By: Aminata Sesay
Sierra Leone and five other West African countries have soft-launched a $500 million Rice Investment Facility aimed at mobilizing innovative financing to boost rice production and develop competitive rice value chains across the region.
The facility was soft-launched during a Rice Financing Roundtable on “Scaling Innovative Finance for Competitive Rice Value Chains”, held in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026.
The initiative brings together Sierra Leone, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Nigeria, with development finance institutions and other partners expected to provide financing and technical support.
Representing President Julius Maada Bio at the roundtable, a Sierra Leonean delegation highlighted the Government’s efforts under its Feed Salone agenda to increase domestic food production and attract private-sector investment into agriculture.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Musa Kpaka, outlined opportunities for private-sector participation in the rice value chain and stressed the importance of innovative financing in unlocking investment in the sector.
The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has committed $100 million to kick-start the facility, while the African Development Bank (AfDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Bank and other partners have pledged support through their respective financing instruments.
Other development partners have also committed to providing technical assistance to support the implementation and development of the facility.
Speaking at the roundtable, Sierra Leone’s representative said the Government was approaching the initiative as an investment partner rather than simply seeking financial assistance.
According to the delegation, the Government is already investing approximately $100 million in the development of Rice Investment Zones and agro-processing clusters as part of efforts to expand agricultural production and strengthen value chains.
The Government has also invested in improving road access and constructing bridges to connect farming communities to markets. In addition, policy measures have been introduced to provide incentives and concessions for private companies willing to invest in agriculture.
The facility is expected to enable participating countries to leverage public investment and development financing to attract additional private capital into rice production, processing and related agricultural businesses.
For Sierra Leone, the initiative aligns with the Government’s Feed Salone programme, which places food security, agricultural productivity and private-sector participation at the centre of its development agenda.
The Sierra Leonean delegation also used the Kigali meeting to invite development partners and investors to the forthcoming West Africa Integration and Investment Summit, scheduled to take place in Sierra Leone in November.
According to the delegation, President Bio is expected to announce a larger regional investment fund at the summit, targeting broader economic integration and investment across ECOWAS member states.
The development comes as African countries continue to explore innovative financing mechanisms to reduce dependence on food imports, strengthen domestic agricultural production and build resilient food systems.
At the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026, the message “We Must Deliver” has featured prominently in discussions on transforming Africa’s food systems.
For Sierra Leone, the Government says its ongoing investments and partnerships demonstrate its commitment to turning that call into tangible results, while positioning the country as an active participant in efforts to build a more productive and self-sufficient West African food system.