By: Saidu Jalloh
Tivamiya Ltd has reaffirmed its commitment to food security, women’s empowerment, and community development following a media tour of its Wondie Kabowa farm site in Bo District.
Welcoming journalists to the facility, Co-Founder Haja Lilian Rogers said the company has empowered hundreds of women and girls through structured agricultural cooperatives and employment opportunities. She added that Tivamiya has also rehabilitated and employed vulnerable youth, including former street children battling drug addiction.
“At Tivamiya, we eat what we grow and grow what we eat,” Mrs. Rogers said, explaining that the women operate in four cooperative groups, each assigned specific schedules to ensure efficiency and shared responsibility.
One of the beneficiaries, Jeneba Lamin, who co-manages the farm’s fishpond, described how the initiative has transformed her life and that of her four children. She explained the fish farming process, noting that the farm raises catfish and tilapia.
“We feed them twice daily, morning and evening. Their feed is a mixture of fish skin, corn, pumpkin, and cattle blood,” Ms. Lamin said.
The Manager of Tivamiya Ltd’s Wondie Kabowa site, Abdulai Sheku Kabba, guided journalists through the rice mill, detailing the processing stages and product varieties. He said the company processes local “Wala” rice, white rice, bulgur-beaten rice, parboiled rice, and brown rice, which he described as nutrient-rich and beneficial for body building.
Mr. Kabba further disclosed that the fishponds serve a dual purpose: fish production and irrigation. Water from the ponds, enriched with organic nutrients, is used to fertilize crops and enhance growth.
Beyond rice and aquaculture, Tivamiya operates an animal husbandry unit comprising sheep, goats, and poultry. The poultry section includes hybrid, imported, and local chicken breeds. The company also produces various types of soap including caustic, laundry, and bathing soap packaged at the Wondie facility.
In an innovative initiative, Tivamiya refines palm oil into vegetable oil for domestic consumption and industrial use. The farm also provides milling services to local farmers at minimal cost, thereby supporting community livelihoods.
According to Mr. Kabba, the company has cultivated 17 hectares of rice under different varieties this season and supplies improved seeds to partner farms. During the dry season, the land is used to cultivate other crops to maintain productivity. Tivamiya has also planted groundnuts and manages a cassava garden under a project supported by the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute, featuring the improved “Baba 70” cassava variety.
In his remarks, the Founder of Tivamiya Ltd, Woya Saffa Rogers who also serves as Sierra Leone’s Deputy Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China traced the company’s establishment to 2019.
He said the initiative was inspired by President Julius Maada Bio’s call for public officials and citizens to invest in agriculture under the national “Feed Salone” drive.
“Today, we are a certified company with farms in Kenema, Bo, and Pujehun districts,” Mr. Rogers stated. “In Wondie, Bo District, we manage 500 hectares of rice; in Kenema, 30 hectares; and in Pujehun, 30 hectares of Inland Valley Swamps (IVS).”
He added that Tivamiya is among the leading local producers supporting the Feed Salone initiative. Its rice products are distributed nationwide and are available in 50kg, 25kg, 19kg, and 5kg bags across major supermarkets.
As Sierra Leone intensifies efforts to boost domestic food production and reduce import dependency, Tivamiya Ltd’s integrated farming model spanning crop cultivation, aquaculture, livestock rearing, and agro-processing stands as a growing example of private-sector participation in national development.