The Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Food Security, chaired by Hon. Salieu Osman Sesay concluded a two-day oversight tour of the Sierra Leone Agribusiness and Value Chain Support (SLARIS) project on Thursday, July 17, 2025. The project is supported by the African Development Bank and the government of Sierra Leone.

During the tour, Members of the Committee were impressed with the project’s implementation and unanimously agreed that it would complement the government’s agenda, particularly the Feed Salone initiative, related to agriculture and food security. The Project Manager of SLARIS, Tamba Jumu, informed Members of Parliament that the project is valued at $11.9 million with a five-year lifespan and operates in three districts: Kambia, Moyamba, and Kenema.

The project’s beneficiaries include 32,000 household farmers, with implementing partners such as the Sierra Leone Seeds Certification Agency (SLeSCA), the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARi), Njala University, and Private Seed Entities. The project has three components: including support to Research and Development, support to Njala Enable Youth Program and support to Project Management.

The project also has a capacity-building aspect to train 1,000 individuals under Component 2 and support them with start-up grants through a competitive process.

During an on-the-spot visit to Konta Line, the Committee observed that SLARIS, with support from the African Development Bank, is constructing a 4,000-5,000 MT seed store with a dry floor and WASH facility for the 2020 Consortium and for Tivamya in Blama town. These facilities aim to address the seed storage gap encountered in previous planting seasons.

At Mile 91, the Committee discovered that the SLARIS project has constructed a standard seed testing lab for the Sierra Leone Seeds Certification Agency. The lab tests the quality of seeds produced in and out of Sierra Leone and has become a regional hub, with countries in West Africa sending seeds for quality analysis and testing.

The Committee also visited Njala University Campus, where SLARIS is constructing a middle-level manpower institution under Component 2, the Njala Enable Youths programme. This initiative supports Pillar Six of the Feed Salone Agenda and has conducted six months of capacity-building training for 974 youths in various agricultural value chains. The construction of the Njala Enable Youth Training Centre is over 85% complete and will host practical training for youths in the country.

The project is nearing completion, and it is likely to meet its objectives. The Committee observed that the SLARIS project is significantly complementing the government’s Feed Salone.