MAFS Holds third Quarter Meeting with NGO Partners on Service Level Agreement, Data Collection, and World Food Day Participation.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) engaged Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the agricultural sector on the implementation of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) during a 3rd-quarter meeting held on Thursday, 26th September 2024, at the Ministry’s conference hall, First Floor, Youyi Building, Freetown.

Addressing the partners, Deputy Minister I of Agriculture Dr. Theresa Tenneh Dick urged partners to align their activities with #FeedSaloneprgm. As MAFS only cannot achieve the goal of President Bio’s vision without partners.

Yayah Mansaray, Director of Agricultural Extension and NGO Desk Coordinator, emphasized the importance of the SLA. He described it as a formal document issued by MAFS to NGOs in the agricultural sector, designed to protect their rights and strengthen the partnership between the Ministry and the organizations.

Mr. Mansaray acknowledged the critical role SLAs have played in other ministries and explained that MAFS introduced the SLA a year ago. He reminded the NGOs that the funds they receive are on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone, making them accountable to the government, donors, and beneficiaries.

He highlighted that the SLA facilitates collaboration between the Ministry and its partners by requiring NGOs to submit their proposals, budgets, and logical frameworks for review. For organizations engaging with the SLA, the project proposal template must be completed, uploaded, and forwarded to the sector Ministry.

Mr. Mansaray further explained that the SLA document is signed by the political leadership of the Ministry, the NGO’s Country Director, and the Minister of MoPED, who serves as the overall custodian of development activities. Once signed, all parties are expected to adhere to it and ensure successful project delivery.

He also noted that the SLA has become an essential requirement for securing donor funding. “It has gained prominence, and without an SLA, attracting donor funding is challenging, as it is a key requirement for collaboration with the sector Ministry.”

Mr. Umaru Sankoh, Director of PEMSD, provided a brief overview of project implementation data submitted by NGO partners. He urged partners to present aggregated data with detailed information for all indicators outlined in the template. He also identified the priority value chains for the Ministry’s “Feed Salone” program and encouraged partners to align their projects with the six strategic pillars of the program.

The Deputy Chief Agriculture Officer, Mr. Aiah Thorlie, thanked the NGO partners for their tremendous work on the frontlines of agricultural project implementation. He informed the meeting about the upcoming World Food Day celebration, which will be held in Kailahun on 16th October. He urged all NGO partners to participate and support the Ministry in commemorating World Food Day.