Freetown,12th November 2025 — Sierra Leone’s $480 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact remains firmly on course, as the country continues to demonstrate policy alignment and governance progress under the newly expanded FY2026 MCC Scorecard.
A statement from the country’s MCC Compact Development Unit says. The updated scorecard, which now evaluates 22 indicators, up from 20, reflects shifting U.S. government priorities and introduces new benchmarks in governance, civil liberties, and economic competitiveness.
Notably, two new “hard hurdle” indicators- Control of Corruption and Government Accountability, have been added, alongside Personal Freedom, which replaces the previous focus on Political Rights and Civil Liberties.
Sierra Leone passed five out of six indicators in the Ruling Justly category, including Control of Corruption, which the country has now passed for seven consecutive years. It also met both newly introduced benchmarks: Government Accountability and Personal Freedom, signaling continued commitment to transparency and civic inclusion.
In the Economic Freedom category, Sierra Leone maintained strong scores in Women in the Economy (95%) and Employment Opportunity (82%). The inclusion of new metrics, Business Start-Up, Market Competitiveness, and International Market Access, offers fresh opportunities to assess progress in trade, entrepreneurship, and private sector reform. Government officials have welcomed these additions as tools to sharpen ongoing economic transformation efforts.
The Investing in People category saw a shift in focus, with Chronic Disease and Workforce Development replacing previous indicators on immunization and education expenditure. While data limitations affected scoring in workforce development, authorities reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening health systems and education pathways to meet future benchmarks.
Overall, Sierra Leone continues to pass all retained indicators from the previous scorecard, reinforcing its trajectory of steady improvement and alignment with MCC’s core principles of good governance, accountability, and inclusive growth.
The statement from the Compact Development Unit indicates that the Government of Sierra Leone views the expanded scorecard not as a challenge, but as an enhanced framework to drive reforms, boost competitiveness, and improve service delivery for all citizens.
The MCC Compact, one of the largest bilateral development investments in Sierra Leone’s history, is expected to boost infrastructure upgrades, institutional reforms, and private sector growth over the coming years.
