The Government of Sierra Leone wage bill for 2023 is projected at NLe 4.8 billion (7.2 percent of GDP) compared to NLe4.3 billion (8.1 percent of GDP) in 2022.

This revelation was made today, Friday 11 November 2022 by the Minister of Finance, Dennis K. Vandi during his Budget Speech for the 2023 financial year at the Chamber of Parliament.

The increase in the nominal wage bill provides for the following:

i. Government’s commitment to a 45 percent increase in salaries for teachers for the next three years, starting with an annual increase of 15 percent in January 2023;

ii. the final 25 percent increase in salaries for the security sector, as pronounced in the 2021 budget speech, implying that the security sector would have received a 75 percent increase from 2021 to 2023;

iii. recruitment of 2,000 Police Officers as follows; 1,000 effective January 2023 and another 1,000 effective March 2023;

iv. the recruitment of 500 health workers, which is part of the delayed recruitment for the FY2022 quota;

v. recruitment for the newly created sub-vented agencies- National Land Commission, National Cybersecurity Coordinating Center, Consumer Protection Commission, Wages and Compensation Commission and one Foreign Mission (UNESCO Desk Paris); and

vi. payment of gratuities for the Leadership and Members of Parliament, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Foreign Diplomats in March 2023.