Sierra Leone’s agriculture sector continue to be the mainstay of the country’s economy and the largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Despite its important role, the sector is plagued with rudimentary crop production techniques. This report presents a consultancy that examined the current Extension and Advisory Services in Sierra Leone and proposed an E-extension framework for the provision of extension services for the thousands of farmers that cannot be reached with rudimentary extension techniques.
Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MNDP) 2019-2023 identified agriculture including fisheries and forestry as a priority area for growth; with emphasis on increase productivity and commercialization. This is clearly outlined in the four pillars of Sierra Leones’s agricultural development strategy: (a) Agricultural Intensification (b) Crop Diversification (c) Natural Resource Conservation, and (d) Food Safety. The achievement lies largely in strengthening the extension and advisory services (EAS) provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. EAS are the activities that provide the needed information and services to farmers and other actors in rural communities with the aim of developing their technical, organisational and managerial skills and practices to improve their well-being
Boosting Agriculture and Food Security (BAFS) project, which is implemented through the MAF in the 16 districts across the country hired a consultant to develop an E-extension framework for Sierra Leone. This consultancy required the identification of key bottlenecks in the current agricultural extension services delivery system and recommend appropriate approaches to developing a national E-extension framework that will help connect farmers across the country to receive extension services in real time and share knowledge and information that will increase agricultural productivity and facilitate trade. With reference to the Terms of Reference (ToR), the assignment has three specific deliverables.
TORs FOR STAFF RECRUITMENT
AGRICULTURE VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (AVDP) STAFF RECRUITMENT – IFAD
Recruitment of PMU Staff – Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (AVDP)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is implementing the agriculture value Chain Development Project. The Project is in its third year of implementation and will be implemented over six years with the overall goal of improving livelihoods, food security and climate resilience of rural farming households. The project’s development objective is to increase incomes for smallholder farmers through the promotion of agriculture as a business. The project is financed by IFAD, the Adaption Fund, the private sector, the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) and beneficiaries. IFAD is supervising the project.
The project is working in all the country’s 16 districts, primarily with Farmers Organizations, Service Providers, and SMEs in the rice, vegetables, cocoa and oil palm value chains though crop diversification to enhance nutrition and create alternative income streams will figure prominently in project activities. The ADVP is adopting a value chain approach, intervening either directly or through partners in all links in the value chain from seed supply through processing and marketing. The project has been structured to maximize synergies with two World Bank funded projects, one AfDB and one IsDB that are intervening in the same value chains.
For the implementation of this project MAF is recruiting some staff of the Project Management Unit whose positions have been declared vacant. Below is the technical requirement for these staff.
Agriculture including forestry and fisheries is the backbone of the economy and the main source of livelihoods in Sierra Leone. It employs about 70% – 75% of the active labour force and contributed close to 50% of the country’s economic GDP in 2017.………………………….
(Turmabum, Southern Province – 11th June, 2021) His Excellency Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio has on Saturday, 11th June 2021 launched the 31.4 Million USD Regional Rice Value Chain Project in Turmabum, Southern Sierra Leone.
His Excellency fully assured that achieving food security through sustainable agriculture remains a national agenda for ending hunger and starvation and boosting the country’s human capital development index.
While making a keynote address in the presence of locals, development partners, members of the diplomatic and consular corps, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and BADEA, His Excellency maintained that the project is designed to benefit over 7,000 women and youth farmers, along with 35,000 farming families. He continued on the note that the country has a vast arable land that is endowed with consistent rain fall and favourable weather conditions, yet we are still faced with challenges on the importation of rice largely due to the lack of sustainable agricultural investment plans over the years, as this has been triggering his government to spend hundreds of millions of USD every year in the importation of rice and other assorted food items into the country. He therefore said instead of taking short-cuts and populous agricultural interventions for political propaganda, his government has come up with a permanent fix – a long term solution that will strengthen the participation of the private sector and by extension cut down the huge revenue that government continue to spend to import rice into the country.
Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh who doubled as the chair-person for the occasion thanked IDB and BADEA for the timely support rendered to the country’s agricultural sector, affirming that the project is not only a national goal for the president and his government, but it is also a huge achievement for the country at large. He reassured that the anticipated outcome of the project will drastically save government revenue and cut down large scale importation of rice.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry – Dr. Abubakarr Karim reaffirmed that the project will cater job opportunities for the locals, cut down the importation of rice, and compliment the country’s aspiration for food self-sufficiency by 2023.
While presenting certificates to farmers for their tremendous contributions into the agricultural sector, Dr. Karim also crowned President Bio as chief farmer and declared First Lady Fatima Bio as champion of agriculture.
Dr. Karim concluded by thanking all those present in this milestone occasion and encouraged the farmers and all private and non-private agricultural development partners to continue giving their full support to revive the agricultural sector.
Paramount Chief Alex Maada J.J Kainpumu 11 appreciated President Bio and his government for giving them the opportunity to host this special occasion. He assured that they would take ownership of the project to make sure that its desired benefit for the government and people of Sierra Leone is fully realised.
The Turmabum Rice Project is a 31.4 Million USD financed by the GoSL, IDB, and BADEA and is designed to benefit 5000 beneficiaries in Turmabum (Bonthe District), and 2000 beneficiaries in Samu and Mambolo (Kambia District) for a period of 5 years.
Women Farmer Based Organizations from the sixteen Agricultural Districts of Sierra Leone, has paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Minister II of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Theresa Teneh Dick to congratulate her for her Ministerial appointment and abreast her of their agricultural activities, success stories and challenges in the Sector.
Outlining their successes, Farmers explained that they contribute to about 70% of agricultural production, processing, value addition and marketing as well as rural job creation in the country.
The Women Farmers however lamented that they are challenged with the permanent acquisition of farmland, appropriate farm machinery and access to loan facilities among other things that will aid increased agricultural production and productivity in the country.
Discussing his Ministry’s National Agricultural Transformation Plan, the Chief Agricultural Officer, Mr Amara Idara Sheriff explained the Strategic Policy Shift which focuses on Private Sector Led Farm Mechanization through the establishment of Machine Rings and Farmer Service Centres, Agricultural Credit Facility to Private Sector Actors to import Seeds, Fertilizers and Agro Chemicals, an E – Voucher System to foster Efficiency , Transparency as well as Cost Reduction in Government Input Delivery and an E – Extension System to compliment the Extension Strategy to reach millions of farmers with information to help Decision Making, Boost Production and Income Generation. .
Welcoming and congratulating the women farmers for appreciating and bestowing confidence in her appointment as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Theresa Teneh Dick assured them of her unflinching determination to ensure that Women Farmers benefit from all farmer support services provided by her Ministry, the Agricultural Projects and donor partners.
Dr. Theresa Teneh Dick explained that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Retired Brigadier Dr. Julius Maada Bio appointed her as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry because of his confidence in the positive role women play in national development.
She entreated the Women Farmer Based Organizations to be focused and work in unison regardless of tribal, political and regional sentiments in order to benefit from the many available opportunities to transform the Agriculture Sector as the engine that propels national growth and development.
The Deputy Agriculture and Forestry Minister II, assured the Women Farmers that their challenges will be catalogued and discussed at management level with the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Abubakarr Karim, to proffer possible and lasting solutions.
The occasion was graced by the Offices of the Permanent Secretary, the Technical Advisory and Resource Mobilization Unit, the Agricultural Extension Services Division and the Smallholder Commercialization and Agribusiness Development Project and of the National Federation of Farmers of Sierra Leone.
In a bid to transform the Agricultural Sector in Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has embarked on strategic policy shifts aimed at increasing land under cultivation and boosting yields. These interventions/initiatives are focused on setting the enabling environment that promotes private sector investment in Agriculture, reduce inefficiencies in service delivery and protect smallholder farmers involved in agriculture……………………
About twelve months ago, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) embarked on a journey to transform the agriculture sector in line with H.E President Bio’s vision for a sector that attracts private commercial investment, is driven by innovation and mechanisation, creates jobs and sustainably feeds the people of Sierra Leone.
This past week, my team and I took two giant steps towards implementing this vision. First, On Thursday March 11th, 2021, MAF partnered with the Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL) to launch a hundred billion Leones (USD 10 million) Agriculture Credit Facility (ACF) to finance private sector participation in the sector. This facility will be accessed through commercial banks by agribusinesses to import or produce agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertiliser, and pesticides. As an incentive to the private sector, we negotiated an interest as low as 5%, compared to the going market rate in the mid-twenty percent. As a further guarantee to avoid crowding out the private sector, MAF will no longer directly procure and distribute agricultural inputs to farmers in the country. Instead, MAF will directly support registered vulnerable farmers through a smart subsidy program, which will be rolled out via an e-wallet system that farmers can redeem for inputs from agro-dealers across the country. In collaboration with the (Ministry of Finance, MAF will establish a Clearing House (an escrow account) worth sixty billion Leones (USD 6 million) to cash out e-wallet. This means stepping away from years of a government-led procurement process rife with inefficiency and corruption for the Ministry. The smart subsidy will attract private investors in the sector and lead to big wins for our farmers, who will benefit from cheaper, quality, and timely inputs. This approach also helps the government to reduce costs and opportunism in input delivery in the country.
Another equally exciting achievement for my team and I this week, was signing contracts with fourteen private operators to lease and manage fourteen Machine Rings across the country. This signing ceremony marked a new approach to promoting agriculture mechanisation. For the first time, the government makes 410 machines and implements worth Le 168 billion available to farmers through the private sector. Previous failed approaches relied heavily on government, farmer groups or private individuals that were not business-oriented. This new lease-to-own public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement is business-oriented, which is why each Ring operator will pay the government the full cost of the Ring by the end of the lease period. They are expected to build profitable businesses that will allow them to make annual payments to the government.
This mechanisation approach will rapidly put more lowland areas under rice cultivation and set us on a path to deliver on H.E President Bio’s Human Capital Development (HCD) target of 86% rice-self-sufficiency by the end of 2023. The Machine Ring concept also immediately creates jobs in the fourteen districts. We estimate creating about 820 jobs for machine operators, and additional hundreds linked to repairs and maintenance services. This will help reduce youth unemployment in rural areas. And perhaps most critically, this approach will be made sustainable by establishing an Agriculture Mechanisation Fund, resourced from machine operators’ annual payments. The private sector will access this Fund at a low-interest rate to replace machines and grow their fleet. The Fund will also be used to train and certify operators to support mechanisation growth in the country.
With the private sector leading in these critical areas, my job is made easier. I will be the fiercest advocate for our farmers, making sure quality service is delivered to them. For input provision, we have already placed the necessary policies and regulatory bodies to support this private sector shift, including The National Fertilizer Regulatory Agency Act 2018, The National Fertilizer Policy 2017, The Seed Policy 2017, and The Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency Act 2018. For the Machine Rings, MAF will set up a cross-MDA and community level monitoring teams and use fleet management technology to ensure the private sector keeps its promise. We will also maintain the responsibility to provide agriculture advisory to our farmers, relying on digital technology to reach as many farmers as possible while keeping costs down.
The progress made so far is an excellent example of effective collaboration at all levels in the sector, including MDA, donors, the private sector, NGOs, and civil society. My leadership team is also grateful to the hardworking civil servants at MAF who have committed themselves to make H.E President Bio’s goals a reality and to help our farmers. Without their effort, we will not succeed. This work has also been supported by a team of technical advisors, including Advisors from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), who has been working alongside Division Heads to get the policy shift’s technical pieces and delivery mechanisms right.
Let me be the first to say that these achievements, while significant, are only a component of what is needed to boost productivity in the sector. The sector still requires a lot more investments and many more bold and innovative programs. We will celebrate these successes today, but tomorrow we will roll our sleeves to tackle the next challenge segment-by-segment of each priority crop and livestock value chain in the country. With a mandate and support from H.E President Bio, my Ministry will not rest until we put into place other interventions that will support a true transformation in the sector.
***The author, Dr. Abubakarr Karim is the Acting Minister of Agriclture and Forestry (MAF)
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) through the Information Communication Technology Unit (ICT) has on Thursday 28th January 2021 shared data set inventories with the Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) and various other MDAs on the advancements made so far in promoting equal and equitable access to information and data through ICT. This engagement was held at the Family Kingdom Resort, Aberdeen, Freetown.
While briefing the audience on the breakthroughs achieved thus far in creating an efficient and reliable web system that support speedy access to information and data, the contemporary enlightened and tech-savvy ICT Manager at MAF – Mr. Abubakarr Tamu expressed heartfelt welcome to all distinguished guests who participated in this momentous engagement. Mr. Tamu continued on the note that information is power and the right to know should be afforded to everyone through modern interactive ICT systems to promote good governance, accountability and transparency.
In addition to showcasing his Ministry’s ICT advancements to support the right to access information and data through a modern ICT system that has gained recognition from other MDAs, Mr. Tamu was very delighted to demonstrate to the audience that MAF has got a real-time website that captures all latest activities of the Ministry and the activities and scope of work of all MAF divisions and projects apart from providing up-to-date Market Data, Forestry Data, Project Monitoring Data, Farmers Data among various other relevant MAF data, adding that all of these data are readily available for public consumption and access through Ministry’s website that supports a 24/7 direct chat. He added that a modern website of this nature speaks volume about the Ministry’s commitment to support RAIC efforts to promote equal and equitable access to information and data for national development. He therefore recommended for a National Digital Agricultural Strategy, MAF GPS, while also calling on RAIC to collaborate with other MDAs to develop a national data architectural backbone.
Similar presentations were also done by Environment, Basic Education, Gender and Children Affairs and Health Ministries.
Giving a keynote address on this engagement, Acting Agriculture and Forestry Minister – Dr. Abubakarr Karim called on all other MDAs to see the need to promote equal access to information. Dr. Karim was particularly pleased about his ministry’s ICT advancements made so far in supporting RAIC call to promote equal and equitable access to information and data through real time ICT web systems. He therefore assured the gathering that his Ministry under the leadership of Mr. Tamu will continue to do more to promote speedy and reliable access to information and data through ICT.
The Right to Access Information Commission was established in 2010 by the Government of Sierra Leone to promote access to information and data while promoting accountability, good governance, and transparency.
Published by :
Agricultural Information and Communications Unit (AICU)
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF)
For more Information call: +232 76 497412 / +232 78 409735
(Port-Loko – 22nd January 2021) As the drive towards sustainable rice production continues to be a priority under the new direction administration, the ever-industrious, relentless and goal-oriented Acting Agriculture Minister – Dr. Abubakarr Karim has on Friday, 22nd January 2021, welcomed a small group of experts from South Africa to conduct a 230,000 hectare aerial land mapping and surveying exercises in Rhombe, Torma Bum and Komrabai Mamela in urgent preparations to kick start the $54 Million United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Funded Rhombe Rice Project. This welcoming ceremony was held at the Lungi International Airport.
While assuring that this aerial mapping and surveying exercises will provide a very credible and reliable data for proper irrigation systems, the system operator of the Diamond DA42 AMPP land surveying and mapping helicopter, Riann Heydenrych assured that the data generated from this exercise will be handed over to the Agriculture Ministry within the next three weeks as requested, after it would have been processed in South Africa. And as such, these data will be utilised for not only the Rhombe Rice Project, but it will also be adequately harnessed for future other large scale agricultural projects in the Port Loko District.
Acting Agriculture Minister expressed utter delight and contentment over this very laudable and expensive land mapping and surveying exercises. He continued by professing that this aerial land mapping and surveying speaks volume of his government’s commitment towards changing the agricultural narrative in this country. He strongly reassured that more exercises of this nature will be conducted in the future. Adding that every data gathered from each mapping and surveying exercise will be a step in the right direction for proper planning and implementation of all agricultural projects in the country.
Also when asked about how this project will benefit the government and people of Sierra Leone, Dr. Karim guaranteed that this project just like several other rice value chain agricultural projects in the country, will serve to cut down the over 250 Million USD Government annually spend to import rice, apart from creating over 2000 jobs for not just the indigenes of Port-Loko but also for the entire citizenry of Sierra Leone.
The Rhombe Rice Project is a direct foreign investment initiative pioneered by His Excellency Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio through the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The project was initially launched by the vice president, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh on the 14th December, 2020 at the Gbainti Walla and Lokomasama Chiefdoms, Port Loko District. Apart from providing over 20,000 metric tons of rice per harvest, the project will also focus on some other products like: onions, tomatoes and maize.
PUBLISHED BY:
AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS UNIT (AICU)
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY (MAF)