AYV News, September 20, 2024

President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has delivered a keynote address at Oxford University’s OpenAg Symposium on the theme, “Power Plants: Transforming Food, Energy, and Water Security through Agriculture.”

He emphasised the interconnected nature of global challenges like climate change, food security and energy access, calling for innovative solutions to address these pressing issues.

“Africa is on the frontlines of the climate crisis,” President Bio noted, adding that despite the continent’s vast natural resources, climate change threatens to reverse progress. With 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, he highlighted Africa’s potential to become the “world’s breadbasket” by 2050 through climate-smart agriculture.

President Bio also drew attention to Africa’s pivotal role in global discussions on food, energy, and water security, stressing that Africa must be at the forefront, “driving innovation, shaping policies, and setting the agenda for a water, energy, and food-secure world.”

He outlined Sierra Leone’s Feed Salone Programme, aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and reducing reliance on food imports. With a goal of mobilizing US$1.6 billion over five years, the initiative focuses on climate-smart agriculture and private sector-led growth.

President Bio showcased Sierra Leone’s role in global food systems transformation through the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF), launched at COP28. He called for collective global action to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure and public-private partnerships.

He argued that food systems are now a major driver of environmental destruction, accounting for 90% of deforestation, 60% of biodiversity loss, and significant greenhouse gas emissions. He revealed that 150 governments, including Sierra Leone, have committed to integrating food systems into their national climate plans to foster resilient food systems and climate action.

He invited the world to join Sierra Leone’s journey, saying, “The moment to partner with us is now. We must walk the talk and put into action everything we are discussing here today,” President Bio appealed.