By Ragan M. Conteh

The Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security through its Agriculture Value Chain Development Project has signed 400km feeder road rehabilitation contract with 8 eligible contractors.

The event took place on Monday, 12th May, 2025, at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Agriculture, Youyi Building in Freetown.

Addressing the eligible contractors, the Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security, Dr Henry Musa Kpaka described the signing of the contract as a milestone for his ministry.

He said that feeder road projects are part of the AVDP processes.

According to him, cultivation is just not enough to get their farmers the competitiveness,, the price and the income that they want, which is why the Feed Salone Agenda considers roads as critical element.

“As for me, I consider roads as critical component in agricultural sector,” the minister stressed.

He said the project will involve the rehabilitation of 400km of feeder roads in 8 districts and that will link farm track to main roads which he said will change lives and have impact on productivity in the sector.

He urged the contractors that once the contracts have been signed the work has already started in earnest.

Minister Kpaka called on the contractors to freely contact him should they have any issue along the line.

Welcoming the contractors the Senior Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Prince E.O Cole, said that it has become the policy of the ministry that when contracts are awarded, the ministry’s leadership meet with the contractors for one simple reason, which is, effective contract management.

He said before now they have been having some issues, because the leadership of the ministry had been taken out of the equation, but now they have thought it fit that all these projects under the Ministry of Agriculture its leadership must have a say if not for anything, but that they should be kept on the known for effective monitoring and supervision.

He said this is the second meeting they have held under the AVDP to sign the awarding of contracts.

According to PS Cole, this is the second year of Feed Salone noting that this is a year of delivery as President Dr. Julius Maada Bio is anxious that the ministry takes the leadership in feeding Sierra Leoneans.

Project Manager, Monica Kwame Greene, maintained that this is the second road contract AVDP is awarding through the Ministry of Agriculture.

She said about two months ago they signed 75km of farm tracks and these farm tracks lead from the farms to feeder roads.

She disclosed that the 8 successful contractors went through rigorous transparent bidding process.

She said these 8 contractors will do over 400km of feeder roads in line with the AVDP’s components two, which is agricultural market delivery and market access.

According to her, the project has already established six thousand hectares of cocoa farms, five thousand hectares of oil palm, four thousand five hundred hectares of IVS and four hundred hectares of vegetables.

She pointed out that these roads will link to the farms they have already established.

She said among these 8 contractors, HDF limited will be doing 45.5km in Kailahun district, KAM enterprises will be doing 61.2km in Kenema district, Beigin Construction 44.86km in Bonthe district, Topman USA Company, 23km in Port Loko district, Instant Modern Construction company (IMCC) 62.8km in Bo district, Integrated General Supplies and Construction 66.9km in Moyamba district, Mylans Trading 45.8km in Pujehun district and S&H Trading Investment 60.9km in Kono district.

She concluded that the project through the ministry hired a consultant who will work with the contractors to monitor what they are doing and that they are also working with SLRA.