important economic activities tend to have larger (dense) populations. According to ESCG (1988) areas with high population of above 80 persons per km3 are mostly those which contain diamond mines or are mainly engaged in rice cultivation and other economic activities. These regions include Kono, Kenema and Bo (diamond, trading, etc) and Freetown (capital city and main industrial town). Areas with medium density (between 50 – 80 persons per km3) are mainly found in the arable alluvial soils and are centers for rice, coffee and cocoa production. Areas with low density (below 30 persons per km3, are mainly in the north, the southern coastal areas and the east. Those areas like Pujehun, Bonthe and Koinadugu districts have fewer arable lands, no economic minerals and generally have a high, closed forest cover. 13 Education and Literacy Sierra Leone had a strong educational base, dating as far back as the colonial era. The first University College in Africa, South of the Sahara was located in the country. As a center of excellence in manpower development in the entire sub-region, it earned the enviable accolade of the “Athens of West Africa�. Three decades of misgovernance and gradual neglect during the post-independence period led to the deterioration of the educational system. Today, the country has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, averaging around 32%. At independence literacy rate was 8% and at 1985 it rose to 16%. Independence budgetary support to the social sector, including education (about 1.7% of GDP), fueled by the decade of rebel crisis seriously hampered the provision of quality educational services. The rebel caused destruction to educational infrastructure and disrupting the educational system for a large number of school going children. School dropout rates both at the primary and secondary levels are also estimated to be high. There has, however been an increase in the number of school-going children as a result of increasing population growth, and free basic education (Class I to JSS III). A new system of education has been introduced, and requires pupils to spend 6,3,3, and 4 years respectively, in primary, junior (JSS), senior (SSS) secondary school and tertiary. The thrust of this new system is on vocational and middle manpower training, catering for early school leavers, weak students and drop outs. Update 2015 The education sector has not been spared the impact of Ebola, being as adversely affected by the outbreak as the macroeconomic environment. Schools, scheduled to begin in the 2014-15 academic year in September, did not open and remained closed till April 14th, 2015. The abrupt disruption to formal education for about 1.8 million children (and their teachers) was a detriment to the country's already fragile human capital. The prolonged closure put many at risk of dropout, affected an increase in teenage pregnancy rates1, higher rates of child labor, and violence against young women and girls. Employment and Poverty No reliable statistics are available on employment and underemployment, but it is estimated that between 50-60% of the labour force is without access to productive employment. The lack of employment opportunities prevents a large segment of the population, particularly among the youth and women who constitute about 70%, from actively participating in the growth process and benefiting from it. In 1990 an annual growth rate of 2.6% in the labour was envisaged, with an estimate 50,000 jobs that needed to be created per annum. However, Government policy of retrenchment and freezing employment in the early 1990s, in the public service during the initial phases of the structural adjustment program me, forestalled the creation of new jobs. This policy, together with the disruption of productive activities in mining, manufacturing business and commerce during the war resulted in large-scale unemployment and underemployment. Most of the able-bodied youths turned to the natural 1 Two sources point to the increase in teenage pregnancy rates: 1) the antenatal survey conducted by the primary health unit in Freetown; 2) a sample survey carried out by MEST identified 1000 pregnant women. UNFPA is also currently undertaking a mapping. 14 resources for survival. The high level of unemployment and underemployment, declining real incomes and the civil conflicts, among others, all accounted for the pervasive poverty in the country. For the past years Sierra Leone has consistently been ranked the poorest and least developed country in the world according to the UNDP Human Development Index. Biodiversity Sierra Leone is rich in both plant and animal life, as well as with diverse natural ecosystems. Human impacts on the natural ecosystem and its resources have been severe. Once dominated by forests, the country now has less than 5% of mature forest remaining. Logging mineral exploitation and slash-and-burn agriculture have all taken a toll on the country’s rich biological life (biodiversity). With nearly 28 categories of protected areas in representative ecosystems, the era coverage is still less than 4% of the land era, with nearly all of these protected areas suffering from inadequate protection due to lack of manpower, technical support and financial resources. Sierra Leone has also gone through a costly civil unrest, with severe impact on its human life and biodiversity (Lebbie 1998, Garnette and Utas 2000). 15 6 LEGISLATION AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK It is imperative that the planned sub-components are in concert with the legal and regulatory framework of Sierra Leone. The existing laws and regulations that pertain to environmental conservation could restrict specific projects or sub-components or the method of implementation. On the other hand, they may also create opportunities for an improved environmental management within the context of the sub-component. This section covers the potentially policies, laws and regulations applicable to the REDiSL sub-component context. It is important that the ESMF remain adaptive to evolving legislative framework, by incorporating mechanisms for regular monitoring and revision of project components and sub-components. A mechanism to achieve such environmental monitoring is included in this ESMF. The following laws, regulations and policies have been reviewed in this chapter for their applicability to the project/sub-components: List of regulations, legislation and policies Policy Regulation Law Plan, Protocol, and Convention National Forestry Environment National Biodiversity Environmental regulations, 1990 Protection Agency Strategy and Action Policy, 1994 Act, 2008 Plan, 2003 National Lands Fisheries Forestry Act, 1988 Guidance Note and Policy regulations, 1988, Protocols: Sierra Leone 1990, 1994, and Operating Safe and 2007 Protective Learning Environments in Ebola Outbreak Contexts, 2015 Forestry and Wildlife Fisheries Act, 1988, Integrated National Wildlife Sector regulation, 1997 2007 Waste Management Policy (draft), Strategic Plan, 2011 2003 Integrated Factories Act, 1974 United Nations National Waste Convention on Management Biological Diversity, Policy, 2011 1994 Wildlife Convention on Wetlands Conservation Act, of International 1972 Importance, 1999 Local Government Act, 2004 1) National Environmental Policy, 1994 This National Environmental Policy seeks to achieve sustainable development in Sierra Leone through the implementation of sound environmental management systems which will encourage productivity and harmony between man and his environment. It also promotes efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of nationals, and serves to enrich the understanding of ecological systems and natural resources important to the Nation. Thus the key objective of 16 the policy is to secure for all Sierra Leoneans a quality environment that can adequately provide for their health and well-being. The policy indicates intersectoral synergies in major areas for policy formulation. It takes into consideration major sector goals and policies for enhancing sustainability in environmental management systems. The following sectoral policies are highlighted within the National Environmental Policy:  Land Tenure, Land Use and Soil Conservation  Water Resources Management  Forestry and Wildlife  Biodiversity and Cultural Heritage  Air Quality and Noise  Sanitation and Waste Management  Toxic and Hazardous Substances  Mining and Mineral Resources  Coastal and Marine Resources  Working Environment (Occupational Health and Safety)  Energy Production and Use  Settlements, Recreational Space and Greenbelts  Public Participation  Quality of Life  Gender Issues and the Environment  Institutional and Government Arrangements  Legal Arrangement Subsequent to this policy is the Environmental Protection Act of 2008 Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This policy could only affect one of the sub-components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. The nature of the project area of choice would determine the extent to which this policy is applicable. 2) National Lands Policy The Land Policy of Sierra Leone aims at the judicious use of the nation’s land and all its natural resources by all sections of the Sierra Leone society in support of various socio- economic activities undertaken in accordance with sustainable resource management principles and in maintaining viable ecosystems. In specific terms, the objectives of this policy are to:-  Ensure that every socio-economic activity is consistent with sound land use practices through sustainable land use planning in the long-term national interest;  Facilitate equitable access to and security of tenure based on available registered land;  Ensure the payment, within reasonable time of fair and adequate compensation for land acquired by government;  Provide laws that will protect citizen’s right to land against Government; and 17  Instill order and discipline into the land market to curb the incidence of land encroachment, unauthorized development schemes, multiple or illegal land sales, falsification and multiple registration of land documents, land speculation and other forms of land racketeering. For the purpose of sustainability of land use, it is stipulated in the following subsections of section 4.4 that:  Land categories outside Sierra Leone’s permanent forest and wildlife estates are available for such uses as agriculture, timber, mining and other extractive industries, and human settlement within the context of a national land use plan;  Inland and coastal wetlands are environmental conservation areas and the following uses considered incompatible with their ecosystem maintenance and natural productivity are strictly prohibited;  All land and water resources development activities must conform to the environmental laws in the country and where Environmental Impact Assessment report is required this must be provided. Environmental protection within the ‘polluter pays’ principle will be enforced’; and  Provided that payment of adequate compensation in reasonable time will be made, government may acquire land wherever and whenever appropriate to, among other things:  Secure and control areas of urban expansion;  Facilitate urban renewal and redevelopment programmes;  Implement any rural or urban improvement programme;  Provide social infrastructure;  Supply promptly serviced or un-serviced lands at prices, which can secure socially and economically acceptable patterns of economic development;  Provide for the purpose of national defense, national security, national health and conflict-resolution, and;  Protect areas of historical, cultural or ecological interest. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This policy could only affect one of the sub-components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. The specific subproject of interest is the construction aspect, as this could require development in previously untouched areas or acquisition of land. 3) National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, 2003 The action plan proposed in the Sierra Leone Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan comprises a series of measures and mechanisms intended to conserve and promote the sustainable use of the different components of the country’s biodiversity. The action proposed cover several key thematic areas under: terrestrial biodiversity, inland water ecosystems, forest biodiversity, marine and coastal biodiversity and agricultural biodiversity. In addition, actions are also proposed for key cross cutting issues affecting the sustainable utilization of biodiversity, including: policy, legislation and institutional review, capacity building, identification and monitoring, sustainable use, incentive measures, research and 18 training, public education and awareness, regulation of access to genetic resources, protection of indigenous knowledge and intellectual property rights of local communities, technology transfer and handling of biotechnology and exchange of information and technical cooperation. The actions proposed in this plan are diverse. The time frame that will ensure the maintenance of biodiversity is estimated to be between 5-10 years if the measures proposed are undertaken. Some of the actions proposed will either serve to protect, restore or lead to the sustainable utilization of biodiversity. Other actions will focus on assessments and research, the provision of policy and institutional framework, etc. Below, each major theme and cross cutting sub-components are summarized, including actors and lead agencies needed for implementation, financial cost and timeframe needed for successful implementation. This Action Plan is intended to:  Provide a framework for setting priority policies and actions for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in Sierra Leone;  Catalyze and provide guidance for legal policy and institutional reforms necessary to achieve effective conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity;  Enhance the planning and co-ordination of national efforts aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity;  Guide the investment and capacity building programmes for the conservation and sustainable use of bio-diversity; and  Facilitate information sharing and co-ordinated action among the various stakeholders at the national level and foster scientific and technical cooperation with other countries and international organisation. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This action plan could only affect one of the sub-components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. The nature of the project area of choice would determine the extent to which this plan is applicable. 4) Wildlife Sector Policy The Draft Forestry and Wildlife Sector Policy for Sierra Leone, 2003 This draft policy document is still under review and awaiting parliament approval. The goal of the document is to support the development and exploitation of forests and wildlife of Sierra Leone in a sustainable manner for the material, cultural and aesthetic benefit of the people of Sierra Leone in particular and mankind in general. The main general forestry policy objectives of Government are to:  Promote best practices in forest management so as to develop an environmentally- friendly, self-sustaining forestry sector that is sensitive and responsive to the economic, social and cultural needs of those who live in the forest; 19  Foster enabling environments for supervised production of sustainable volumes and quality of forest products that will create national wealth and contribute to food security, and;  To encourage the private sector to create employment opportunities for local populations thereby reducing rural poverty. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This policy could only affect one of the sub-components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. The specific subproject of interest is the construction aspect, as this could require development in previously untouched areas or acquisition of land. 5) Land Tenure and Ownership Land administration in Sierra Leone is governed by a dual system of law, dispersed in about twenty statutes and regulations.  In the Western Area of Sierra Leone, land tenure is governed by Property Statutes. Land is either State (publicly) owned or privately owned. The right of the state to public land is inalienable and indefeasible. Rights of occupation over public land may be granted under warrant. The state has the power, conferred by the Unoccupied Lands Act, Cap 117, to take possession of unoccupied land.  In the provinces, customary Law co-exists with statute. The recognition of the force of customary law in the provinces is established by section 76 (1) of the Courts Act 1965.  Through customary law, ownership of land is vested in the chiefdoms and communities; and can never be owned freehold. Land always belongs to the communities under the different forms of tenure under customary law. This principle is established by the Chiefdom Councils Act as well as by Section 28 (d) of the Local Government Act 1994. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This policy could only affect one of the sub-components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. The specific subproject of interest is the construction aspect, as this could require development in previously untouched areas or acquisition of land. Legislations governing environment issues are found as Acts enacted in parliament. The legislations of the various government line ministries or institutions includes: 6) Environmental Protection Agency Act, 2008 The EPAA, 2008 is the government of Sierra Leone’s overarching legislation that deals with the protection of the environment. The Environment Protection Agency was established with a Board of Directors set up as its governing body. This Board consists of a Chairman and 20 representatives from the various line Ministries and a Unit as stated in section 3 of part II of the Act. Subject to this Act, the control and supervision of the Agency is the responsibility of the Board, which acts in liaison and co-operation with other government agencies. The general administrative functions of the Board as stipulated by the EPAA, 2008 include the following:  Promoting effective planning and the management of the environment;  Coordinating and monitoring the implementation of national environmental policies relating to Sierra Leone;  Providing policy guidance and advice to ensure the efficient implementation of the functions of the Agency so as to enhance its overall performance;  Facilitating cooperation and collaboration among Government Ministries, local authorities and other governmental agencies, in all areas relating to environmental protection; and  Coordinating environmentally related activities as well as serving as the focal point of national and international environmental matters, relating to Sierra Leone. Part IV of the EPAA, 2008 exclusively deals with the activities and requirements of an EIA. This part of the Act emphasizes the processes and procedures leading to the acquisition of an environmental licence with respect to the conduct of fully acceptable EIA studies. It further stipulates the duties and obligations of both the environmental licenses’ holder and the Board of Directors in the event that an environmental license is granted. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Act could potentially affect more than one of the sub-components, but the subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected is the most prominent amongst these, as it could have significant implications for the biophysical environment. The cleaning of schools previously used for Ebola treatment centers under sub-component 4.2 was handled by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and followed WHO guidelines, which were the same ones used for treatment of all Ebola treatment centers. 7) Forestry Act, 1998 This Act came into operation on 1st July, 1988 and the Chief Conservator of Forest, with the directives of the Minister, is responsible for the implementation of its regulations. He therefore has the role of preserving the forest environment, promoting the practice of forestry in all use of forestland, to ensure sustainability of forest products, and the protection of the soil and water resources that constitute the environment. 21 Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Act could potentially affect only one of the sub-components, the subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. Construction is the more likely aspect as it could imply developments in areas previously covered by vegetation. 8) The Fisheries Act The major drawback of the 1988 Fisheries Act however, was that it had very little or no specific conservation provisions. The Fisheries Act of 2007 provides protection for both fresh and marine species as classified by IUCN with the Sierra Leone water. It defines clearly where commercial vessels could harvest-Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and where artisanal fisheries operations could exploit – Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ). Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Act could potentially affect only one of the sub-components, the subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. Wash out of construction materials into rivers and streams and its implication for aquatic life 9) The Factories Act – 1974 This Act became effective on the 30th May, 1974. It basically deals with health and safety measures as they concern the factory worker. It protects the worker through demands for all aspects of cleanliness, reports of all injuries, accidents, diseases and death. A Factories Appeal Board is in operation and has the duty of hearing and determining any appeal submitted by factory owners, thus giving right where it is due. Going by the interpretation of the word factory, as stipulated in this Act, mining companies are factory based companies, and are therefore covered by any legislation pertaining to this aspect. The necessary environment conditions of the Act are therefore stated or highlighted below. Powers of Inspectors Section 14 of part IV of this Act states that an inspector shall, in executing this Act, have the power to do the following:  To enter, inspect and examine a factory and its environs at any time, as long as he has reasonable cause to believe that explosives or any highly inflammable materials are stored or used;  To take with him during an inspection, a police officer, if he has reasonable cause to expect any serious obstruction during the execution of his duty;  To require the production of all documents and to examine and copy them in pursuance of this Act;  To make necessary inquires and examinations to ascertain whether the provisions of the Act are complied with; and  To prohibit the use of any machinery, if he is reasonably of the opinion after examination, that it is not in good and safe condition. 22 If anyone willfully delays or obstructs the Inspector in the exercise of any of his duties under this Act, then such a person shall be guilty of an offence and be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty Leones or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or both. The occupier of the factory shall also be guilty of such an offence and be liable to punishment in like manner, even though he has not personally caused the obstruction. As stated in section 16, the Minister may make rules for the effective implementation of this Act and such rules may provide:  For the safety of persons employed in such trades and occupations as may be declared to be dangerous trades;  For imposing obligations for the better safeguarding of persons against accidents from dangerous parts of any machinery;  For the construction and maintenance of fencing to the dangerous parts of any machinery;  For the proper maintenance and safe-working of raising and lowering machinery;  For prescribing the duties of inspectors appointed for the purpose of this Act;  For prescribing the qualifications to be possessed by engineers and other persons, for them to be placed in charge of, or entrusted with the care or management of any specified machinery;  For the reporting of any occurrences at any works arising from, or in connection with, the use, maintenance or repair of any machinery;  For the appointment of persons to hold enquiries under this Act, and prescribing powers and duties of such persons; and  For the fixing of penalties not exceeding a fine of one hundred Leones or imprisonment for a term of six months or both such fine and imprisonment, for the contravention of any rule. Safety, Security and Welfare of Employees Part V of this Act, deals with the aspect of health and stipulates that every factory shall be kept in a clean state and free from effluent arising from any drain, sanitary convenience or nuisance. This part of the Act also states that for overall safety of all employees, the factory must not be overcrowded, must be effectively ventilated, and provided with suitable lighting systems. Every care must be taken by the factory holder, to secure the health, safety and welfare of all employees. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Act is the single piece of legislation that covers occupational health and safety. The subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms could have health and safety implications for the workers. Update 2015 The sub-project 4.2 covering the cleanup of schools and procurement of hand-washing stations could have health and safety implications for those carrying out the cleaning as well as education staff and/or students. 23 10) The Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972 The Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972 and the Forestry Act, 1988 are the main legislations that deal with issues of Biodiversity Conservation in Sierra Leone. It provides for the establishment, conservation and management of National Parks, Game Reserves and other forms of Natural Reserves. As in the case of the Forestry Act of 1988, this Act clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of various personnel in administering the Act. It gives the Chief Conservation of Forest the authority to execute the directives of the Minister of Agriculture in establishing a Strict Natural Reserve, a National Park and a Game Reserve. It also stipulates that in the process of establishing a reserve or a national park, the Minister should appoint a Reserve Settlement Officer who will investigate claims and rights issues of affected communities. Specific provisions dealing with the protection, management and conservation of these areas and the limitations therein are highlighted in Part II of the Act and include the following:  Prohibition of all forms of hunting, capture and other activities leading to the injury of wild animals;  Destruction of any plant form by any means including fire;  Fishing within these protected areas;  Erection of structures, construction of dams, forestry, agriculture, mining or prospecting activities; and  Introduction of species from outside of the boundaries of the reserve. The Act however gives Chiefdom Councils the authority, albeit with approval from the Minister, to declare an area a Game Sanctuary or reverse the declaration of a Game Sanctuary. Further modifications to the legalese relating to the hunting of animals are made in the Act, to include any willful disturbance, molestation and intent to kill. Part III puts strict limitations on hunting of species generally (not limited to reserves and parks), and the categories of animals as prescribed in the schedules. They range from those which can be prohibited from any forms of hunting, to those which can be hunted with strict control and to those which can be hunted as pest control measures. The Wildlife Conservation Act of 1972 saw minor amendment in 1990 (known as the Wildlife Conservation Amendment Act), which included redefinition of terms, and other modifications and qualifications. For example, the prohibition of hunting of elephants which was limited to protected areas in the 1972 Act was extended to include all forests. The 1990 Amendment Act provided for change of name from Forestry Department to Forestry Division. Despite the minor amendment the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1972 along with the Forestry Act of 1988 continue to be the main legislature for biodiversity conservation in Sierra Leone. The Wildlife Regulations of 1997 however makes provision for the acquisition of licences or permits for hunting in such designated areas and for other purpose as may be prescribed. 24 Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Act could potentially affect only one of the sub-components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected is the most prominent amongst these, as it could have significant implications for the biophysical environment. 11) Local Government Act, 2004 This Act deals with the establishment and operation of local councils around the country to enable meaningful decentralization and devolution of Government functions. It stipulates that a local council shall be the highest political authority in the locality and shall have legislative and executive powers to be exercised in accordance with this Act or any other enactment. It shall be responsible, generally for promoting the development of the locality and the welfare of the people in the locality with the resources at its disposal and with such resources and capacity as it can mobilize from the central government and its agencies, national and international organisations, and the private sector. The local council should initiate and maintain programmes for the development of basic infrastructure and provide works and services in the locality. A local council shall cause to be prepared a development plan which shall guide the development of the locality Many companies are bound to operate within areas controlled by one local council or another. There is also a relationship between the local council and the Chiefdom within which a mine operates. It is advisable for mining companies involve local councils in their development work. The schedules to the Local Government Act outline the activities of various MDAs that have been devolved to local councils. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Act could be relevant to all sub-components planned for the provincial areas, with the current move towards devolution of responsibilities to provincial and district authorities. 12) Forestry Regulations These regulations are deemed to have come into force on the 1st July, 1990. The Chief Conservator holds the same responsibilities as he does for the Act of 1988. Generally community forests are managed by the Forestry Division or by agreement with the Division; it could be managed by the local government; or Community Forest Association. Based on this responsibility of the Division, no protected forest shall be tampered with in any way as is stated in section 21, subsection (2) of the Forestry Act - 1988, without written permission from the Chief Conservator of the forest. In section 15 of the Forestry Regulations 1989, subsection (1) it is stated that a license may be issued by an inspector of the Forestry Division authorising the holder of the mining lease, to clear land in a classified forest for the purpose of mining. However, having acquired a license, deforestation of, or vegetation removal from the environment, can only be affected by the mining company under 25 certain conditions. These conditions are found under section 15, subsection 3 and are highlighted below:  Removal of vegetation, can be done for mining operations only within an area licensed for this purpose;  The specified land area, shall be cleared within a stated time, but trees requested not to be felled, removed or damaged, are to be left standing;  Trees to be felled shall be identified, except where total felling is authorised;  A forest severance fee and a minor forest produce fee, shall be paid in respect of all forest produce that is merchantable, which may be removed by clearance of vegetation;  At the completion of mining, the area shall be replanted with approved crops or trees by the mining company, or provision made for this to be done by payment of the estimated reforestation cost; and  Required method of cultivation and silviculture, specified by the chief conservator, must be employed. As a method of environmental protection, it is stated in section 38 of part XI, that no land between the high and low water marks, nor those above the high water mark on both sides of the bank of any waterway, covering a distance of one hundred feet (approx.. 33 m), shall be cleared of any vegetation except permitted by a clearance license. Sacred bushes are protected by the stipulated regulations of section 40, whereby clearance of vegetation from land designated as sacred bush, is prohibited except by clearance authority from the Chief Conservator. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Act could potentially affect only one of the sub-components, the subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. Construction is the more likely aspect as it could imply developments in areas previously covered by vegetation. 13) The Fisheries Regulations National Fisheries Regulations such as the Fisheries Act 1988 and Fisheries Amendment Act 1990 respectively, have evolved over time in order to address specific matters relating to the conservation and management of natural resources within the marine environment. The 1994 Decree further established sufficient provisions for the conservation of Marine Resources. These range from monitoring, control and surveillance provisions, as well as those relating to enforcement. The Maritime Zone (Establishment) Decree of 1996 sets the limits of the sovereignty of Sierra Leone’s maritime for which the government has absolute jurisdiction, in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Such jurisdictions may be extended over the establishment and use of installations and other structures. 26 Section 9 (1&2) of the Decree gives the government sovereign right over the Economic Exclusion Zone. They include rights for the exploitation, exploration, conservation and management of its natural resources. It further stresses the requirement for a written consent to be provided by government for any form of activities to be undertaken within this zone by states, international organizations or persons. Other forms of empowerment as provided by the decree include controls necessary to prevent infringement as well as maintaining sanitary and environmental regulations. The Decree also provides for specific punishments to be meted out for any breach of the regulations. The Fisheries Act of 2007 provides protection for both freshwater and marine species as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources (IUCN) within the Sierra Leone waters. It clearly defines where commercial vessels are to harvest that is the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and where artisanal fishing is to exploit, that is the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ). It also stipulates the gears tolerable in Sierra Leone and even the quality and quantity to be harvested is stated in this Act. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Regulation could potentially affect only one of the sub-components, the subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected. Wash out of construction materials into rivers and streams and its implication for aquatic life 14) The Draft Wildlife Regulation The Wildlife Regulation came in to force in 1997. It describes Wildlife Conservation Estate as areas described under the 1972 Wildlife Conservation Act as a National Park, Game Reserve, Strict Natural Reserve, Game Sanctuary or Non-hunting Forest Reserve. The regulation prohibits all unlicensed hunting with a Wildlife Conservation Estate to include the removal of honey. It prohibits the hunting of young and immature wild animal or bird; female wild animal accompanied by its young; and birds which are apparently breeding. It also prohibits dazzling of birds and animals. The regulations stipulates that a license or permit should be sought before any form of hunting of game and bird can be done as required by Section 33 and 34 of the Act. The regulation also states that such licenses and permits can be revoked by the Chief Conservator of Forest if the holder fails to comply with the provisions of the regulations. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Regulation could potentially affect only one of the sub-components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected is the most prominent amongst these, as it could have significant implications for the biophysical environment. 27 Update 2015 15) Regulations related to schools and Ebola The Guidance Note and Protocols: Sierra Leone Operating Safe and Protective Learning Environments in Ebola Outbreak Contexts was developed by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST), in partnership and consultation with donor partners, the World Health Organization, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2015. The note describes measures to be put in place before school reopening and once schools have reopened, including safe health and hygiene practices and psychological support to reduce stigma; Ebola suspected case referral and handling in schools; communication with families; and training of teachers and education personnel. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Guidance Note affects the activities under component 4, namely sub-components 4.2 involving the cleaning of schools, provision of wash stations, and handling of students with suspected Ebola cases, as well as 4.4 which covers the social mobilization campaign. The Integrated National Waste Management Policy (INWMP) and Integrated National Waste Management Strategic Plan (INWMSP) were developed in 2011 and launched in 2012 to serve as a common strategic framework to achieve sustainable management of healthcare, industrial, and municipal solid waste for the period between 2012 and 2016. They also serve as a guiding reference for the implementation of the “Libreville Declaration on health and environment�. Among other issues, the Declaration emphasizes the implementation of 11 priority interventions which include strengthening the waste management system as a strategy for efficiency and effectiveness in the provision of quality services for improved health outcomes. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: The INWMP and the INWMSP affect the activities under component 4, namely sub-components 4.2 involving the cleaning of schools. 4.1.1 International Conventions Sierra Leone is a signatory to many relevant international conventions, some of which include: 16) United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) This convention, whose main objectives are to preserve biological diversity and rehabilitate all degraded areas, was ratified by Sierra Leone on 12th December, 1994. All signatory States are obliged to affect the prescribed undertakings which include:  Development of national biological diversity strategy plan; 28  Establishment of protected areas;  Prevention, control and eradication of invasive and alien species; and  Provision of educational facilities. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Convention could potentially affect only one of the sub- components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected is the most prominent amongst these, as it could have significant implications for the biophysical environment. 17) Convention on wetlands of international importance (RAMSAR) The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar) was signed by Sierra Leone on December 13, 1999, and went into effect on April 13, 2000. As required by Ramsar, Sierra Leone identified and listed one wetland site for inclusion on the Ramsar wetland list. This non-contiguous wetland is located along the Sierra Leone River Estuary near Freetown. The three areas making up the wetland have a combined area of approximately 295,000 hectares (ha) and include mangrove swamps and upland coastal plains. The mangrove swamp included in this wetland makes up approximately 19% of all the mangrove swamp in Sierra Leone. There are no Ramsar wetland sites near the mining operation, but signatory countries to the Ramsar convention agree to:  Include conservation of wetlands in land use planning throughout the country, including the promotion of “wise use� of wetlands;  Establish nature reserves within wetland areas;  Promote training in the fields of research, management, and gardening; and  Consult with other signatory countries about implementation of the convention especially in areas of shared wetlands, shared water systems, and shared species. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This Convention could potentially affect only one of the sub- components, subproject 1.2 involving the construction or rehabilitation of 50 classrooms in locations throughout Sierra Leone yet to be selected is the most prominent amongst these, as washout from construction materials could end up in aquatic and marine ecosystems. This would have grave significance if developments are taking place close to the Sierra Leone River Estuary, which is the only designated RAMSAR site in Sierra Leone 18) Other International Conventions to which Sierra Leone is a signatory 1. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change 2. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 3. Abidjan Convention for the cooperation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region. 29 7 OPERATIONAL POLICIES AND GUIDELINES OF THE WORLD BANK Operational Policy Category OP 4.01 Environmental Assessment OP 4.36 Forestry OP 4.04, Natural Habitats OP 4.09 Pest Management OP 4.37 Safety of Dams OD 4.12 Involuntary Resettlement OP 4.11 Cultural Property OP 4.10 Indigenous Peoples 1) OP 4.01 Environmental Assessment The Bank requires environmental assessment (EA) of projects proposed for Bank financing to ensure that they are environmentally sound and sustainable, in order to incorporate environmental sustainability into decision making. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This ESMF entails an assessment of all the sub-components of the REDiSL Update 2015 This ESMF entails an assessment of the proposed additional activities under Component 4 2) OP 4.36 Forests In forest areas of high ecological value, the Bank finances only preservation and light, non- extractive use of forest resources. In areas where retaining the natural forest cover and the associated soil, water, biological diversity, and carbon sequestration values is the object, the Bank may finance controlled sustained-yield forest management. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This ESMF list environmental impacts and mitigation measures relating to the loss of vegetation should one of the sub-components, construction of new classrooms require removal of vegetation 30 3) OP 4.04 Natural Habitats Wherever feasible, Bank-financed projects are sited on lands already converted. The Bank does not support projects involving the significant conversion of natural habitats unless there are no feasible alternatives for the project and its siting, and comprehensive analysis demonstrates that overall benefits from the project substantially outweigh the environmental costs. If the environmental assessment indicates that a project would significantly convert or degrade natural habitats, the project includes mitigation measures acceptable to the Bank. Such mitigation measures include, as appropriate, minimizing habitat loss and establishing and maintaining an ecologically similar protected area. The Bank accepts other forms of mitigation measures only when they are technically justified. In deciding whether to support a project with potential adverse impacts on a natural habitat, the Bank takes into account the borrower's ability to implement the appropriate conservation and mitigation measures. If there are potential institutional capacity problems, the project includes components that develop the capacity of national and local institutions for effective environmental planning and management. The mitigation measures specified for the project may be used to enhance the practical field capacity of national and local institutions. In projects with natural habitat components, project preparation, appraisal, and supervision arrangement include appropriate environmental expertise to ensure adequate design and implementation of mitigation measures. Natural habitats are land and water areas where (i) the ecosystems' biological communities are formed largely by native plant and animal species, and (ii) human activity has not essentially modified the area's primary ecological functions. Critical natural habitats include existing protected areas and areas officially proposed by governments as protected areas and those recognized as protected by traditional local communities (e.g., sacred groves). Implications for the REDiSL sub-component context Wildlife sanctuaries and national parks constitute critical natural habitats. The ESMF addresses this in the context of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: This ESMF list environmental impacts and mitigation measures relating to the degradation of natural habitats should one of the sub-components, construction of new classrooms results in the contamination of natural ecosystems 4) OP 4.09 Pest Management In Bank-financed agriculture operations, pest populations are normally controlled through IPM approaches, such as biological control, cultural practices, and the development and use of crop varieties that are resistant or tolerant to the pest. The Bank may finance the purchase of pesticides when their use is justified under an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. In Bank-financed public health projects, the Bank supports controlling pests primarily through environmental methods. Where environmental methods alone are not effective, the Bank may finance the use of pesticides for control of disease vectors. 31 The procurement of any pesticide in a Bank-financed project is contingent on an assessment of the nature and degree of associated risks, taking into account the proposed use and the intended users. With respect to the classification of pesticides and their specific formulations, the Bank refers to the World Health Organization's ‘Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard and Guidelines to Classification’ (Geneva: WHO 1994-95). The following criteria apply to the selection and use of pesticides in Bank-financed projects: (a) They must have negligible adverse human health effects. (b) They must be shown to be effective against the target species. (c) They must have minimal effect on non-target species and the natural environment. The methods, timing, and frequency of pesticide application are aimed to minimize damage to natural enemies. Pesticides used in public health programs must be demonstrated to be safe for inhabitants and domestic animals in the treated areas, as well as for personnel applying them. (d) Their use must take into account the need to prevent the development of resistance in pests. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: Pest Control does not apply to the REDiSL project 5) OP 4.37 Safety of Dams The Bank distinguishes between small and large dams. a) Small dams are normally less than 15 meters in height. This category includes, for example, farm ponds, local silt retention dams, and low embankment tanks. b) Large dams are 15 meters or more in height. Dams that are between 10 and 15 meters in height are treated as large dams if they present special design complexities—for example, an unusually large flood-handling requirement, location in a zone of high seismicity, foundations that are complex and difficult to prepare, or retention of toxic materials. Dams under 10 meters in height are treated as large dams if they are expected to become large dams during the operation of the facility. Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: Dam construction, operation or safety does not apply to the REDiSL project 6) OP 4.12 Involuntary Resettlement Involuntary resettlement should be avoided or minimized where feasible, exploring all viable alternative project designs. For example, realignment of roads or reductions in dam height may significantly reduce resettlement needs. 32 Applicability to the REDiSL sub-component context: There will be no land acquisition leading to the physical or economic displacement of people under the REDiSL project. Any construction or rehabilitation will take place on property already belonging to the school or the community centers identified. 33 8 IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES Although the REDiSL projects and sub-components mainly take the form of environmentally and socially benign undertakings, such as the provision of scholarship and school materials, a particular sub-component involving construction activities has necessitated the examination of potential environmental and social impacts. That notwithstanding, all sub-components have been assessed in this document for their potential impacts, followed by suggested mitigation measures, where applicable. The impacts and mitigation measures of these projects will provide a fair understanding of what may be expected in the REDiSL project. Any new developmental activity has the potential to impact the environment. The impact may be significant or insignificant, positive or negative, direct or indirect, short term or long term, reversible or irreversible. With respect to the construction activities, no specifics are available at this point on the selected beneficiaries, although a decision is slated to be based on information provided by a 2011 household survey and school census. Hence the impacts discussed here are more generic than specific to ensure that safeguards are put in place for various scenarios, as may be encountered following the selection. Update 2015: With respect to the activities related to Ebola, the targeted beneficiaries encompass all those accessing education, without specific targeting of sub-groups. Hence the impacts discussed here are more generic than specific to ensure that safeguards are put in place for various scenarios, as may be encountered following the selection. Impacts and Mitigation Measures for Selected Sub-component Types The main purpose of this section is to present impacts that are considered of medium to major significance for each sub-component type. The respective mitigation measures are also discussed. Impacts of minor significance are not mentioned. The degree of significance is a measure of the nature, magnitude and sensitivity of the impact. 34 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures Component 1: Improving the learning environment and opportunities in targeted areas 1. School Environmental impact: None None grants Positive Social impact:  increased access to school,  improved teaching and learning environment,  reduced cost of schooling,  capacity development,  strengthening of systems for planning, budgeting, and reporting in the education sector 2. Piloting 1. Establishment of 50 Environmental Impacts approaches to pre-primary classrooms increase school attached to readiness government-supported schools a) 30 new 1. Contamination of surface water 1. A buffer zone of 50 m will be established classrooms courses by sediment runoff from close to a neighbouring watercourse, but exposed soil during construction these will be extended in rare cases of sensitive watercourses and wetlands. 2. Clearing will be limited to the area absolutely necessary for construction; 3. Major construction will be restricted to the Dry Season to minimize the effect of runoff; 35 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures 4. If clearing is conducted in the Wet Season, sediment control measures must be put in place. 2. Atmospheric contamination or 1. Dust suppression measures such as pollution from particulate matter sprinkling will be done on lateritic roads released into the atmosphere from with major vehicular traffic; plying of lateritic roads by vehicles 2. Cement will be carefully handled when transporting building materials; released from its sack, until it has been Atmospheric pollution from mixed with water and rocks to produce exhaust fumes; toxic particulates mortar or concrete. from cement dust 3. Vehicles and generators will be regularly serviced and handled well to minimize gas/fume emissions from exhaust pipes. 4. All vehicles on site will be confined to sign-posted speed limits. 5. Trucks carrying earth material and cement will have covered loads and tightly sealed tailgates. 6. Miscellaneous dust sources such as spillages from trucks and silts from sediment controls will be regularly cleaned up. 7. Equipment and vehicles that show excessive emissions of exhaust gases due to poor engine adjustments, or other inefficient operating conditions will not be operated until corrective repairs or adjustments are made. 3. Clearing and stripping of trees for 1. Clearing of vegetation will be restricted 36 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures construction activities could lead to to the defined project site; loss of vegetation 2. Neighbouring vegetation will remain undisturbed; site operations personnel will be deterred from conducting any work outside of the designated project site. 3. Induction will be organized for all personnel working at the site on the importance of avoiding any disturbance in the vegetated area. 4. Risk of contamination of 1. All fuel will be transported to the project environmental media (soil, water or area in containers that are considered air) from construction wastes and safe; hazardous materials (used batteries, 2. Transporting petroleum products and/or rubbish, metals, glass, spills, etc) hazardous material will be done in compliance with government regulations. 3. All employees who handle fuel or other dangerous goods on the project will have to be experienced in the handling of dangerous goods prior to working on the project; 4. All dangerous goods will be handled by persons having experience and training in these products. 5. All non-toxic or non-hazardous wastes that are not designated as combustible will be either recycled or disposed of in an approved landfill. Construction debris will be appropriately stored on site until 37 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures removed. 6. Refuse generated during the servicing of equipment will be stored and removed from the site and disposed of in an appropriate manner. 7. Used batteries will not be placed in dumpsters or trash containers! 8. Used non-leaking batteries will be collected separately and temporarily stored in a safe place, and in a way that protects human health and the environment. Social Impacts 5. Depending on the level of activities 1. Speed limits should be erected and in a specific location, elevated enforced on the Access Road and project vehicular traffic could lead to site. community safety issues 2. Speed limit on the Access Road within settlements should be kept at 5kph. 3. Vehicles should be instructed to hoot their horns when entering any settlements. 4. Speed bumps should be installed at the entrance and exit of every settlement along the Access Road. 5. Flagmen should be positioned at the critical areas such as schools close to the Access road during high vehicle traffic periods. 6. Traffic signs should be interpreted and 38 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures communicated in social sessions to village communities along the Access road. 6. Issues relating to workers’ safety, 1. Raising the profile of occupational and the handling of dangerous goods environmental health issues at utilized in the construction of construction sites, by building awareness classrooms: risk to workers and of even basic health and safety practices, community safety and by developing a sense of due diligence among contractors’ staff and foremen. 2. Minor deficiencies in the structure, equipment or furniture e.g. exposed nails and screws, loose fittings and handles, uneven and damaged flooring, rough and splintered edges to woodwork, jamming doors etc – may cause cuts, bruises, trips and falls. They should therefore, be repaired or taken care of, as soon as they are noticed. 3. Suitable safety footwear should be worn at all times. 4. Personnel should be supplied with suitable personal protective equipment particularly when engaged in work involving a particular hazard, which can be reduced by the provision of personal protective equipment. 5. Community people should not be allowed at construction sites 39 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures 7. Noise pollution and vibration effect 1. Work should be undertaken as quickly as from operation of construction possible to shorten the period of equipment and machines disturbance. 2. Plants and equipment should be operated in a manner that minimizes noise. 6. Noise levels in the nearest settlement arising from construction activities should not exceed 55 dB. 7. Excessive noise generated activities should be restricted to daytime and be suspended on religious or cultural occasions. 8. Conflict from employment issues: 1. Preference should be given to the local failure to give preference to the community in the area of job locals over in-migrants opportunities. 2. Jobs should only be given to migrant workers when no suitably qualified and experienced local person is available. 3. Opportunities should be created for employment of female workers at a level that is on par with similar establishments nationwide. 4. In the area of job opportunities for desk assignments, preference should be given to female applicants. 5. A complaint management plan must be put in place to address grievances. 40 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures 9. Transmission of HIV-AIDS and 1. Appropriate messages concerning HIV or other STDs from in-migration of AIDS and other sexually transmitted job seekers and employees diseases at construction sites should be provided to staff and locals in project affected communities. 2. The same should be done for sensitization on HIV and AIDS, Teenage Pregnancy and Malaria. b) 20 rehabilitated Environmental Impact See mitigation measures on atmospheric classrooms Atmospheric contamination or pollution pollution above from particulate matter released into the atmosphere from plying of lateritic roads by vehicles transporting building materials; Atmospheric pollution from exhaust fumes; toxic particulates from cement dust Social Impact See mitigation measures on workers safety Issues relating to workers’ safety, the above handling of dangerous goods utilized in the rehabilitation of classrooms: risk to workers and community safety 3. Establishing Environmental Impact: None NA minimum standards for Positive Social Impact ECCE 1. Upgrading the quality of ECCE across the country 2. Higher standard of teachers’ qualifications 3. Developing Pre- Environmental Impact: None NA 41 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures primary education Positive Social Impact: Minimal curriculum 4. Train Environmental Impact: None NA approximately 200 teachers Positive Social Impact and care givers 1. Better output (teaching and students quality) 5. Provide stipends Environmental Impact: None NA for graduating teachers and Positive Social Impact caregivers 1. Better output (teaching and working in the students quality) new classrooms 6. Support Same as section 2, subsection 5 above. NA establishment of pre-primary unit in the MEST 3.Strengthening 1. provision of Environmental Impact: None NA reading reading books outcomes at and relevant Positive Social Impact early grades primary 1. Better output (teaching and students materials for quality) primary classes 2. Reading Environmental Impact: None NA campaign Positive Social Impact 1. Raising the profile of education over and beyond the classroom 42 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures environment with a view to increasing literacy levels 3. Training of Same as section 3, sub-section 2 above teachers of early primary grades Component 2: Strengthening education service delivery 1. Same as section 3, sub-section 2 above Improvements in teacher management 2.Building Same as section 3, sub-section 2 above foundation for better measurement of learning outcomes Component 3: Project Management and Supervision Funding for 2 NA years of school Census and NA enhancement of the FM Procurement NA M&E NA Functions within ESP Secretariat 43 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures Component 4: Support the implementation of MEST Ebola Strategic Response Plan 1. Emergency Environmental Impact: None Radio and Television Positive Social Impact: Student have Program access to education services during school closures, minimizing loss of opportunity and learning 2. Establishing Environmental Impact:  Raising the profile of occupational and a safe and Issues relating to workers’ safety, the environmental health issues at school sites, secure learning handling of dangerous goods utilized in by building awareness of even basic health environment the cleaning of classrooms: risk to and safety practices, and by developing a workers and community safety sense of due diligence among staff.  Suitable safety gear as recommended by the WHO and CDC should be worn at all times.  Personnel should be supplied with suitable personal protective equipment particularly when engaged in work involving a particular hazard, which can be reduced by the provision of personal protective equipment.  Community people should not be allowed into schools until work has been completed.  Processes for cleaning of schools and ensuring safety against Ebola once schools reopen should follow the Guidance Note and Protocols development by the MEST and partners.  Processes for handling the waste of school cleanups should follow the Guidance Note 44 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures and the national medical waste management plan. 3. Monitoring Environmental Impact: None of the Emergency Positive Social Impact: reporting of the Radio activities for better accountability and Education results Program (EREP) and School Reopening 4. Social Environmental Impact: None Mobilization and Public Positive Social Impact: Improved Information awareness among communities, especially parents and school-age children about the safety measures undertaken at school and responsibilities expected of all in the struggle to 45 9 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS Purpose In order to disclose the contents of the ESMF to the public and to obtain their comments, views and suggestions about the project and the environmental and social implications, a public consultation workshop was held at the capital city, Freetown involving a cross section of project affected and interested persons. This section of the report delves into the entire consultation process, culminating in the PCD workshop. Public consultation and participation are essential because they provide an opportunity for informing the stakeholders about the proposed Project and sub-components. By providing an opportunity for people to contribute to both the design and implementation of the Project activities by present their views and values and allowing consideration and discussion of sensitive social mitigation measures and trade-offs, public consultation and participation fosters a sense of ownership by stakeholders that is necessary for the success of the Project. The socio-economic situation prevailing in Sierra Leone makes public consultation with the communities indispensable. Furthermore, consultation and participation by local people are invaluable to the success of the Project because of their wealth of knowledge of local conditions. In recognition of this, particular attention would be paid to public consultation with potentially PAPs when resettlement concerns are involved. In line with existing legislation and World Bank OP 4.12, consultation and participation of individuals, households and communities affected by the Project as well as any host communities for the resettlement of displaced households is an essential component of the land acquisition, compensation and resettlement process. To ensure that the entire process is carried out in a transparent, accountable and fair manner, it is essential that the affected individuals, households and communities are properly informed and consulted about the following issues: i. Main concepts and aspects of the proposed subprojects; ii. Mechanisms for conflict resolution and grievance redress. Public consultation and participation are essential because they afford potentially displaced persons the opportunity to contribute to both the design and implementation of the Project activities, including: i. Project inception and planning; ii. Alternatives and screening process; iii. Feasibility study; iv. Preparation of sub-component designs; Update 2015: The Guidance Note and Protocols developed by MEST (see Appendix 8), a key component of the ESMF that was consulted on extensively among donors, partners, stakeholders, and the 46 Government, was presented and discussed during the Education Development Partners meeting on March 4, 2015, held at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The meeting included donors, civil society, ministry staff, and others. Minutes of the meeting are attached as Appendix 9. 47 Grievance Redress Mechanisms Providing credible and accessible means for Project affected persons (PAPs) to pursue grievances allows the Project to address genuine issues in a timely manner and decreases the chances of resistance to the Project from disgruntled PAPs At the time that the individual RAPs are approved and individual compensation contracts are signed, affected individuals and households will have been informed of the process for expressing dissatisfaction and to seek redress. The grievance procedure will be simple and will be administered as far as possible, at local levels to facilitate access by PAPs. All grievances concerning non-fulfilment of contracts etc shall be addressed to the Chiefdom development committee (CDC) or Ward Committee (WC). All attempts shall be made to settle grievances amicably. Those seeking redress and wishing to state grievances will do so by notifying their CDC/WC. The CDC/WC will inform and consult with the local and regional administration to determine validity of claims. If a claim is valid, the CDC/WC will notify the complainant accordingly. If the complainant’s claim is rejected, the matter shall be brought before the local and/or regional authority for settlement. The complainant may seek redress in the established national legal system. It has to be noted that in the local communities, people take time to decide to complain when aggrieved. Therefore, the grievance procedures will ensure that the PAPs are adequately informed of the procedure for filing grievances. The grievance redress mechanism is designed with the objective of solving disputes at the earliest possible time, which will be in the interest of all parties concerned and therefore, it implicitly discourages referring such matters to a court for resolution. All objections to grievances shall be made in writing, in the language that the PAPs understands and are familiar with, to the CDC/WC, or in English language with the help of a translator if the complainant is illiterate. Copies of the complaint shall be submitted to the concerned project implementation officer at the chiefdom/ward level within 60 days after the issue of the Notification of Expropriation Order. Channelling complaints through the CDC/WC is aimed at addressing the problem of distance and cost the PAP may have to face. The CDC/WC shall maintain records of grievances and complaints, including minutes of discussions, recommendations and resolutions made. The procedure for handling grievances should be as follows: i. The affected person must file his/her grievance in writing to the CDC/WC with a copy submitted to the concerned Project implementation unit. The grievance note should be signed and dated by the aggrieved person. Where the affected person is unable to write, she/he should obtain assistance to write the note and endorse the letter with his/her thumbprint. ii. The CDC/WC must respond within 14 days during which any meetings and discussions to be held with the aggrieved persons must be conducted. In this case, the aggrieved person must be notified by the CDC/WC that his/her complaint is being considered. 48 iii. If the aggrieved person does not receive a response or is not satisfied with the outcome within the agreed time, they must lodge their grievance to the district administration and the project implementation unit. iv. The district administration and PIU will then attempt to resolve the problem (through dialogue and negotiation) within 14 days of the complaint being lodged. If no agreement is reached at this stage, then the complaint is taken to court. Update 2015: All points highlighted above regarding grievance redress mechanisms remain applicable. 49 10 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK A. Background The purpose of the Environmental Management Framework is to ensure that development activities do not compromise the health and integrity of the environment or the socio- economic conditions of local communities. It serves to explore possibilities of increase the standard of living and welfare of people and communities on the one hand in a complementary manner with the environment on the other, as a result of the project and sub- component activities proposed. The objectives of the ESMF are to: • prevent and/or mitigate any negative environmental impacts akin to the sub- components • ensure the long term sustainability of benefits from sub-components by securing the environmental resource base to which they are linked; • execute sub-components in a manner that can be expected to lead to increased standard of living and welfare for people through put and improved management B. Screening for Decision on Level of Environmental Assessment Environmental screening is designed to make sure that the proposed projects and sub- components are evaluated in such a way that they are aptly classified into a category of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). It also helps to determine the type of EIA instruments necessary for an adequate evaluation based on the nature and scale of the project. The REDiSL project is a grant processed under the Investment Project Financing instrument available to the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) from the Global Partnership for Education Fund. It builds on the progress achieved through a previous EFA-FTI operation and is embedded in the ESP (2014-2018). This umbrella project would finance several sub- components to improve the quality and coverage of primary and pre-primary school education in select communities in Sierra Leone. Based on the scale and nature of sub-components described in the project document, the screening procedure for the REDiSL project has been identified and classification done into the following suggested 4 levels: LEVEL 0, LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2 and LEVEL 3. Sub-components that will irreversibly damage cultural property; those that will involve procurement of illegally logged forest products or working in forests areas of high ecological significance; and those that involve the significant conversion or degradation of critical natural habitats will be categorized in a NEGATIVE List that cannot and will not be supported by the REDiSL Project. However, the Environmental Assessment process will be conducted in such a manner as to assist the design of the sub-components and not as an obstacle to their implementation. As specifics on the sub-component details, such as selected project sites and recipients, have not been provided by the REDiSL project developer, opportunities do exist and could be explored for regular update and review 50 Criteria for LEVEL 0 If a proposed sub-component does not directly interact with and adversely impact any natural resource, it then falls under this level, and detailed environmental assessment is not required However, some proactive environmental initiatives may be included. Criteria for LEVEL 1 If a proposed sub-component has marginal or short-term impact on the natural resources or environment, then an environmental review is necessary. Criteria for LEVEL 2 If the proposed project has a significant, irreversible or long-term negative impact, such as on pristine water sources, then a Level II assessment or rapid environmental assessment is triggered. Furthermore,  If sub-components involve relocation of a cultural property or heritage, it falls in a level 2 assessment.  Training and institutional-building required for the preservation of the cultural property should form a part of the mitigation/enhancement measures to be implemented.  Infrastructure sub-components within protected forest areas will invariably require a Level 2 assessment.  In this level of assessment, no sub-components resulting in the significant transformation of natural habitats are permitted.  This level of assessment requires stakeholder engagement and expert scientific investigation through field surveys and desk reviews. Stakeholder involvement should span the planning, designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluation stages of the sub-components.  It is imperative that the developer of the sub-component has the capacity to implement recommended mitigation measures. If there are potential institutional capacity problems, then the sub-component will not be approved, until training and resources for capacity building are provided. Criteria for LEVEL 3 If the proposed sub-component has severe adverse, irreversible environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated using best available technology not entailing excessive cost (BATNEEC) and within a reasonable timeframe, then a Level III assessment is suggested. This level is akin to an Environmental Impact Assessment. The probability of any sub-component under the REDiSL project to fall in this category is marginal. Furthermore,  If initial assessment requires further investigation, then a Level 3 assessment should be done.  This level of assessment requires stakeholder engagement and expert scientific investigation through field surveys and desk reviews. Stakeholder involvement should span the planning, designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluation stages of the sub-components. 51  If the sub-component is located in a protected forest area and the Level 2 assessment indicates that the sub-component requires removal of the forest resource and that the forest areas are ecologically significant, then a Level 3 assessment should be embarked upon.  If forest removal is unavoidable, adequate compensation should be made in the form of forest and bio-diversity conservation projects; and to ensure the right of use by local communities.  In rare cases, if there are no feasible alternatives for the siting and implementation of a sub-component that requires a significant transformation of natural habitats, such as wetlands, the sub-component will be upgraded to a Level 3 assessment.  It is imperative that the developer of the sub-component has the capacity to implement recommended mitigation measures. If there are potential institutional capacity problems, then the sub-component will not be approved, until training and resources for capacity building are provided.  The Level 3 assessment will involve a biophysical and socio-economic assessment that demonstrates that the overall project benefits considerably outweighs the environmental costs. C. Responsible parties The Level I assessment will be done by the Supervisor of schools and the chiefdom or ward development committee; The Level II assessment will be done by the Deputy Director and the Inspector of Schools at the district level with inputs from a local environmental consulting firm; The Level III assessment will be commissioned at the national level by the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology in consultation with the regulator, the Environment Protection Agency, Sierra Leone (EPASL). Reference to Appendices Instruments/tools Appendix sub-components that fall into each of these 1 categories is presented as ‘Sub-component Classification Table’ ‘Criteria for 2 Decision on Level of Environmental Assessment’ ‘General Guidelines for Screening of Sub- 3 components’ Assessment of Potential Impacts of Sub-components The predicted biophysical and social impacts of the projects and sub-components have been listed in Chapter 7 along with the applicable mitigation measures. It could be safe to presume that only one sub-section, involving construction, will require significant environmental and social evaluation, beyond this point, for its impacts as the REDiSL project continues to evolve. The impact for this sub-section will be integrated in the tools that will be developed for Level 1 and Level 2 assessments, and a future environmental management and monitoring 52 plan. Expediency and efficient use of resources requires that focus is placed on the impacts resulting from the implementation of these sub-components. Impacts are likely to evolve as decisions on specific sub-component sites are made. Level I: If the screening indicates that a Level I assessment is required, the Supervisor of schools and the ward committee are to refer to Level 1 EA tools to determine whether or not to proceed with the sub-component, as is, or modify with plausible alternatives to improve its acceptability. The mitigation measures are described. For those sub-components for which the sub-component specific tools are not available, the responsible Level 1 personnel will go by the ‘General Guidelines for Environmental Assessment of Sub-components’ for assessing impact (Appendix 3). Level 2: If the screening indicates that a Level 2 assessment is required, the assessment should be referred to the Deputy Director and the Inspector of Schools at the district level. These personnel will solicit technical input from consultants in the form of Level 2 assessment involving field investigations. The consultants will refer to Level II tools to determine whether to proceed with the as is, or modify. Mitigation measures are discussed if it is decided to proceed with the sub-component. The Deputy Director will refer it to the PMU of the MEST for Level 2 assessment. This will also require consultants’ input using Level II tools. For sub-components for which the sub- component specific tools are not available, the consultants can use the ‘General Guidelines for Environmental Assessment of Sub-components’ (Appendix 3) and conduct the assessment. 53 D. Environmental Assessment Process Sub-component Screening by Supervisor of schools Decision on level of assessment Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 & 3 No further Assessment by Supervisor of schools assessment required Forward to Inspector of schools Invite Project appraisal team Screening by project appraisal team Decision on level of assessment Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 No further Assessment by Forward to Inspector of schools assessment appraisal team required Invite consulting firm for level 2 and 3 assessment Consult EPASL Commission EIA study 54 Guidelines for use of Tools for Environmental Assessment Planned sub-component Sub-component is screened (see EPASL screening form) After screening, if sub-component is listed as negative, sub-component must be modified using appropriate alternatives If sub-component is not negative, proceed with EIA; If modified sub-component is not negative, proceed with ESIA Classify into 1 of 4 levels Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 No further EIA Refer to Refer to Appoint an independent required, but EPASL tools EPASL tools consulting firm to carry mention must for assessing for assessing out EIA using EPASL be made of this specific sub- specific sub- project specific tools conclusion in component component the summary of Environmental assessment findings E. Awareness Raising in Communities Within the social mobilization undertaken by the Project, each Chiefdom committee will organize environmental awareness programmes for the communities they are involved with on a half yearly basis over the project implementation period. The material, mode and procedure of communication that will be developed later will assist the chiefdom/ward committee in organizing these awareness programs. 55 F. Independent Environmental Consultants A review of potential environmental consultants or firms would be done to select a firm or an individual that would provide technical assistance to the PMU at the national level and the Deputy Director at the district level. The consultants will be contracted to provide support to the implementation of the ESMF especially at the district level. If necessary, one or two individuals in each district will be selected to develop a team to provide further support. G. Relationship between the EPASL and Consultants The Environment Agency will facilitate the functioning of the consultants by training and feedback on environmental assessment conducted by those consultants. The consultants will support the work of the Environment Agency by providing feedback on application of the assessment tools, the need for new tools for emerging sub-component areas and inputs for the environment monitor. H. Environmental Supervision, Monitoring & Information Systems Environmental Supervision Environmental supervision would be conducted to ensure that the chiefdom/ward committees are implementing the ESMF guidelines and the environmental and social mitigation measures as spelt out in this document and in the approved sub-component. The PMU will also ensure that issues arising from project supervision, information and data on scheduled implementation of mitigation measures, and outcome of consultative meetings are documented in an overall reports submitted by the Project. The MEST will conduct supervision of the EMF, selecting specifically, the project on the construction and rehabilitation of schools and any other Level I or Level II sub-component that may evolve during development of the sub-components. Environmental Monitoring This aspect remains the sole responsibility of GPE Team. The agency will be updated on progress in ESMF implementation and institution of the mitigation measures and how these affect environmental and social conditions, as well as information on emerging concerns. The agency will be involved or be represented in consultative sessions with ministries, departments and agencies. Prior to implementation, the ESMF will be subject to agency review and comments and revisions made by the ESMF developer. Details on revisions, emerging concerns or changing conditions, stakeholder consultations, etc will be compiled into a report by the PMU for submission to the agency. 56 11 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 - Subproject classification based on the initial impact assessment The subprojects of the REDiSL project could fall under the following levels from an initial assessment of the nature and degree of impacts. Depening on the level of impacts and the nature of the project environment, the subproject on the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms could fall under level 1 or 2 and the subproject of school cleaning could fall under level 2; however, this is suggestive only, as an actual evaluation would need to be conducted by the designated personnel. LEVEL 0 SUB- LEVEL 1 - SUBPROJECTS LEVEL 2 SUBPROJECTS COMPONENTS School Grants Constrruction and Constrruction and rehabilitation of 50 pre- rehabilitation of 50 pre- primary classrooms primary classrooms Instituting Minimum quality standards for ECCE Developing pre-primary education curriculum Training 200 teachers and caregivers Stipends for graduating teachers and caregivers Establishment of pre- primary unit in the MEST Strengthening reading outcomes at early grades Building foundation for better measurement of learning outcomes Project management, monitoring and supervision Update 2015 Support the implementation Cleaning of schools and of the MEST Ebola Strategic ensuring safety of learning Response Plan environment 57 APPENDIX 2 - Criteria for Decision on Level on Environmental Assessment LEVEL 0 The type of natural resource used, impact on natural resource, if any, and explanation for categorizing each sub-component as Level-0 is given below: SUB-COMPONENT NATURAL RESOURCE REMARKS USED School Grants Forest products, fuel Grants will likely take the (gasoline or diesel), form of teacher learning limestone (cement), granite materials, training, remedial classes, stipends, uniforms, transportation, supplies and minor rehabilitation Instituting Minimum quality None This could take the form of standards for ECCE workshops and meetings Developing pre-primary None This could take the form of education curriculum workshops and meetings Training 200 teachers and None This could take the form of caregivers workshops and lectures Stipends for graduating None This could take the form of teachers and caregivers workshops and meetings Establishment of pre- None This could take the form of primary unit in the MEST workshops and meetings Strengthening reading None This could take the form of outcomes at early grades workshops and meetings Building foundation for None This could take the form of better measurement of workshops and meetings learning outcomes Project management, None This could take the form of monitoring and supervision field visits and meetings Update 2015 Emergency radio and None This could take the form of television program radio programs. Monitoring radio education None This could take the form of program and school field visits and meetings. reopining Social mobilization and None This could take the form of public information meetings. LEVEL – I (ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW) The natural resource and communities impacted, potential positive and negative environmental and social impacts for sub-components qualifying for environmental screening Level – I is given in the table below: 58 SUB- NATURAL POSITIVE IMPACTS NEGATIVE IMPACTS COMPON RESOURCE/COM ENT MUNITIES IMPACTED Constrructi Human health and None Occupational risk and potential on and safety for accidents involving staff and rehabilitatio community n of 50 pre- primary classrooms surface and ground None Sediment runoff from water construction materials into water courses to degrade water quality air None Dust (and cement) from construction materials and vehicles plying lateritic roads could lead to air pollution soil None Soil contamination from spills and chemicals Wildlife and None Potential for loss of ecosystems biodiversity from clearing or construction activities Forest None Potential for loss of forests from clearing or construction activities Communities Improves learning Noise, dust, health risk from environment and contaminated environmental opportunities; increase media, social issues access to education LEVEL – 2 (LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT) The natural resource impacted nature of resource depletion or degradation and potential adverse long-term environmental impact for a selected list of sub-components which qualify for environmental screening, level-II are given below. The difference between levels 2 and 3 relates to the temporal scale and irreversibility of the impacts. This level of screening requires acquisition and review of primary and secondary data, field visits by expert, and consultations with communities and other stakeholders. SUB- NATURAL RESOURCE LONG TERM IMPACTS COMPONE RESOURCE/CO DEPLETION OR NT MMUNITIES DEGRADATION OR IMPACTED COMMUNITY DISTURBANCE Constrructio Human health and Loss of life or Loss of confidence with n and safety impairment of body community; emergence of rehabilitation parts conflicts of 50 pre- primary 59 SUB- NATURAL RESOURCE LONG TERM IMPACTS COMPONE RESOURCE/CO DEPLETION OR NT MMUNITIES DEGRADATION OR IMPACTED COMMUNITY DISTURBANCE classrooms surface and Declining water Inability of water to perform its ground water quality social or ecological functions air Declining air quality Preponderance of respiratory diseases soil Soil degradation Contaminated soil loses agricultural potential Wildlife and Declining wildlife Species could deteriorate to biodiversity conservation levels Forest Depleted or degraded deforestation forest Communities Social disturbance Emergence of conflict Cleaning of Human health and Loss of life or Loss of confidence with schools and safety impairment of body community; emergence of ensuring parts conflicts safety of learning environment LEVEL 3 (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) Such projects, requiring an EIA, are not in the REDiSL project. 60 APPENDIX 3 - General Guidelines for Screening of Sub-components Step I: Identification of natural resources impacted by the sub-component This step covers natural resource input, the nature of impacts, and timescale of impact beginning from implementation of the proposed sub-component. Name of the sub project: ……..…………………………… Natural Resource to be impacted: .................................................. Classification into positive or negative impact, backed by description: ....................... Is it short or long term, backed by justification of choice? ...................... (Community discussions, field observations and discussions with consultants could help in soliciting information on resources and nature of impact) What resources will be used in sub-component implementation? What are the water and energy requirements? What other inputs are required? What are the products of the sub-components? What is the nature and quantity of wastes generated? What are the health impacts? Are there any cultural impacts? What are the mitigation measures? Step II: Decision on level of environmental assessment The decision on level of environment assessment to be employed depends on the extent of dependence or use of natural resources, extent of impact on the resources, nature of impact such as short or long-term impact, possibility to mitigate the impacts. 61 APPENDIX 4 – Checklist for the Issuance of Environmental Impact Assessment CHECKLIST FOR THE ISSUANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) LICENCE FOR PROJECTS UNDER THE FIRST SCHEDULE OF THE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AGENCY ACT, 2010 The developer/proponent is required to undertake the following stages. Stage One – Registration 1. Proponent/Developer is required to register the project proposal through an application process. The letter is addressed to the Executive Chairperson and copied to the Director for the attention of the EIA Focal Point. This is to expedite the processing of the EIA application. 2. Application and screening forms are issued to the proponent/developer after a payment of two hundred thousand Leones at an account designated for EIA’s application fees. 3. The proponent is required to return duly completed forms to the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone (EPA-SL). Stage Two – Screening 1. Project proposal and screening forms are screened to determine whether or not the development proposal should be subject to an EIA and, if so, the level of detail required. 2. This stage of the EIA process is done within two weeks. Stage Three – Scoping 1. After the project has been classified and a determination is made that the activity requires an environmental impact assessment license the proponent will be required to submit a scoping report on the project. 2. The Agency and proponent will agree on the (Terms of Reference) ToRs before the commencement of the impact studies. 3. Upon receipt of the scoping report, the process for the determination of the ToRs shall be within two weeks. 4. Staff of the Agency will visit the location of the project before approval of the ToRs. Stage Four – Environmental, Social and Health Impact Studies and Preparation of the Report 1. Upon approval of the ToRs the proponent undertakes the impact studies. 2. The ESHIA report must document clearly and impartially impacts of the proposal, the proposed measures for mitigation, the significance of effects on the environment, and the concerns of the interested public and the communities affected by the proposal. In this regard, management plans including the environmental management plan (EMP), community development and action plan (CDAP), resettlement action plans etc. must be clearly articulated in the document. 3. Upon completion of the impact studies, the proponent should submit eighteen hard and soft copies of the ESHIA report to the Agency for circulation to Board members and professional bodies. Stage Five – Review of the ESHIA Report 1. The Agency will determine whether the ESHIA report meets the terms of reference provides a satisfactory assessment of the proposal(s) and contains the information required for decision making. 2. The report will be gazetted and circulated to professional organizations for comments by the Agency. The proponent will have to disclose the ESHIA report through publication of dates for disclosure on newspapers, and hold two or more public hearing meetings for public participation in the decision- making process. The placement of the ESHIA report in specific places will enable the affected or interested persons to make comments on the impact studies and submit to the Agency for decision 62 making. Staff of the Agency will also visit the site or operational areas of the project to ascertain the components and content of the ESHIA Report in the review stage. 3. Depending on the location of the project the proponent will be required to make announcements over the media in the local languages Stage Six – Decision Making 1. This is the stage where the ESHIA report is approved or rejected. 2. The Board of the EPA is vested with the power to approve or reject an application for an EIA. If an application for an EIA license is approved, it will be subject to the terms and conditions, provided by the Board and is issued for twelve months and is subject to renewal. 3. When an application has been rejected by the EPA board, the proponent has a right to seek legal redress. Stage Seven – Compliance and Enforcement. This is the implementation stage, environmental monitoring and auditing of the project activities is undertaken to ensure that the terms and conditions of approval of the Environment Impact Assessment license are met in accordance with the Environment Protection Agency Act, 2008.as amended in 2010 Note: EPA-SL should be involved through all these stages for guidance and compliance with the provisions of the EPA Act, 2008. 63 APPENDIX 5 – Impact Assessment Review Form REVIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR … Name of the project Name of company which compiled the EA report Date that the EA report was completed Name of reviewer Address of reviewer Date of review Page | 64 REVIEW FORM PREAMBLE AND GUIDE TO REVIEW DOCUMENT 1 STRUCTURE OF REVIEW FORM This standard review form allows the reviewer to assess an EIA report in a systematic and structured way both in terms of process and content. An explanation of the grading system used in the review is provided in section 2 below and a summary of the findings of the review is presented in section 3. This is followed by the detailed review form, which is divided into the following sections: 1. Methodology followed in the EIA 2. Legal, Policy and Administrative Requirements 3. Description of the project 4. Assessment of alternatives to the project 5. Description of the receiving environment 6. Description of impacts 7. Consideration of measures to mitigate impacts 8. Non-technical summary 9. General approach 2 EXPLANATION OF REVIEW NOTATION 2.1 For each question posed in the Review Form, the reviewer considers whether the information is relevant to the project and it is marked Y (yes) or N (no). 2.2 If the information is relevant, the reviewer reads the relevant sections of the EIA report and specialist studies and establishes whether the information provided is: • Complete or comprehensive (C): all information required for decision-making is available. No additional information is required even though more information might exist. • Acceptable or adequate (A): the information presented is incomplete, but the omissions do not prevent the decision-making process from proceeding. • Inadequate (I): the information presented contains major omissions. Additional information is necessary before the decision-making process can proceed. 3 NARRATIVE REPORT 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Methodology for the review The Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment (SAIEA) has a standard Review Form which is used for all EIA and EMP reviews, irrespective of the sector or the location of the EIA/EMP. This form acts as a checklist so that the reviewer can make sure that all pertinent aspects have been covered in the EIA or EMP. Page | 65 The review was conducted by … . S/He has … years experience as an environmental practitioner with specific experience in … (area or other specialties). A site visit was … undertaken as part of the review. 3.3 Summary opinion Summary appraisal of the EIA report Judgment Comments (C/A/I) 1. EIA Process  2. Legal framework  3. Description of the project  4. Alternatives to the project  5. Description of the environment  6. Impacts  7. Mitigation measures  8. Non-technical summary  9. General approach and presentation  3.4 Conclusion The overall grading of the EIA report is as follows: Excellent: The EIA report contains everything required for decision-making on the project. There are no gaps. Good: The EIA report contains most of the information required as far as it is relevant in the particular circumstances of the project; any gaps are relatively minor. Satisfactory: The information presented is not complete; there are significant omissions but in the context of the proposed project, these are not so great as to prevent a decision being made on whether the project should be allowed to proceed to the next stage. Inadequate: Some of the information has been provided, but there are major omissions; in the context of the proposed project these must be addressed before a decision on whether the project should be allowed to proceed can be taken. Page | 66 Poor: The information required has not been provided or is far from complete and, in the context of the proposed project, the omissions must be addressed before a decision on whether the project should be allowed to proceed can be taken. Key questions Yes No Partially Don’t know Does the EIA report comply with the Terms of Reference? Does the EIA report comply with the legal requirements for EIA in the country? Did the EIA process include genuine public participation? Were the consultants unduly influenced by the proponent or the Authorities? Did the EIA report focus on the most important issues? Is the EIA report of acceptable quality? Will the EIA report help to make a more informed decision about the project? DETAILED REVIEW Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 1. METHODOLOGY 1.1 Does the report clearly explain the methods used in the EIA, public participation process and in each specialist study? 1.2 Does the report set out the assumptions and limitations of the study? 1.3 Did the EIA process include genuine stakeholder consultation? 1.4 Have the views of stakeholders been meaningfully incorporated into the findings of the EIA? 1.5 Does the report include lists of interested and affected parties consulted, as well as their original submissions and comments? Page | 67 Page | 68 Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 2. LEGAL, POLICY AND PLANNING REQUIREMENTS 2.1 Have the relevant international treaties, conventions and agreements been listed with reference to where and how these obligations have been met on this project? 2.2 Have the relevant policies, laws and regulations of the country been listed, with reference to project compliance? 2.3 Have the relevant standards and guidelines for compliance been listed? 2.4 Have local, regional and national plans e.g. SEAs, structure plans, integrated development plans, environmental action plans, zoning plans been reviewed in order to place the project into context? 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 3.1 Has the land required for the project and any affected surroundings, been described and shown on a map? 3.2 Have the activities in each project phase been described: construction, operation, decommissioning and closure. 3.3 Have all the project components been described, including transport, other activities or infrastructures? 3.4 Have the proposed technologies been described, with a motivation as to how they comply with BATNEEC and BEO principles? 3.5 Have the social issues related to the project been described e.g. number of employees, percent from local community, skills breakdown, transportation, accommodation, support services, recreation facilities etc? Page | 69 Project inputs 3.10 Are the nature and quantities of materials needed during construction and operation, clearly indicated - e.g. water, power, lubricants, raw materials, ore, structural components, fill, etc? 3.11 Have the sites from where these materials will be sourced, been described? 3.12 Have the means of transporting materials, products, workers and visitors to and from the site during construction and operation, been explained? Waste and emissions 3.13 Have the types and quantities of waste that will be generated been estimated e.g. air emissions, liquid effluent, solid waste, runoff, noise, odour? 3.14 Has a risk assessment been performed, including estimates of probability, exposure pathways, and consequences? 3.15 Does the report discuss ways in which wastes can be reduced, recycled or re- used? 3.16 Have the ways in which wastes will be stored, handled or treated prior to disposal been explained? 3.17 Has the receiving environment for any wastes been identified and described? Page | 70 Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 4 ALTERNATIVES 4.1 Were strategic alternatives to the project considered in the EA? 4.2 Does the EIA assess various “within- project� alternatives (e.g. design, location) 4.3 Are the reasons for selecting the proposed alternatives adequately described? 4.4 Has a prediction of the likely future environmental conditions in the absence of the project been developed (no go option)? Page | 71 5a DESCRIPTION OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT - BIOPHYSICAL Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 5.1 Have the areas likely to be affected by the project, been indicated on suitable maps? 5.2 Have the land uses on the project site(s) and in the surrounding areas been described and assessed? 5.3 Have the biophysical components of the environment likely to be affected, been described sufficiently for the prediction of impacts? 5.3.1 Climate 5.3.2 Geology, topography 5.3.3 Soils (incl agricultural and rehabilitation potential) 5.3.4 Topography (slopes) 5.3.5 Surface hydrology 5.3.6 Groundwater 5.3.7 Hydrochemistry 5.3.8 Air quality 5.3.9 Flora 5.3.10 Terrestrial fauna 5.3.11 Aquatic ecology 5.4 Has the EIA Report consulted the latest literature / reports / data relevant to the study? Page | 72 5b DESCRIPTION OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT – SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 5.5 Have the social components likely to be affected by the project been described sufficiently for the prediction of impacts? 5.4.1 Social structure and demographics 5.4.2 Skills 5.4.3 Employment 5.4.4 Community facilities and services 5.4.5 Settlement patterns 5.4.6 Health 5.6 Have the cultural components of the environment been described sufficiently for the prediction of impacts? 5.5.1 Sites of spiritual and/or religious significance 5.5.2 Sites of cultural and/or archaeological significance 5.5.3 Aesthetics 5.7 Have the economic components of the environment likely to be affected by the project been described sufficiently for the prediction of impacts? 5.6.1 Local, regional livelihoods 5.6.2 Poverty level 5.8 Has the EIA Report consulted the latest literature / reports / data relevant to the study? Page | 73 Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 6 DESCRIPTION OF IMPACTS Impact Identification 6.1 Have direct and indirect effects of the project been clearly explained? 6.2 Have the above types of impacts been investigated in so far as they affect the following: 6.2.1 Air quality 6.2.2 Surface Water 6.2.3 Ground water 6.2.4 Soils 6.2.5 Noise 6.2.6 Landscape 6.2.7 Biodiversity 6.2.8 Historic and cultural heritage 6.2.9 Land use 6.2.10 People and communities 6.2.11 Health 6.2.12 Sense of place (aesthetics and visual impact) 6.2.13 Transportation and traffic 6.2.14 A neighbouring country 6.3 Are cumulative impacts considered? 6.4 Has consideration been given to impacts arising from accidents, emergencies, unusual conditions? Magnitude and significance of Impacts Page | 74 6.5 Are impacts described in terms of their extent? 6.6 Has the timescale of impacts been considered (short, medium or long term, reversible or irreversible? 6.7 Where possible, have impacts been expressed in quantitative terms? 6.8 Does the information include a clear indication of which impacts may be significant and which may not? 6.9 Have the magnitude, location and duration of the impacts been discussed in the context of the value, sensitivity and rarity of the resource or environment? Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 7 MITIGATION Description of mitigation measures (in EIA) 7.1 Has the mitigation of negative impacts been considered and, where feasible, have specific measures been proposed to address each impact? 7.2 Where mitigating measures are proposed, has the significance of any impact remaining after mitigation been described? 7.3 Is it clear to what extent the mitigation methods are likely to be effective? 7.4 Has the EIA report clearly explained what the costs of mitigation are likely to be, and compared these to the benefits (including the costs of non- mitigation)? Commitment to Mitigation 7.5 Have details of how the mitigation been presented in an Environmental Management Plan? Monitoring Proposals 7.6 Has the EIA proposed practical monitoring arrangements to check the Page | 75 environmental impacts? 7.7 Have indicators been proposed to track impacts and trigger management intervention? Environmental Effects of Mitigation 7.8 Have any negative effects of mitigation measures been investigated and described? Page | 76 Relevant? Judgment Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 8. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY 8.1 Is there a non-technical summary that will easily be understood by a lay- person? 8.2 Does the summary contain a description of the project and the environment, an account of the main issues and mitigation measures, and a description of any remaining impacts? 8.3 Does the summary include a brief explanation of the overall approach and the public participation? 8.4 Does the summary indicate whether the project is or is not environmentally acceptable Page | 77 Relevant? Judgement Comments Yes/No (C/A/I) 9. GENERAL APPROACH Organization of the information 9.1 Is the information logically arranged in sections? 9.2 Is there a table of contents? 9.3 Have all reference sto other studies been listed? 9.4 Does the report contain the Terms of Reference for the EIA? 9.5 Are the credentials and qualifications of the report authors and specialists presented? Presentation of the information 9.6 Has information been offered to support all conclusions drawn? 9.7 Has information been presented using maps, tables and graphical material? 9.8 Are the maps at an appropriate scale, show co-ordinates, north sign, scale and relevant features? 9.9 Has superfluous information been avoided? 9.10 Has emphasis been given to significant impacts and controversial issues? 9.11 Is the information objective? 9.12 Are all the specialist studies and appendices present? Page | 78 APPENDIX 6 - The Sierra Leone Topography, Environment, and Resources 1.1.1 Geographical Features Sierra Leone is a small country located on the West Coast of Africa and lies between latitude 60 00’ and 100 0’N and latitude 100 16’ W and 130 18’W. The country has a North-South distance of 331 km2. It is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, where it stretches along the coastline for approximately 400km, by Guinea on the North and North-East, and by Liberia on the South-East. The country is divided into four administrative regions: Eastern, Northern and Southern Regions, and the Western Area, which is the peninsular on which the capital, Freetown is situated. 1.1.2 Climate The climate is essentially tropical, showing distinct dry and rainy seasons. Rainfall is most the important climate element in Sierra Leone. It varies both in space and time. Mean annual variability is about 20%. The average rainfall decrease from 5000mm in the Freetown peninsular to about 3000mm in the south-east, which are the lowland and escarpment regions down to about 2500mm in the drier areas of the north-west to the north-east. The mean annual rainfall in this region is 400mm, with some months recording virtually no rain. The rainfall pattern is unimodal with most of the rain falling between late April and early November. July and August are the wettest months in most areas. Due to heavy rain fall in the wet season, discharges and runoff are high and ranges between 20% to 40% total annual rainfall. Rivers overflows their banks during this period. However, there is pronounced dry season from November to March when flows may be sufficiently reduced to be a constraint. The whole country experiences a hot and humid climate throughout, except for the wet season and the Hamattan period (December to February). Diurnal temperatures vary from 250C to 340C although they could be as low as 160C at night during the hamattan. Relative humidity is usually about 90% but drops to about 20% during the hamattan. Normal wind speed throughout the year averages 8 knots. Sunshine is plentiful; it varies substantially with the amount of cloudiness averaging 6-8 hours/day during the dry season and 2-4 hours/day during the rainy period. During the dry season (November to March) mean monthly solar radiation is high, 380 cal.cm-2 day-1 (480 lux); mean hours of sunshine varies from 7-9, and pan evaporation is about 4.5mm per day. The wet season is generally dull and cloud with a mean monthly solar radiation of 280 cal cm-2 day-1, mean hours of sunshine is 3 hours day-1 in July and August, and pan evaporation generally less than 2.0mm day-1 , due to high diurnal humidity. 1.1.3 Relief Sierra Leone covers a geographical area of 72,300km2. The country is divided into four main physical regions: coastal plains, interior plateaux, and hills and mountains (Table 1). The coastline or coastal plains is relatively gentle and comprised of estuarine swamps, terraces, alluvial plains and beach ridges (Allan 1990). The interior lowland plains extend from the coastal terrace in the west to the east of Sierra Leone, occupying approximately 43% of the land area. At the edge of the lowland plains are the interior plateaus, made up of granite that runs from the northeast of the country o the southeast. They seldom rise above 700m and are comprised of Page | 79 alluvial ironstone gravel in the southeastern region, while the northern end is comprised of weathered outcrops of granitic rocks. In the north and east of the country are found two of the highest mountains, with the Loma mountains is Bintumani, which rises o 1945m, while sankan Biriwa on the Tingi hills, rises to 1805m. West f these two mountains, is the Freetown peninsular, which is also made up of dissected peaks, with the two highest peaks being Sugar loaf(760m) and Picket hills (886m). The hills on the Freetown peninsular are unique to this region, and found nowhere else in the sub-region. REGIONS SUB-REGIONS AREA PROPORTION (KM2) (%) 1. COASTAL Estuarine swamps 2,347 3.2 PLAINS Beach Ridges 1,433 2.0 Alluvial Plains 1,404 1.9 Coastal Terraces 5,260 7.3 SUBTOTAL 10,444 14.4 2. INTERIOR Bolilands 3,136 4.3 PLAINS Undualating Plains 27,601 38.2 Low Plateau 681 0.9 SUBTOTAL 31.418 43.4 3. PLATEAUX Undulating High- Lying 4,533 Plains 3,131 10.6 Rolling Plains Hills 5,595 7.7 Hills 2,455 3.4 SUBTOTAL 15,714 21.8 4. HILLS AND Hills on basic and Ultra basic 3,131 4.3 MOUNTAINS Rocks 11,568 16.0 Hills on Acid Rocks SUBTOTAL 14,723 20.4 TOTAL 72,300 100 Sierra Leone’s main physical regions, total land area = 72,300 km2 SOURCE: LWDD/MANR Page | 80 1.1.4 Land Resources Of the total land area of 72,300 km2, some 60,650km2 are upland and 11,650 km2 are lowlands, 53,620 km2 (5.36 million ha) has been estimated as suitable for crop production, about 74.2%of the total land area. Non-arable land which includes hills, rocky lands, roads, towns, rivers and creeks account for the remaining 18,860km2 (25.8%) of the country (Table 2). According to Koroma (1980), land in Sierra Leone is divided into agricultural (60 per cent), pastoral (18 per cent), mangrove and Inland swamps (8 per cent), forest under the protection and management of Forestry Division (4.5 per cent) and others (9.75 per cent). The land issue is very intricately enmeshed with the land tenure/ownership. About 6,570,000 ha (90 per cent) are privately owned by families; 360,000 ha (6 per cent) are owned by communities or families and only 285,000 ha (4 per cent) are held by the government in the form of Forest reserves (Tejwani, 1988). These family lands are small and fragmented which restricts systematic planning and management. In addition land owners have great freedom and discretion to exploit their land in any manner. LAND TYPE AREA PROPORTION (%) (KM2) Total Land Area 72,000 100.0 Uplands 60,650 83.9 Hills 17,350 24.0 Undulating Plains 40,000 55.3 Beach Plains 1,000 1.4 Terraces 2,300 3.2 Lowlands 11,650 16.1 Major Flood Plains 1,300 1.8 Minor Flood Plains & valley swamps 6,900 9.5 Drainage Depressions (Bolis) 1,450 2.0 Tidal Swamps 2,000 3.2 Page | 81 Arable Upland 43,020 59.5 Non-Arable Upland 17,630 24.4 Arable Lowland 10,600 14.7 Non-Arable Lowland 1,050 1.4 TOTAL ARABLE LAND 53,620 74.2 TOTAL NON-ARABLE LAND 18,680 25.8 Summary of areas occupied by various land types SOURCE: FAO/MANR AGRIC. REVIEW MISSION REPORT, AUGUST, 1992 Of the about 36 million ha of cultivated land, 4.2 million ha are upland of relatively low soil fertility, and 1.16 million ha are more fertile swamps with considerable potentials for increased cultivation if proper farm management techniques are applied. The lowlands comprise: - Inland Valley Swamps (IVS) 0.69 million ha - Bolilands 0.14 ,, ,, - Mangrove 0.20 ,, ,, - Riverain Grasslands 0.13 ,, ,, 1.16 ‘’ ‘’ SOURCE: MANR/FAO, 1992 There is no comprehensive land use plan for the country although adhoc planning is conducted by various departments. The net effect of this has been mutually antagonistic land use and lack of co-ordination in natural resources planning. This has resulted in the creation of environmental stress on the resources. The major environmental threat is the high vegetation, land and soil degradation. 1.1.5 Water Resources There are abundant water resources in the country, but the supply is limited in the dry season. At present adequate and safe drinking water is only available in Freetown. In some of the urban areas the portable water supply systems have broken down. Rural areas depend on untreated wells, rivers and streams for water supply. There are nine major river systems flowing through the country generally in a North-East to South-West direction. Great Scarcies, Little Scarcies and Moa are shared with Guinea. Moa and Mano are also shared with Liberia. There are in addition three minor water resource areas – Page | 82 Western, Sherbro and Ribbi-Thauka. Table 3 shows the areas of the watersheds and water resource areas. Most of these rivers have forested areas in addition to fringing forests along most of their river banks. All the major rivers empty into the Atlantic Ocean through the coastal plain region which has a complex drainage pattern with a significant proportion, flooded at high tide during the rainy season, resulting in vast areas of mangroves. NO WATERSHED AREA (KM2) 1. Great Scarcies 3,050 2. Little Scarcies 13,150 3. Moa 8,690 4. Mano 2,290 5. Lokko 1,500 6. Rokel 8,500 7. Gbangbaia 2,880 8. Jong 8,350 9. Sewa 19,000 Water Resource Area 1. Western 260 2. Ribbi-Thauka 3,780 3. Sherbro 550 Areas of Water and Water Resources Groundwater resources of the country have not been extensively studied, although in some areas, they are being exploited by sinking wells etc. A significant percentage of the rural population obtains water from surface sources including streams and pools. Because of the favorable climate and water resources in Sierra Leone, monitoring of these resources for efficient use has not been accorded the priority it deserves. 1.1.6 Soils Soils in Sierra Leone have been grouped into 12 soil associations by the Land and Water Department Division (LWDD) each with different attributes. Most soils in Sierra Leone are Page | 83 acidic (pH 4-5). The soils of Sierra Leone, like most tropical soils are ferralitic and excessively leached as a result of the humid tropical conditions. This is particularly true for the upland soils, with such common minerals as koalinite, aluminum and iron. Organic matter content is low, making the soils less suitable for cropping. Top soil organic carbon levels ranges between less than 1 per cent in soil under annual burnt savannah in the north and 2-4 per cent in the secondary regrowth and forest in the south, to 3-10 per cent in the seasonally flooded swamps which are relatively fertile and suited for rice cultivation. Exchangeable aluminum exceed 1 meg./100 g in some or all horizons. It usually increases with dept. soil containing 2-6 meg/100g in the surface are not uncommon. Available plant nutrients and effective cation exchange capacity are low (less than 4meg/100g). The most important soils are the Ultisols, Ox sols, Inceptisols and intergrades. The soils are generally infertile and there is a lack of proper management practices. The estimated soil losses due to erosion vary from 14.0 to 109 tons/ha/year depending on the soil type, slope, vegetation and landuse. 1.1.7 Vegetation The vegetation of Sierra Leone is constantly being altered by the influence of man. The major part of Sierra Leone lies within the moist forest zone of West Africa, at low altitude is thought to be the climax vegetation of Sierra Leone. A smaller part lies within the moist savannah woodland zone and except in the south; there is a small mangrove zone along the coast. Within these zones, the vegetation varies considerably in composition depending on the edaphic conditions and to the degree of disturbance it has experienced due to human activity. Only limited areas of the country still have pure climax vegetation. Most of the country is a mosaic of forest regrowth, secondary forest and derived savannahh which now covers much of the upland areas of the country and inland swamp plant communities which occur in the moist forest zone and the forest savannah woodlands zone. In the coastal and inland swamps, specific vegetation patterns have developed due to the influence of influence of tidal and fresh water inundation respectively. Considerable modifications have also occurred in this vegetation type, primarily due to rice cultivation (Birchall et al. 1979; Gordon et al. 1979). VEGETATION PLANT COMMUNITY AREA PERCENT TYPE (KM2) OF COUNTRY A Tropical closed Rain forests ) 358,70 5% forest Moist evergreen ) 0 Moist semi- deciduous ) Secondary forest 3.6% B Forest Regrowth Farm bush 52.2% Page | 84 C Swamp forests  Mangrove swamps 2.4% (Wetlands)  Inland valley swamp 1.5%  Fringing forests 0.4%  Raphia swamp 0.5%  Gallery forests D Savannah  Moist, closed, Guinea 8.6% woodlands  Savannah woodlands  Mixed-tree, open, sudan savannah 10.1% woodland  Lophira tree savannah 3.7%  Coastal park savannah woodland  Tall grass (3m) savannah 1.5% 3.5% E Tropical  Riverain grassland + 2.5% Grassland  Grassland (1-3m tall) (seasonal  Boliland swamp + grassland (1m wetlands) tall)  Montane grassland (1m short) 0.1%  Lateritic pan grassland (very short) F Plantations,  Rubber farmland and  Oil palm wetlands  Coffee and cacao 0.1%  Fuelwood 2.3%  Forest trees Vegetation Types and plant communities in Sierra Leone 1.1.8 Forest Estate Sierra Leone is essentially a forest as the climate conditions can support close high forest in about 80 percent of the country. Historical evidence, (cole, 1968) indicated that at the turn of the 20th century, 80 percent of the country was covered with tropical closed forests on the lowland and escarpment area and savannah woodland in the northern plateau region. Unwin (1922), Savill and Fox (1967) reported that it has been estimated that 70% of the country was at one time forested. Mann (1990) also indicated that the beginning of the country, an estimated 75 percent of the land surface was covered in forest, and the remaining area considered of 9 percent swamp, and 16 percent open savannah, forest regrowth and crop fields. Human impact on the vegetation, largely due to the rapid increase in population, demand for forest products (timber, fuel wood and building poles) and slash-and-burn agriculture, wild bush fires and urbanization has been so severe to the extent that, nowadays, the original forest cover has been decimated with just under 6 percent of the country under forest, another 4 percent is secondary forest and 52 percent is in various seral stages of regrowth (Gordon et al. 1979). Page | 85 Forest Type Area (ha) Percentage of Percentage of Total National Area Closed High Forest 365,200 5.8 5.1 Secondary Forest 261,000 4.1 3.6 Forest Regrowth 3,774,400 59.9 52.7 Savannah Woodland 622,600 9.9 8.7 Mixed Tree Savannah 732,600 11.6 10.2 Lophira Tree Savannah 264,600 4.2 3.7 Coastal woodland 50,000 0.8 0.7 Mangrove 171,600 2.7 2.4 Fringing Swamp Forest 28,800 0.4 0.4 Raphai Swamp Forest 35,500 0.6 0.5 TOTAL 6,305,800 100.0 88.0 Vegetation Types and plant communities in Sierra Leone SOURCE: Koroma, 1988 without percentages Broadly classified, there are 6 vegetation types, and these include tropical closed forests (moist evergreen rainforest and moist semi-deciduous), forest regrowth (farm bush), swamp forests (wetlands- mangroves, inland valley swamps, fringing and gallery forests), savannah, and tropical grasslands (riverine, bolilands and montane) and plantations and wastelands. Farmbush arises from slash-and-burn agriculture and is becoming the dominant vegetation type in Sierra Leone. The savannah is restricted to the northern parts of the country and is increasingly being subjected to frequent fires. Most of the moist and semi-deciduous forests are located within protected areas, often on mountain tops and slopes. Cole (1968) described in details 19 plant communities comprising the vegetation of Sierra Leone. This was supplemented by Gordon et al (1979). A summary of the various plant communities is given in Table 4 above. The remnant moist closed forests are now confined to protected forests and reserves, mainly located in the Eastern and North-Eastern part of the country. Within a short period of time (less Page | 86 than a century) there has been a dramatic change in the area, structure and distribution of the forest resource in the country. The Forest estate as at 1985 was 325,205 hectares or 5.6 percent of the forested area and 88 percent of the national area (Koroma, 1988). This made up as follows: (i) Gazette Reserves (285,229 ha) fully under the protection and management of the Forestry Division. They are made up of different categories of wood vegetation, 83 percent in the closed high forest zones, 14 percent in the savannah woodlands and 3 percent in open areas and tall grasslands (Kingston, 1986) (ii) Proposed Reserved (33,953 ha) fully under protection and control of the Forestry Division but not yet legally constituted. (iii) Protected Forest 933,023) on chiefdom lands. They consist mainly of strips of plantations along road and the erstwhile railway tracts. They are protected and administered by the Forestry Division on behalf of the chiefdom owning the protected forest. The legal distinction with the forest reserves is the different ways (iv) in which the revenue accruing from exploitation is distributed (shared). These protected forests are now known as community forests. (v) Game Reserve (76,500 ha) mainly in savannah woodlands. They are fully under the protection and control of the Forestry Division. To date not all this area has been legally contribution. These are supplemented by non-hunting forest reserves which are mainly in closed forest areas. (vi) Plantations (about 9,800) are mainly in small plots of both cash trees (rubber, oil palm, coffee, cocao) and forest trees species, scattered throughout the country. The total plantation area about 77 percent of that which was established before 1971. Most reports (FAO, 1980, Allan, 1988) quote an original area of about 8,000 ha of which only 41,000 ha remain. The other 50 percent has been lost through encroachment and expanded agricultural activities. A survey of plantations in 1982 (Koroma, 1988), out of 7,600 ha planted before 1972, 5,775 ha have been planted. Most of the country’s productive forest lies in the east while about half (1/2) of the estate in the North is savannah and most of the forest in the Western Area are Protection Forest Reserves. By 1990 it was estimated that about 100,000 ha of forest reserve and 65,000 ha outside of the reserve make up the exploitative forests in Sierra Leone. Plantations comprise about 1-2% of the total forest estate and are scattered all over the country. Estimates of yield are about 33m3 /ha in the reserves and 21m3 /ha outside reserves. Area planted (ha) Location Before 1971 After 1971 Eastern Region 2198 108 Northern Region 1221 465 Southern Region 3822 1556 Western Area 365 138 Total 7604 2267 Plantation Area (ha) by regions Page | 87 Forests in Sierra Leone provide most of the wood products for local consumption. They provide 95% of the country’s domestic energy in the form of fuel wood for over 98% of the population. About 1.5% of the round wood removals from the forest comprise sawlogs; 4% of construction poles and 95% of fuel wood. There are about 300 carpentry and joinery workshops in the Western area alone utilizing over 4000m3 of roundwood (1995). The utilizing industries contributed 0.6% to 0.8% to the GDP (1988). Most of the timber is utilized locally and in 1986 only 7,300m3 of sawn was exported. The annual per capital firewood consumption in the 1990s was 1.63m3/yr. Apart from providing fuel wood and sawn timber; to majority of the population forests also provide food, medicine, job opportunities and income. The coastal mangrove forests in addition protect the coastal and river banks against erosion and are important natural habitat and breeding grounds for various aquatic life and sanctuary for migratory birds. Forests are therefore ceitical for biological diversity conservation and sustainability. 1.1.9 Wildlife Philipson (1978) listed 102 large and small mammals of which 23 species were antelopes, gazelles and buffaloes (Bovidae), 7 species of large cats (felidae) and 18 species of primates (monkeys, chimps and gorillas). A more recent survey by Stuart and Adams (1990) for whole of sub-Saharan African Countries, gave Sierra Leone a total of 178 species of animals of which 15 were primates and 18 species were in the antelope class. The same Survey recorded 614 species of birds in Sierra Leone, of these six forest interior birds are threatened with extinction (IUCN, 1992), whilst the number of amphibians and reptiles was stated as unknown. Lebbie (2002) listed 25 species of amphibians 17 species of reptiles. A major source of protein in Sierra Leone is from the hunting of wild life, generally called “bush meat�. About 55% of animal protein consumed in Sierra Leone is from bush me Page | 88 APPENDIX 7 – Summary of Consultations ONE-DAY WORKSHOP TO DELIBERATE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK (ESMF) 1.0 Introduction The workshop was held in Freetown on Thursday 5th September, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. at the Bintumani Hotel, Aberdeen Village, Freetown. The participants were drawn from the nineteen local councils in the four regions of the country and included all stakeholders in education that partner with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to facilitate the effective and efficient delivery of educational service. The Session was chaired by the Permanent Secretary Mr. Mani Koroma who invited volunteers to offer Christian and Muslim prayers. After welcoming the participants to the workshop, he invited them to do self introductions. 2.0 Overview of the REDiSL Project Immediately after the self introductions, the Chairman invited the Project Coordinator, Mr. Reginald C. King to give a background on the project. In his overview, he stated that the Revitalising Education Development in Sierra Leone (REDiSL) Project was a US$23.4 million grant2 processed under the Investment Project Financing (IPF) instrument available to the Government of Sierra Leone from the Global Partnership of Education (GPE) Fund as well as the Sierra Leone Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The funding was provided to build on the progress achieved through the previous EFA-FTI operation, and finances the activities in the revised ESP (2013-2018). The Project Components and Sub-components were as follows: Component 1: Improving the learning environment and opportunities in targeted areas Component 2: Strengthen education service delivery Component 3: Project Management and Supervision 2 $17.9 million allocation from GPE; $5.5 million equivalent from a multi-donor TF, currently funded by DFID. Page | 89 REDiSL (US$23.4M) GPE Funded (US$17.9M) MDTF Funded (US$5.5M)-DFID Performance-based School Grants Monitoring and Reporting of ESP Piloting approaches to increase school readiness Transformation and capacity building (Early Childhood Care Education) Strengthening reading outcomes at early grades Building the foundation for better measurement of learning outcomes (Learning Assessment) Improvements in teacher management Robust consistent school data collection (Teaching Service Commission-TSC) Project Management and Supervision Establishing a system for driving and monitoring the Implementation of the Education Sector Strategy – The Change Unit (CU) The Coordinator, in conclusion appealed to the participants to derive the maximum benefits from the workshop as to endeavour to make the sessions highly participatory. 3.0 ESMF Presentation The Chairman then requested the consultant Dr. Ralph Bona to do his presentation.  Commencing his presentation he highlighted the purpose of having an ESMF and the objectives of the workshop: a) Purpose for an ESMF The Bank requires environmental assessment (EA) of projects proposed for Bank financing to ensure that they are environmentally sound and sustainable, in order to incorporate environmental sustainability into decision making. b) Workshop Objectives i) To disclose the contents of the ESMF to the public and to obtain their comments, views Page | 90 and suggestions on the environmental and social implications that may arise from the project ii) To provide an opportunity for informing the stakeholders about the proposed Project and sub-components and build on the ownership iii) To acquaint stakeholders on grievance redress mechanisms c) Policies, Regulations and Laws i) In continuing his presentation, reference was made to the undermentioned Policies, Regulations and Laws that governed the preservation of the environment in relation to the sub component of the project that dealt with classroom construction. Policy Regulation Law National Environmental Forestry regulation 1990 Environment Protection Policy, 1994 Agency Act, 2008 National Lands, Policy Fisheries regulation 1990 Supplementary EPA Acts, 2010, Environmental Impact Assessment Act, 2010 Wildlife sector policy, 2003 Wildlife regulation, 1997 Forestry Act, 1998 Biodiversity Action Plan, 2003 Fisheries Act, 1988 Factories Act, 1974 Wildlife conservation Act, 1972 Local government Act 2004 ii) Following this, he recounted the World Bank’s operational policies and the expected impact on the project. These are as follows: 7) OP 4.01 Environmental Assessment The ESMF would cover an assessment of all the sub-components of the REDiSL 8) OP 4.36 Forests The ESMF would list environmental impacts and mitigation measures relating to the loss of vegetation should one of the sub-components, construction of new classrooms require removal of vegetation Page | 91 9) OP 4.04, OP 4.04 a, BP 4.04 Natural Habitats The ESMF would list environmental impacts and mitigation measures relating to the degradation of natural habitats should one of the sub-components, construction of new classrooms results in the contamination of natural ecosystems 10) OP 4.09 Pest Management It was noted that Pest Control does not apply to the REDiSL project 11) OP 4.37 Safety of Dams Also noted was that Dam construction, operation or safety does not apply to the REDiSL project 12) OP 4.12 Involuntary Resettlement Further, it was clearly articulated that there will be no physical or economic displacement of people under the REDiSL project d) Impacts and Mitigation Measures for Selected Sub-component Types The Consultant continuing his presentation after the Lunch Break, then informed participants of the Impacts and mitigations for the selected sub-component types that the project coordinator had highlighted in his overview. These issues were portrayed in a tabular format as indicated below: Page | 92 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures Component 1: Improving the learning environment and opportunities in targeted areas 1. School Environmental impact: None None grants Positive Social impact:  increased access to school,  improved teaching and learning environment,  reduced cost of schooling,  capacity development,  strengthening of systems for planning, budgeting, and reporting in the education sector 2. Piloting 1. Establishment of 50 Environmental Impacts approaches to pre-primary classrooms increase school attached to readiness government-supported schools c) 30 new 10. Contamination of surface water 5. A buffer zone of 50 m will be classrooms courses by sediment runoff from established close to a neighbouring exposed soil during construction watercourse, but these will be extended in rare cases of sensitive watercourses and wetlands. Page | 93 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures 6. Clearing will be limited to the area absolutely necessary for construction; 7. Major construction will be restricted to the Dry Season to minimize the effect of runoff; 8. If clearing is conducted in the Wet Season, sediment control measures must be put in place. 11. Atmospheric contamination or 1. Dust suppression measures such as pollution from particulate matter sprinkling will be done on lateritic released into the atmosphere from roads with major vehicular traffic; plying of lateritic roads by vehicles transporting building 2. Cement will be carefully handled materials; Atmospheric pollution when released from its sack, until it from exhaust fumes; toxic has been mixed with water and rocks particulates from cement dust to produce mortar or concrete. 3. Vehicles and generators will be regularly serviced and handled well to minimize gas/fume emissions from exhaust pipes. 4. All vehicles on site will be confined to sign-posted speed limits. 5. Trucks carrying earth material and cement will have covered loads and Page | 94 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures tightly sealed tailgates. 6. Miscellaneous dust sources such as spillages from trucks and silts from sediment controls will be regularly cleaned up. 7. Equipment and vehicles that show excessive emissions of exhaust gases due to poor engine adjustments, or other inefficient operating conditions will not be operated until corrective repairs or adjustments are made. 12. Clearing and stripping of trees for 1. Clearing of vegetation will be construction activities could lead restricted to the defined project site; to loss of vegetation 2. Neighbouring vegetation will remain undisturbed; site operations personnel will be deterred from conducting any work outside of the designated project site. 3. Induction will be organized for all personnel working at the site on the importance of avoiding any disturbance in the vegetated area. 4. Risk of contamination of 1. All fuel will be transported to the project area in containers that are Page | 95 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures environmental media (soil, water considered safe; or air) from construction wastes 2. Transporting petroleum products and hazardous materials (used and/or hazardous material will be done in compliance with government batteries, rubbish, metals, glass, regulations. spills, etc) 3. All employees who handle fuel or other dangerous goods on the project will have to be experienced in the handling of dangerous goods prior to working on the project; 4. All dangerous goods will be handled by persons having experience and training in these products. 5. All non-toxic or non-hazardous wastes that are not designated as combustible will be either recycled or disposed of in an approved landfill. Construction debris will be appropriately stored on site until removed. 6. Refuse generated during the servicing of equipment will be stored and removed from the site and disposed of in an appropriate manner. 7. Used batteries will not be placed in dumpsters or trash containers! 8. Used non-leaking batteries will be collected separately and temporarily stored in a safe place, and in a way that protects human health and the environment. Page | 96 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures Social Impacts 9. Depending on the level of 1. Speed limits should be erected and activities in a specific location, enforced on the Access Road and elevated vehicular traffic could project site. 2. Speed limit on the Access Road within lead to community safety issues settlements should be kept at 5kph. 3. Vehicles should be instructed to hoot their horns when entering any settlements. 4. Speed bumps should be installed at the entrance and exit of every settlement along the Access Road. 5. Flagmen should be positioned at the critical areas such as schools close to the Access road during high vehicle traffic periods. 6. Traffic signs should be interpreted and communicated in social sessions to village communities along the Access road. 7. Issues relating to workers’ safety, 1. Raising the profile of occupational and the handling of dangerous goods environmental health issues at utilized in the construction of construction sites, by building awareness of even basic health and classrooms: risk to workers and safety practices, and by developing a community safety sense of due diligence among contractors’ staff and foremen. 2. Minor deficiencies in the structure, equipment or furniture e.g. exposed nails and screws, loose fittings and Page | 97 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures handles, uneven and damaged flooring, rough and splintered edges to woodwork, jamming doors etc – may cause cuts, bruises, trips and falls. They should therefore, be repaired or taken care of, as soon as they are noticed. 3. Suitable safety footwear should be worn at all times. 4. Personnel should be supplied with suitable personal protective equipment particularly when engaged in work involving a particular hazard, which can be reduced by the provision of personal protective equipment. 5. Community people should not be allowed at construction sites 6. Noise pollution and vibration 1. Work should be undertaken as quickly effect from operation of as possible to shorten the period of construction equipment and disturbance. machines 2. Plants and equipment should be operated in a manner that minimizes noise. 3. Noise levels in the nearest settlement arising from construction activities should not exceed 55 dB. 4. Excessive noise generated activities Page | 98 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures should be restricted to daytime and be suspended on religious or cultural occasions. 7. Conflict from employment 1. Preference should be given to the local issues: failure to give preference community in the area of job to the locals over in-migrants opportunities. 2. Jobs should only be given to migrant workers when no suitably qualified and experienced local person is available. 3. Opportunities should be created for employment of female workers at a level that is on par with similar establishments nationwide. 4. In the area of job opportunities for desk assignments, preference should be given to female applicants. 5. A complaint management plan must be put in place to address grievances 6. Transmission of HIV-AIDS and 1. Appropriate messages concerning HIV other STDs from in-migration of or AIDS and other sexually job seekers and employees transmitted diseases at construction sites should be provided to staff and locals in project affected communities. 2. The same should be done for sensitization on HIV and AIDS, Teenage Pregnancy and Malaria. d) 20 rehabilitated Environmental Impact See mitigation measures on atmospheric classrooms pollution above Atmospheric contamination or pollution Page | 99 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures from particulate matter released into the atmosphere from plying of lateritic roads by vehicles transporting building materials; Atmospheric pollution from exhaust fumes; toxic particulates from cement dust Social Impact See mitigation measures on workers safety above Issues relating to workers’ safety, the handling of dangerous goods utilized in the rehabilitation of classrooms: risk to workers and community safety 4. Establishing Environmental Impact: None NA minimum standards for ECCE Positive Social Impact 7. Upgrading the quality of ECCE across the country 8. Higher standard of teachers’ qualifications 9. Developing Pre- Environmental Impact: None NA primary education Page | 100 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures curriculum Positive Social Impact: Minimal 10. Train Environmental Impact: None NA approximately 200 teachers Positive Social Impact and care givers 2. Better output (teaching and students quality) 11. Provide stipends Environmental Impact: None NA for graduating teachers and Positive Social Impact caregivers 4. Better output (teaching and working in the students quality) new classrooms 12. Support Same as section 2, subsection 5 above. NA establishment of pre-primary unit in the MEST 3.Strengthening 2. provision of Environmental Impact: None NA reading reading books outcomes at and relevant Positive Social Impact early grades primary 1. Better output (teaching and students materials for quality) primary classes Page | 101 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures 5. Reading Environmental Impact: None NA campaign Positive Social Impact 2. Raising the profile of education over and beyond the classroom environment with a view to increasing literacy levels 6. Training of Same as section 3, sub-section 2 above teachers of early primary grades Component 2: Strengthening education service delivery 1. Same as section 3, sub-section 2 above Improvements in teacher management 2.Building Same as section 3, sub-section 2 above foundation for better measurement of learning outcomes Page | 102 Category Sub-component Impact Mitigation Measures Component 3: Project Management and Supervision Funding for 2 NA years of school Census and NA enhancement of the FM Procurement NA M&E NA Functions within ESP Secretariat Page | 103 4.0 Recommendations/Next steps After several questions and comments, the following recommendations were made: 1. The issues of importance in the ESMF should be disseminated to other stakeholders who were not in attendance, especially the contractors who would be executing the Civil Works under the Early Childhood sub-component [This can be done during implementation] 2. The ESMF should be used to inform stakeholders of the proposed Project and sub- components [This can be done during implementation by the REDiSL Secretariat] 3. That the Public be kept informed about the ESMF in order to afford potentially displaced persons the opportunity to contribute to both the design and implementation of the Project activities, including: a. Project inception and planning; b. Alternatives and screening process; c. Feasibility study; d. Preparation of sub-component designs; 4. The ESMF should provide a credible and accessible means for Project affected persons (PAPs) to pursue grievances. This will allow the Project to address genuine issues in a timely manner and decreases the chances of resistance to the Project from disgruntled PAPs a. Closing The Chairman in closing the workshop thanked the participants for a job well done and encouraged them to continue to give support to the project. Workshop Agenda 1. Registration of participants 2. Opening Prayers – Christian and Muslim 3. Introduction of participants 4. Chairman’s Opening Remarks 5. Overview of REDISL Project-Project Coordinator 6. ESMF Presentation: Consultant-Dr. Ralph Bona a. Purpose of ESMF b. Workshop Objectives c. Policy Regulations and Laws LUNCH BREAK 7. Impacts and Mitigation Measures for Selected Sub-component Types-Consultant 8. Recommendations/Next Steps 9. Closing Page | 105 Appendix 8 – Guidance Note and Protocol [see enclosed PDF file] Page | 106 Appendix 9 – Summary of Consultations update 2015 GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE Education Development Partners’ Meeting Draft Minutes 4th March 2015 N Name Ministry/ Phone Numbe E-mail address o NGO r 1 Dr Minkailu Bah MEST 2 Roland Monash UNICEF 3 Charistiana Thorpe MEST 076611527 camthorpe@yahoo.com 4 Alhaji M Kamara MEST 078445430 hajikamara@yahoo.com 5 Miriam Murray PLAN-SL 076627386 miriam.murray@plan.international.org 6 Mohamed Sillah S MEST 076330723 mssesay@yahoo.co.uk esay 7 Trudy Morgan World Bank 078131741 trudy.morgan@gmail.com 8 Nabie M Kamara MEST 076544120 nabiek@yahoo.ca 9 C-echikezie NERC 079105010 c-echikezie@up-africa.com 10 Umaru G Sesay MEST 076640592 ugbessay@gmail.com 11 Victor L Amara MEST 078266800 V_amara2002@hotmail.com 12 Katherina Wuppin UNICEF 076157855 kwuppinger@unicef.org ger 13 Grace Newman Street Child 078984587 grace@street-child.co.uk 14 Sybl Bailor PLAN-SL 076541236 Slybilbailor@plan.international.org 15 Sheku C Johnny NEC 076902096 Shekujonney@yahoo.co.uk 16 UNICEF 076297 45 MKotale@unicef.org 17 Kyomi H Koroma JICA 076865900 Koromakiyomi.gn@jica.go.jp 18 Prince EO Cole MEST 076499600 pecole@yahoo.com 19 Aiah Quinda NEC 076673673 aiahnec@gmail.com 20 Martin A Foday PLAN-SL 076636426 Martin.Foday@plan-international.org 21 Else Kirk GOAL 076608496 ekirk@sl.goal.ie 22 Salimatu N Korom MEST 076761863 Sallytee94@yahoo.com a 23 Alfred M Kamara WVSL Alfred_Kamara@wvi.org 076646324 Page | 107 24 A C T Dupigny MEST 077771894 dupingy101@yahoo.com 25 Reginald C King MEST 076630192 regirica1@yahoo.co.uk 26 Ezekiel Mensah- G WFP 076702117 Ezekeil.gborie@wfp.org borie 27 Constance Kobola WFP kobolan@wfp.org n 28 Harinor Rashid BRAC 088390356 haron.inr@brac.net 29 Nicholas Bishop IOM 076466942 nbishop@iom.int 30 Ben Fender UK 076601047 Ben.fender@fio.gov.uk 31 Anduele Bryan CONCERN 078388975 anduele.bryan@concern.net 32 David Sombie CRS 076642442 david.sombie@crs.org 33 Emily Stanger AGI 076102056 Emily.stranger@tb.agi.org 34 Adama J Momoh MEST 076611920 tjamo1747@yahoo.co.uk 35 Willary Noldred MEST 076645405 willarynoldred@yahoo.co.uk 36 Khadidia Diabi ADB k.diadi@afdb.org 37 Sandi Jambawai ADB 079287076 S.jambawai@afdb.org 38 Simon Ingram-hill British Cou 078912777 Simm.ingram-hill@sl.britishcouncil.org ncil 39 Wongani G Taulo UNICEF 076100541 wgtaulo@unicef.org 40 Vijay Narayan GOAL 079047550 vnaryan@sl.goal.ie 41 Abubakarr Javomb NEC 076999553 Mymassah2002@gmail.com o 42 Mohamed G Kama MEST 078346616 mykamarasfp@yahoo.com ra 43 A C T Dupigny MEST Dupigny101@yahoo.com 44 H. Nelson - Willia MEST 030289962 dupe562003@yahoo.com ms 45 Musa A Briama CARE- SL 076894753 Musa.Brima@co.car.org 46 Jordan Hoffmann CARE-SL 078899162 Jordan.hoffman@co.care.org 47 Alimamy Sawanne US Peace C 076267870 asawaneh@peacecorps.gov h orps 48 Anne Peters DFID 49 Natalie Versteeg DFID 099502042 n-versteeg@dfid.gov.uk 50 Michael Jack USAID 079767538 mjack@ofda.gov 51 Tpan K Karmallir BRAC 077553501 tapan.kk@brac.net 52 Louisa S Gbassa NES 076657361 losisagbassa@gmail.com 53 Ansumana Y Kann NEC 076647982 a.kanneh@gmail.com eh 54 Alpha Bangura MOFED 078111888 iapnmasin@yahoo.com 55 Holima A Samai MEST 076644584 holimasami@yahoo.co.uk Page | 108 AGENDA 1. Welcome by UNICEF Co-chair 2. Remarks by the Honorable Minister of Education, Science and Technology th 3. Action points of the previous meeting- 19 February 2015 4. Status of School Reopening (MEST) 5. AOB 6. Closing remarks by the Honorable Minister of Education Science and Technology 1 & 2 Welcome Remarks The meeting was called to order at 2:26pm and was co-chaired by the Hon Minister of Education and the UNICEF Country Representative. The Honourable Minister welcomed all present and thanked them for their contribution in the school reopening process. He reiterated that since the last EDP meeting on the 19 th February 2015 there have been series of meetings discussing issues surrounding the reopening of schools. It is against this background the Education Development Partners should be updated with progress and also look at issues to be addressed, he concluded. 3. Action Points for 19th February 2015 EDP Meeting : The Minister led partners present through the Action Points for 19 th February 2015 EDP meeting:  UNICEF to circulate Guidance Note and protocol amongst EDPs – Done  Technical committee to meet on the Friday 20th February for the formation of the subcommittees- Done  MEST to prepare the new compressed academic year calendar for the attention of the general public- Done  REDiSL secretariat to work with UNICEF on the list of EDP membership - Done 5. Status of School Reopening – Subcommittees reports: Page | 109 i. Guidance note and protocol Committee  One of the major responsibility of this committee is monitoring the decontamination of schools and make sure the WASG stations are in place  Generally monitoring the check list to make sure that the safe environment of schools are done  Schools used as Ebola centers, schools to be used as examination centers and the rest of the schools are to be decontaminated  Schools used as holding centers are not too many nationwide and should be given top most priority during the disinfection exercise  Decontamination of schools used as Ebola centers should be finished by the 16/3/15  For disinfection of schools MoHS is responsible under the leadership of Dr Ansumana Sillah  MoHS protocols should be adhered to during the decontamination process of all schools  Prince of Wales and Methodist Boys High School will be part of the schools to be given priority in the disinfection drive Action Point:  Chairman ,Protocol committee to follow up with MoHS on their representation in the at the subcommittee level ii. Supply and Logistics Committee :  MOU have been signed with NEC for distribution of supplies from the district stores to the schools in the remote area, as they have the capacity in sorting and packaging of items  MEST/GPE consignments will be taken from the central warehouse at Wellington to districts using the same mode of transportation  At the district level , materials will be dispatched to schools under the watchful eyes of the district task force  The committee have prepared the supply matrix and disseminated among partners  The matrix indicates the gaps  MEST/GPE supplies , the committee is using the procurement procedure of UNICEF so the committee won’t have to re-vent the wheel as procurement process involves great deal of time  The process of acquiring MEST/GPE supplies is on going  UNICEF will be supplying around 24,300 buckets and jerry cans while MEST/GPE will do about 39,230. The total expected quantity of bucket and jerry can will be 63,530  The committee and NEC have drafted key dated for distribution as follows: Page | 110 Phase 1 distribution time line th 5 March 2015 Arrival of materials at the central warehouse in Freetown th th 6 – 9 March 2015 Packing and sorting of materials by district at the central warehouse 8th -10th March 2015 Movement of materials to district warehouse 9th-11 March 2015 Packing and sorting of materials at the district ware houses 9th -14th March 2015 Distribution of materials from district headquarters to schools th 15 March 2015 Internal arrangement and preparation for reopening of schools JSS3 th 16 March 2015 Reopening of schools for JSS 3 Phase 2 distribution time line 10th- 15th March 2015 Packing and sorting of materials at the central warehouse for phase 2 distribution 12th -18th March 2015 Movement of materials to the district warehouse 13th – 20th March 2015 Packing and sorting of materials at the district warehouses 20th -23rd March 2015 Final distribution materials to schools 23rd -29th March 2015 Final of reopening of schools nation wide Action Point:  Chairman of this ,is to follow up with partners whether their commitments are still on the table III. Accelerated Learning:  Some agencies have pledge over 110,500 radios to the radio and television programme  Any radio to be procure should have a playback  The committee continue with recording and distribution of past lessons to hard to reach areas  The committee have spent some time on content development for the radio programme, covering a period of 10 weeks  Moratorium will be placed on all extracurricular activities  The committee has decided to develop core content for the abridge school year for 25weeks  Distribution of the core content will be done to all school through the DDs in the districts th th  School calendar for 2015 will consist of 25weeks – 30 March- 18 September 2015 and 2015/2016 academic year will commence on October Action point:  IBIS to collect duty weaver form from their clearing agent and fast track the process with MEST IV. Teacher Training Committee: Page | 111  The committee announced the following calendar for school reopening and for the conduct of examination : th th i. School reopening -30 March -18 September 2015 ii. This session will go uninterrupted except on public holidays, this will running for 25weeks iii. There will be no school celebrations except official holidays th iv. Revision starts on 16 March 2015 for JSS 3 pupils , taking the outstanding BECE examination th nd v. The BECE examination starts 0n the 24 March -2 April 2015 rd th vi. Friday 3 April 2015 is Good Friday & Monday 6 April will be public holiday  32,500 pieces of infer-red thermometers will be transported to the various schools nationwide  National assessment has been conducted and the data are being analyzed at MEST Planning Unit  About 400 Trainer of Trainers-TOT have been trained on psychosocial and EVD issues, with support from UNICEF/DFID  UNICEF/DFID to produce the training manual for teacher training and this training will commence on th the 9 March 2015 th th  Likewise 2days (9 – 10 March 2015) training for tertiary institution on the use of thermal cameras nd  2 training will be done later this month with funds provided by IDB V. School Feeding Committee:  School feeding programme have 3 partners, the Government, CRS and WFP  The GOSL will be supporting 800.000, WFP 267,000 and CRS 29,000  WFP targeting hardest hit area of Ebola  Koinadugu district is the targeted area for CRS, covering 5 chiefdoms and WFP will cover 19 chiefdoms and a constituency in the Western Area  The committee has sent out expression of interest to partners and have received 11 but 3 are to send in their profile  Assessment of these partners will commence on the 5-9 March 2015 and information will be presented to the steering committee for partner selection  Government has committed 11million USD to the school feeding programme Action point:  To follow up with CRS on their representation at committee meeting  MEST to have meeting with WFP to determine the mode of operation VI. WASH committee:  The minimum number of hand washing buckets was 4: 50, and increases as the number increases  Two pieces of bar soap per bucket  Stands for the bucket to be provided by SMC,/CTA  Where the community/ SMCs cannot provide water for schools , agreement for water trucking be made until sustainable water supply is restored in the school in question  The following package was agreed on as package for school cleaning:  6 pieces of nose marks per school  25 liters of Clorox per school  1 wheelbarrow and 2shovel per school  4 pairs of rubber hand glove per school  1 rubbish bin per classroom Page | 112 VII. Social Mobilization Committee: This committee has developed a document called social mobilization & communication strategy  In the documents key messages developed for targeted groups  Developed a management , coordination and M&E team  Developed a work plan with budget for the committee assigned task and awaits the Coordinator for her approval Action point:  The committee to start sending out its mobilization messages  To continue budget discussion with REDiSL Coordinator on sensitization Comments/ Observation from partners:  The Process of sharing information among partners to be improved upon as some partners do not easily access vital information from subcommittees of the school reopening programme  IBIS to expedite the process of clearing the 2000 radios they imported for the radio/ television porgramme  In other for parent to have confidence in the school reopening process should be an ongoing process, messages from social mobilization  There should be a body responsible for coordination of information and dissemination of information to partners  A body should also be responsible for duty weaver, kit content, so that partners can contact this body directly  Social mobilization should be an ongoing process of convincing parent /guidance guaranteeing them about the safety of the school environment  Government is paying composite fees and schools should not ask for a single cent from parents  Government will pay this amount directly into the school accounts 6. Closing Remarks The honourable minister thanked all for attending and making useful contribution to the school reopening process. Meeting adjourned to Thursday 26th March 2015 Page | 113