AYV News, September 4, 2024

At the Africa Food Systems Forum, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka has said the Torma Bum Rice Industrial Complex requires $800 million to reach completion.

He said to date, the country has secured $480 million, with optimism that this investment will produce substantial returns while cutting import dependence by 75%.

The Torma Bum project aims at increasing rice production in the country to help bridge the gap between local demand for rice and local production. Its actions would include : i) acquisition of farm machinery and implements, and the provision of mechanization services by Project Authority to participating farmers on credit basis; ii) establishment of a seed multiplication and experimentation unit iii) infrastructural developments including the construction of access and feeder roads, and the provision of health and water facilities; iv) acquisition and renovation, and at a later stage expansion of an existing rice mill for the processing of project output; v) provision of staff housing and other ancillary facilities including workshops, transport facilities and VHF radio communications; and vi) rice mill acquisition, rehabilitation and expansion.

In a move aimed at revitalising Sierra Leone’s agricultural sector, the minister unveiled a $100 million commitment from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and its collaborators during the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024. He said Sierra Leone consumes an impressive 131kgs of rice per person annually.

Sierra Leone commenced the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 in a well-attended ‘Country Deal Room: The Sierra Leone Legacy Program’, where Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh delivered the keynote.

The Africa Food Systems Forum is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical action and share lessons that will move African food systems forward.

Since 2010, the annual Africa Food Systems Forum Summit has been convened on different themes and in different African regions, gathering Heads of State, ministers, business leaders, development partners, farmers, youth, women and more to work together to identify measures for action and policies for advancing the continental agenda on food system development. Throughout this period, the Africa Food Systems Forum was consolidated as a pivotal platform for propelling the growth of Africa’s agricultural sector.

At the end of 2022, the Africa Food Systems Forum was rebranded as the Africa Food System Forum in alignment with our partnership’s vision for comprehensive food system transformation. The Forum’s focus now extends beyond the annual summit to promote discussion and action on pivotal decisions on food systems and food security year round. Our goal is to foster continuous stakeholder engagement throughout the year in measures of action and policies that are crucial for achieving our continent’s food security objectives.