President Koroma assures AU/NEPAD of Food Security success

A four-man delegation from the African Union and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) yesterday 3rd August 2009 met with President Ernest Bai Koroma at State Lodge in Freetown.

According to the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Sam Sesay, who accompanied the delegation, the purpose of their visit was to assess and have first-hand information on   agricultural development in the country.

Dr Sesay said government, together with experts, has put together a comprehensive data on agriculture and its related fields in order to achieve the 6% annual growth rate to alleviate poverty. He added that government has made agriculture its number one priority and at the same time increased its budgetary allocation.

Briefing the President, head of delegation Prof. R M Mkandawire said he is proud to note that the nation is on the march towards recovery and no doubt has made a significant impact in the agricultural sector. This, he said, is as a result of the nation’s huge resource capacity and good leadership skills demonstrated by the President. Prof Mkandawire commended President Koroma for championing the difficult cause of alleviating poverty in Africa, as it demonstrates a good example for an African leader.

He said he is certain that the country will reach the 10% margin as set out in the MAPUTO Declaration and promised to continue to engage donors to appreciate the major gains attained in Sierra Leone’s
agricultural sector.

Responding, President Koroma welcomed the delegation and thanked them for appreciating the nation’s agricultural gains, adding that “it is because government has put agriculture top of her priority list, to help in the alleviation of poverty.”He maintained that with such agricultural strides, exports would be increased and the economy positively charged, supported by good roads infrastructure, for national development.

He explained that government has increased the budget allocation to agriculture from 1.6 % to 7.7 % in order to demonstrate its commitment to the improvement of the sector, buoyed up by the setting up of a Task Force on Agriculture.

President Koroma promised to continue to encourage the international community to cooperate in Sierra Leone’s development and to align their programmes with the government’s Agenda for Change. He declared that the nation hopes to attain her food security target by 2015, as Sierra Leone would provide an example in Africa.

Other members of the delegation included the Director of Advocacy and Resource Mobilisation, Samira Hotobah During, the Senior Partnership Advisor for the AU, Angeline Ruda Kubana, and NEPAD’s Kevin Gallagher.

The Press Secretariat
State House
04 August 2009