By Sward Conteh
President Julius Maada Bio has announced that the “Feed Salone” program, aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in food production, will cost $257.3 million in 2024 and is projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2028. This ambitious initiative is driven by extensive interventions across various agricultural value chains, with a strong focus on attracting private investment and establishing a robust data collection and reporting system.
Sierra Leone, like many African nations, relies heavily on food imports. To counter this dependency, President Bio emphasized the need to boost agricultural productivity through private sector-led investments, aiming for inclusive growth, reduced hunger, increased export earnings, and job creation to build a resilient economy.
While other African leaders are making long speeches on policy directives to boost agricultural production, President Bio has shown his commitment by taking a hands-on approach as the “Chief Farmer,” championing the “Feed Salone” project. This initiative is guided by a Presidential Council and executed by Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. The project builds on the five-year National Transformation Plan (NAT) 2018-2023, laying a solid foundation for prioritizing agriculture.
“Feed Salone” is an extension of the NAT program, aiming not only to achieve food security but also to promote national prosperity through the participation of major private sector players, including rice importers. President Bio stated that “Feed Salone” also seeks to restore the dignity, pride, and honor of farming in Sierra Leone.
The government has rolled out policy interventions to ensure local production is more competitive, attracting investment and enhancing key value chains. These interventions include a review of land laws to make investment in Sierra Leone more appealing. Proper infrastructure and an adequate financing model are essential to these policy interventions. The project will be funded through a blended financing model, combining government resources with those of development partners to attract private capital, ensure sustainability, de-risk the sector, and build trust with investors.
The “Feed Salone” Secretariat team within the Ministry of Agriculture will oversee the delivery of the program and build public service capacity. The program’s success hinges on enhancing farmers’ capabilities and capacities through the use of a Biometric National Farmer Registry and the E-Voucher model, innovations designed to eradicate middlemen, reduce fraud, and minimize corruption.
By 2024, the program’s action plan includes rice cluster development, E-Voucher revamp, efficient input distribution, machine repositioning, and better access to finance to minimize investment loss.
President Bio’s vision for “Feed Salone” is not just about food security but also about creating a sustainable and prosperous future for Sierra Leone through innovative agricultural practices and strong private sector partnerships.
