AYV News, March 24, 2025
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka has debunked circulated tales that a donation of twenty-one shiploads of rice from China to Sierra Leone. He said the narrative is false and misleading, while calling on countrymen and women not to go by it.
Minister Kpaka said no such donation of 21 ships of rice occurred, stating that in 2023, Sierra Leone received 1,114 metric tons (MT) of rice, equivalent to 22,280 bags, under a bilateral agreement. The rice, he went on, was transferred to the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) for nationwide school feeding programs, following Cabinet approval.
The minister further revealed that in 2025, separate donation of 1,380 MT (27,600 bags) was pledged by China, stating: “as of February 2025, 18,400 bags (delivered in 40 containers) have arrived and are stored in World Food Programme (WFP) facilities. Of these, 7,000 bags were allocated to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, with the remainder earmarked for MBSSE’s school feeding initiative”.
He said these donations are part of structured bilateral cooperation, not a random or exaggerated shipment, noting that the claims of 21 ships are entirely fabricated and misrepresent the scale and purpose of China’s support.
The clarification comes amid public scrutiny over transparency in handling foreign aid. The Ministry of Agriculture reiterated that all allocations strictly follow Cabinet directives, with rice stocks monitored to ensure they reach intended beneficiaries, particularly schoolchildren.
