By: Saidu Jalloh
In a landmark initiative to cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), in collaboration with the Food Systems Resilience Program – Sierra Leone (FSRP-SL), and in partnership with the World Food Prize Foundation, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Njala University, the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), and other key stakeholders, successfully hosted the country’s first-ever *National Youth Institute Symposium.
Held at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, the symposium brought together high school students and stakeholders from across Sierra Leone in a unified effort to combat food insecurity through innovation, research, and youth leadership. The event marked a major milestone in the nation’s journey toward building inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems.
Twenty high school students, selected from diverse regions of the country, presented bold, research-based proposals aimed at strengthening food systems and fighting hunger. Their ideas reflected a nuanced understanding of complex agricultural challenges and offered practical, locally grounded solutions.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, praised the students for their dedication to research and creativity.
“We will make this an annual tradition to nurture future leaders in agriculture, science, and policy,” Dr. Kpaka affirmed. “With passion like this, the future of our food systems and President Bio’s Feed Salone initiative is in capable hands.”
He encouraged the participants to consider the Ministry as their “second classroom,” assuring them of continued support from his technical team to further develop their ideas and leadership skills.
One of the major highlights of the symposium was the selection of two outstanding students who will represent Sierra Leone at the World Food Prize Foundation’s Global Youth Institute, set to be held in Africa in 2026. Their selection is a testament to both their individual excellence and Sierra Leone’s emerging role in global agricultural discourse.
This pioneering initiative reaffirms the government’s commitment to youth empowerment as a cornerstone of its national food security agenda. By putting young innovators at the center of agricultural transformation, Sierra Leone is investing in a self-reliant, food-secure, and globally competitive future.
