Sierra Leone, October 2025
First Annual Rice Sector Review Meeting and Initiation of the National Rice Investment Action Plan Development Process in Sierra Leone
1．Background
The first Annual Rice Sector Review Meeting (ARSRM) and preparatory meeting for the development of the National Rice Investment Action Plan (NRIAP) was hosted on the 23rd and 24th October 2025 at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) Conference Hall in Freetown, Sierra Leone with financial support from the World Bank-funded Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP). Technical support was provided by CARD in collaboration with ECOWAS Rice Observatory (ERO). The meeting brought together senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS) Task Force and Sierra Leone Rice Observatory (SLeRO) members including ERO. Some ERO officials were physically present in the meeting while CARD Senior Regional Advisor, ERO Regional Coordinator and Sahel Consulting officials, the consulting firm for the development of the NRIAP participated online.
2．Remarks for the event
In her opening remarks, the Senior Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mrs. Nancy Tengbeh who chaired the meeting asserted that rice is placed high on H.E The President’s agenda in the Feed Salone Strategy to increase domestic production and reduce imports. The chairman of Sierra Leone Rice Observatory (SLeRO), Mr. Abdulai Bun Wai gave an overview of the meeting. He stated that the purpose of the ARSRM and NRIAP Development Meeting was to evaluate progress in the rice sector, identify gaps and areas for improvement as well as initiate the development of a bankable rice investment action plan aligned with the NRDS and Regional Rice Roadmap (RRR).
The Chief Agriculture Officer of MAFS, Prof. Abdulai Jalloh, reflected on the rice sector situation in Sierra Leone, noting that the challenges are the same. He pointed out the need for robust action to make the desired change to improve the rice sector. He urged projects to work in a coordinated manner to drive the change.
Representative of ERO delegation, Mr. Kazeem Adegoke emphasized the importance of rice in the world, spotlighting West Africa being among the largest consumers of rice. ‘ECOWAS mandate is not limited to armed security within the region but also promoting food security initiatives’, he added. Mr. Adegoke furthered that Sierra Leone is among the first set of countries in this initiative due to the strides made by the government to ensure rice self-sufficiency. He explained that the investment plan will cover the entire value chain to attract investors with specific focus on areas with critical gaps. ‘The exercise will ensure alignment between the NRDS and RRR’, he noted.
Food Systems Resilience Project Coordinator, Dr. Kepifri Lakoh stated that reasonable progress has been recorded in the rice sector with gradual increase in yield as a result of FSRP intervention. He outlined FRSP’s support to a range of actions to boost rice production and food security including the establishment of the strategic grain reserve in Sierra Leone among others.
ERO Regional Coordinator at the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Boladale Adebowale, indicated that the meeting is part of the domestication process of the ECOWAS RRR Map and alignment with the NRDS including the various actions at national level. ‘The expected result is to have a fully costed bankable rice investment action plan based on priority areas in the rice sector and that concept notes already developed by the NRDS Task Force with support from CARD will be looked into to see whether they capture the areas of priority gaps to feed into the NRIAP,’ she added.
CARD Senior Regional Advisor, Dr. Michael A. Nasamu highlighted previous initiatives by CARD relating to the ARSRM. He recalled consultations held with development partners and other stakeholders in Sierra Leone for data generation on the status of the rice sector. He also expressed CARD’s commitment to support the process in collaboration with ERO going forward.
Delivery the keynote address, the Deputy Minister 1 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Theresa Tenneh Dick underscored that this process came at an important time when the Government of Sierra Leone is implementing the Feed Salone initiative which identifies rice as a priority crop for achieving national food security and economic transformation. She furthered that the review of the rice sector will provide a comprehensive assessment of Sierra Leone’s rice value chain – from production and processing to marketing and trade, and identify strategic investment priorities to accelerate domestic production and reduce import dependence. She expressed deep appreciation to ECOWAS, CARD and development partners for their continued support and technical guidance, noting that rice sufficiency is not just a goal, but a presidential commitment under the Feed Salone initiative. This was followed by official presentation of the RRR and NRIAP template by ERO representative to the Hon. Deputy Minister 1.
3．Key outcomes
The meeting proceeded with presentation on the national rice investment action plan development template and process by Sahel Consulting which provided a clear pathway on the investment plan development process. The NRDS Focal Point, Dennis Philip Yaw Yankson also presented the current situation of the rice sector in Sierra Leone and gap analysis with respect to various project interventions in the rice sector using the Sub-Sector Intervention Element Matrix (SIEM) including concept notes developed during the working week in 2024. This was followed by technical discussions on day 1 and 2. The participants further reviewed the gap analysis table based on how they perceived the status of interventions in the various aspects along the rice value chain, a review not limited to the number of project interventions. This was considered crucial to inform areas of investment.
The 2-day meeting ended with a plan on how to further engage and develop the NRIAP including preparation for the validation workshop in November 2025 as well as the Rice Investment Round Table which is slated for the first quarter of 2026. Opportunity for mobilization of resources for the advancement of the rice sector will be explored during the Regional Rice Investment Round Table.
