His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has welcomed a high-level delegation from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other agricultural partners who paid a courtesy visit to discuss expanding collaboration in 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; and representatives from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and McKinsey’s Africa Agriculture Transformation Initiative (AATI).
During the visit, Mr. Chikava praised President Bio’s strong support for food security through the Feed Salone initiative. He expressed the Gates Foundation’s willingness to help Sierra Leone’s agriculture sector, particularly in terms of local capacity building. “Development cannot be managed from the outside. He emphasised that the country must be able to implement its plans.
He praised the Ministry of Agriculture’s leadership and confirmed that the Foundation was in Sierra Leone to work closely with them to ensure the success of Feed Salone.
Mr. Donald Brown of IFAD echoed this message, promising continued support for the country’s agriculture sector. He praised President Bio’s leadership and stated that IFAD looks forward to collaborating with Sierra Leone’s agricultural vision, while also emphasizing ECOWAS’ potential as a regional agricultural bloc.
President Bio responded by welcoming the delegation on behalf of the Sierra Leone government and people. He emphasized that agriculture is the foundation of sustainable development, providing not only food security but also job and revenue generation opportunities.
He provided updates on the formation of a Presidential Council on Agriculture, describing it as a strategic body designed to expedite the Feed Salone initiative. He emphasized the importance of collaboration to address the many layers of reform required: “We are ambitious, and we need the private sector to bring in their expertise so that we don’t miss the mark.”
The President emphasized the importance of integrating agriculture and food security into national culture, as well as the transition from traditional to modern practices. We require technical assistance to transform agriculture. “It will help motivate and empower our farmers,” he added.
President Bio concluded by reaffirming his government’s political will to ensure Feed Salone’s success and thanking the Gates Foundation, IFAD, AGRA, and McKinsey’s AATI for their ongoing support and collaboration.
