Sierra Leone’s Climate Change Communications Strategy Under the National Adaptation Plan

The strategy provides a roadmap for the Environment Protection Agency of Sierra Leone to bridge information gaps regarding climate change vulnerability. It identifies primary audiences such as political leadership and ministries, and secondary audiences including media and CSOs. The plan emphasizes a narrative of collective action and urgency, utilizing radio, mobile phones, and social media to disseminate sector-specific messages across agriculture, fisheries, health, and energy.

• Sierra Leone is identified as the third most vulnerable nation globally to the adverse effects of climate change, following Bangladesh and Guinea Bissau, yet the general public exhibits low consciousness regarding these hazards.
• A SWOT analysis of climate change communication in Sierra Leone reveals internal strengths such as political will and the EPA's mandate, but highlights critical weaknesses including low budget allocations for adaptation among ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and a lack of climate change integration into government budgets.
• The communication strategy is structured around the three stages of the NAP process: the planning stage focuses on raising awareness of scientific aspects and impacts; the implementation stage focuses on strengthening alliances to trigger behavioral change; and the M&E stage focuses on sharing lessons learned.
• The strategy identifies primary target audiences as high-level political authority and sector MDAs, while secondary audiences include influential intermediaries such as journalists, celebrities, traditional and religious leaders, and civil society organizations.
• To ensure messages are remembered and acted upon, the government will employ a narrative frame emphasizing that climate change affects every citizen and requires total societal involvement, delivered with a tone of urgency.
• The strategy proposes tailored messaging for specific sectors to address unique vulnerabilities, such as promoting seed security in agriculture, stopping illegal fishing in fisheries, and discouraging charcoal use in the energy sector.
• Radio and mobile phones are identified as the most effective communication channels due to high reach, with 81% of the population having radio access in 2015 and mobile phone access reaching up to 83%.
• The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is the lead institution responsible for coordinating and implementing the strategy, utilizing tools such as media monitoring, website analytics, and public surveys for monitoring and evaluation.

APA

NAP Global Network (2020). Sierra Leone’s Climate Change Communications Strategy Under the National Adaptation Plan. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/napgn-en-2020-Sierra-Leone-Climate-Change-Communications-Strategy-under-the-NAP.pdf

Chicago

NAP Global Network. Sierra Leone’s Climate Change Communications Strategy Under the National Adaptation Plan. 2020. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/napgn-en-2020-Sierra-Leone-Climate-Change-Communications-Strategy-under-the-NAP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NAP Global Network |title=Sierra Leone’s Climate Change Communications Strategy Under the National Adaptation Plan |date=June 2020 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/napgn-en-2020-Sierra-Leone-Climate-Change-Communications-Strategy-under-the-NAP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{napglobalnetwork2020sierra, author = {{NAP Global Network}}, title = {{Sierra Leone’s Climate Change Communications Strategy Under the National Adaptation Plan}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/napgn-en-2020-Sierra-Leone-Climate-Change-Communications-Strategy-under-the-NAP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }