By Sallieu S. Kanu
Freetown – On Thursday, February 20, 2025, representatives from key ministries, agencies, the private agrifood sector, and financing and development partners gathered in Freetown to deliberate on critical actions necessary for achieving the results outlined in the Feed Salone Implementation Plan Pillar 3. This initiative, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), aims to boost food security and inclusive economic growth in Sierra Leone through strategic investments.
Pillar 3 focuses on enhancing the aggregation, processing, and marketing of agrifood products to increase competitiveness both domestically and internationally, while also improving food security to drive the transformation of the agrifood sector in Sierra Leone.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has supported MAFS in developing an Implementation Plan for the Operationalization of the Feed Salone Strategy Pillar 3, as part of the European Union’s Sustainable Agrifood Systems Intelligence Initiative (SASI).
The implementation strategy aims to create more inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems in the country, providing more nutritious food and jobs to the population. To boost competitiveness, the plan emphasizes private sector-led growth, with smallholder farmers playing an active role in value chains. It prioritizes actions to support enhanced opportunities for women and youth. The government also seeks to increase domestic food production to reduce dependence on imports and ensure access to affordable and nutritious food for all Sierra Leoneans.
The operational plan outlines multiple actions to encourage the active participation of various actors within agricultural value chains, including individual farmers, producer organizations, entrepreneurs, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), processors, and larger companies.
Participants agreed to pursue these objectives and announced specific results to be achieved by 2028, including:
Expanding rice sector investments and milling capacity from 112,000 tonnes to 650,240 tonnes per annum while improving the quality of processed rice and promoting increased private sector investment in rice processing.
Boosting egg production from 3 million to 15 million eggs per annum, with increased participation of women, youth, and disabled persons.
Expanding land cultivated for onion production.
Increasing the share of cassava production being sold and processed, providing more opportunities for processing companies.
Encouraging increased production and raising the quality of Sierra Leone’s cashew output to take advantage of international market opportunities.
Henry Musa Kpaka, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, highlighted the government’s commitment to transforming the agrifood sector sustainably. “We are committed to transforming sustainably the agrifood sector in the country, ensuring inclusivity and job creation for our population. We are now calling upon other ministries, development partners, private sector, NGOs, and civil society, farmers, farmer cooperatives, and associations to contribute to the transformation.”
Federico Capurro, Food Systems Programme Manager at the European Union Delegation in Sierra Leone, emphasized the EU’s support: “The European Union is encouraging Sierra Leone to reach the objectives of the Feed Salone strategy, through financial and technical support. This plan is a first step towards sustainable agrifood systems.”
Saeed Abubakar Bancie, FAO Representative in Sierra Leone, expressed his satisfaction with the plan: “We supported the design of this plan by the Ministry and are glad to see it officially adopted today. It is both ambitious and grounded in reality, and we trust that it will greatly contribute to ensuring sustainable growth and greater inclusivity in Sierra Leone’s food production.”
The SASI initiative, a partnership between the EU, FAO, and Agrinatura, supports countries in translating national goals and plans into operational programs, policies, and investments that enhance the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of their agrifood systems.