June 3, 2021
As part of its community driven development approach to implement its projects, the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), through the Sierra Leone Community Driven Development Project (SLCDD II), has successfully distributed seed rice, groundnuts and agrochemicals to beneficiaries of its Self Help Affinity Groups (SAGs) and Micro Enterprise Groups (MEGs), in all seven rural growth pole chiefdoms of Bureh, Kasseh, Makonteh, and Debia, Chiefdoms in Port Loko district, Konike and Kolifa Magbang Chiefdoms in Tonkolili district, Ribbi and Bagruwa Chiefdoms in Moyamba district, and Lower Bambara Chiefdom in Kenema District respectively.
The Self-Help Affinity Group (SAG) is a concept borrowed from India, which brings together about 18 to 20 community women of like minds and share the same interest. These women are mostly petty traders and small-scale farmers, and they meet once in every week and contribute towards their personal savings in every meeting. While the micro enterprises groups are just small-scale business men and women, this sub component is part of the phase II of the Sierra Leone Community Driven Development Project -SLCDD II (GIETRENK).
In his statements whiles handing over the items to authorities and stakeholders at Kanthabana 1 & 2, Bureh Chiefdom in Port Loko District, the Agribusiness Officer from NaCSA, Jonathan Williams on behalf of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner said the supply of these items is as a result of the government’s commitment and fulfilment of its food security agenda and human capital development. Mr. Williams emphasized on the significance of food sufficiency, by appealing to the beneficiaries to make sure that they plant all the seeds given to them.
Responding on behalf of their people and stakeholders of the district, Regent Chiefs, Mohamed Shemah Kamara of Bureh Chiefdom and Pa Almamy Kai Conteh, of Makonteh Chiefdom, in Port Loko District, praised the government for the prompt approach in helping their people with such an enviable gesture which so many other people and communities in the non-growth pole districts are yearning for.
At Bagruwa Growth Pool, in Moyamba District, the Block Extension Supervisor, Joseph Amara, who is also responsible for Timdale and Kargboro Chiefdoms, thanked the government through NaCSA for supporting the agricultural sector in such a way. Mr. Amara assured that the community people have pledged their support in ensuring that the objectives of this intervention is achieved.
A total of 15,000 Kilograms of groundnuts, 3,474 of 20 kilograms of husk rice, 3,140 Litres of Organic Liquid Fertilizers and 3,140 Litres of Herbicides were distributed to eighteen (18) SAG Groups and twenty-nine (29) MEG Groups, to be cultivated on 1,390.6 hectares of boli land for the rice and 200 hectares of upland for the groundnuts.
For more information on this and other matters,
Kindly contact IEC Unit;
Umaru Samai +23277022709/George N. Williams +23278319419/John +23230518539