Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. President Julius Maada Bio on Wednesday met with a high-level delegation from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other agricultural partners to discuss enhanced collaboration on Sierra Leone’s agricultural transformation efforts.
The delegation included Donald Brown, Associate Vice President of IFAD; Enoch Chikava, Director of Agriculture Delivery Systems at the Gates Foundation; representatives from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA); and McKinsey’s Africa Agriculture Transformation Initiative (AATI).
During the visit, Mr. Chikava commended President Bio’s strong commitment to food security, particularly through the “Feed Salone” initiative.
He conveyed the Gates Foundation’s readiness to support Sierra Leone’s agriculture sector, with a specific focus on local capacity building.
“Development cannot be orchestrated from outside. The country must have its own ability to implement what it wants to do,” Chikava stated, affirming the Foundation’s intent to partner closely with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure the success of “Feed Salone.”
Donald Brown of IFAD echoed this message, pledging continued support for Sierra Leone’s agricultural sector. He praised President Bio’s leadership and expressed IFAD’s eagerness to align with the nation’s agricultural vision, also highlighting the potential of ECOWAS as a regional agricultural bloc.
President Bio welcomed the delegation, reiterating that agriculture is fundamental to sustainable development, providing not only food security but also employment and revenue opportunities.
He provided an update on the establishment of a Presidential Council on Agriculture, describing it as a strategic body designed to accelerate the implementation of the “Feed Salone” initiative. The President underscored the necessity of partnerships to address the multifaceted reforms required in the sector. “We are ambitious, and we need the private sector to bring in their expertise so that we don’t miss the mark,” he said.
President Bio emphasized the importance of embedding agriculture and food security into the national culture and transitioning the sector from traditional to modern practices. “We need technical support to transform agriculture. It will help motivate and empower our farmers,” he noted.
The President concluded by reaffirming his government’s political will to ensure the success of “Feed Salone” and thanked the Gates Foundation, IFAD, AGRA, and McKinsey’s AATI for their ongoing support.
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