His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio welcomed a delegation from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other agricultural partners. The visit aimed to discuss collaboration in Sierra Leone’s agricultural transformation efforts.
The delegation included Donald Brown, Associate Vice President of IFAD; Enoch Chikava, Director of Agriculture Delivery Systems at the Gates Foundation; representatives from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA); and McKinsey’s Africa Agriculture Transformation Initiative (AATI).
During the visit, Mr. Chikava praised President Bio’s commitment to food security through the Feed Salone initiative. He expressed readiness to support Sierra Leone’s agriculture sector, particularly in local capacity building. “Development cannot be orchestrated from outside. The country must have its own ability to implement what it wants to do,” he emphasized.
Mr. Donald Brown of IFAD pledged continued support to Sierra Leone’s agriculture sector, commending President Bio’s leadership and highlighting ECOWAS’s potential as a regional agricultural bloc.
President Bio reiterated that agriculture is key to sustainable development, offering food security, employment, and revenue opportunities. He shared updates on establishing a Presidential Council on Agriculture to accelerate the Feed Salone initiative’s implementation.
He emphasized partnerships are needed for reform: “We are ambitious, and we need the private sector to bring in their expertise so that we don’t miss the mark.” He stressed transitioning agriculture from traditional to modern practices: “We need technical support to transform agriculture. It will help motivate and empower our farmers.”
President Bio reaffirmed his government’s political will for Feed Salone’s success and thanked partners for their ongoing support.