Under the project, Sierra Leone Rice Agro Cluster (SLRAIC), the African Development Bank has committed $ 30,000,000 to help with increased rice production in Sierra Leone. The project is going to be executed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Pujehun and Bonthe have been earmarked as places where the project is going to be implemented. Torma Bum in the Bonthe district and Gbondapi in the Pujehun district.
These are districts with conducive lands for year-long farming. The project is going to target smallholder rice farmers, small and medium enterprises, rice processors, machine operators and private and private sector inputs.
As rice is our staple food which makes government spend about $400m to import it every year which has affected our foreign exchange reserve. It is a project that is going to last for about three to four years. The specific objectives of the project include; increasing the productivity and production of rice by providing farmers access to quality inputs, land and water management, mechanization and extension services, improving the value chain through the processing of high-quality rice and promoting the consumption and marketing of locally processed rice.
It is going to be implemented under four components; enhancement of agriculture production systems, green agro-processing cluster development, capacity building and institutional strengthening and finally project management. The project management focal person is John Maada Paul Sinah, a young expert whose expertise has spanned over two decades in agriculture in both private and public sectors.
At a two-day project inception workshop in Bo which was graced by the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and chaired by Dr. Nathaniel King, technical advisor in the ministry, stakeholders were drawn from local councils, paramount chiefs, NAMED(National Measurement and Evaluation Agency), private sector and other experts in the field of agriculture. Frank and fruitful deliberations were done so that a way forward can be proffered for the success of the project.
The minister told the gathering that the government of Sierra Leone is going to play its part “by committing $7,000,000 to the project to make a total of $37,000,000 for the whole project. “…it is going to create a situation where we are going to drastically reduce the importation of our staple food, rice or end it totally,” according to the minister, Abdul Karim. This is not a loan but a grant according to the project focal person.
John Maada Paul Sinah said that the African Development Bank has started living up to its commitment. Consultants are going to get started on this project in 2023 and Njala University which is an agro-allied university is going to be upgraded as part of the project design. Lessons learned from other challenges faced with similar project implementation are going to be taken cognizance of.
Participants at the inception workshop however cautioned that port folio private sector players must be guarded against so that the project does not fail. The project also takes into cognizance road rehabilitation for easy access to the market and to also reduce “rural poverty”.
John Maada Paul Sinah, the project focal person has vowed that “over his dead body will this project fail”. And has therefore called on every stakeholder to join him in ensuring the success of this project. He also assured us that they will work with other projects like AVDP and RRVC so that there will be no duplication of functions and hence no waste of resources.
The project requires gender equity which he assured will be followed to the letter. The issue of post-harvest losses was also debated as it is a very serious problem that farmers face in Sierra Leone. Master farmers and SLeSCA ( Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency are also going to be partners in this project. Presentations by M&E and the accountant were also done which were followed by question and answer sessions. The project was also committed to God almighty for success.
