Resource information
This First Phase Report on Sierra Leone
growth poles is the result of a 9 months consultative
process led by the Office of the President which
specifically requested that the output of this diagnostic be
in an engaging format. The fundamental concept of growth
poles is that they exploit agglomeration economies and
spillover effects to spread resulting prosperity from the
core of the pole to the periphery. At the basis of this
theory is the assumption that economic development is not
uniform over a region. Rather, it concentrates around a
geographic feature or economic hub. In particular, it
frequently concentrates around a key industry, around which
linked industries develop. A growth pole can be used to
nurture direct and indirect linkages from the flagship
industry to supporting sectors, which vastly expands the
employment generation potential of new investments in said
flagship industry. The expansion of this key industry
implies the expansion of output, employment, related
investments, as well as new technologies and new industrial sectors.
