By Ragan M Conteh
MPs in Sierra Leone have met and resolved to reschedule a meeting with officials of the Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP).
Members of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Food Security, Chaired by the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Member of Parliament from Lumley Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, had this meeting on Friday 22nd March, 2024.
The reason for the deferment on the hearing was to allow MPs in the committee to have a thorough look at the documents submitted by officials of FSRP for proper scrutiny.
The documents submitted to the committee stated that the FSRP’s objective is to increase preparedness against food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in Sierra Leone.
The document speaks out that the five years project (2022-2027) have a total beneficiary of 881,900 (40% farmers) with a total value of $110m donated by the World Bank as grant to be implemented by MAF, MoTI, SLMet, NWRMA, NAFSL.
The project targets districts for rice grown up and the districts are: Bonthe, Moyamba, Pujehun, Port Loko, Tonkolili, Bo, Kenema and Kambia. The crops and livestock are shared by districts.
Cassava – Bonthe , Bo, Moyamba and Pujehun and, for Livestock – Bo, Moyamba, Koinadugu and Falaba.
The five key components of the project are: in digital advisory service for agriculture and food crisis prevention and management; sustainability and adaptive capacity of the food systems productive base, regional market integration and trade, contingent emergency response and project management.
During the brief interaction the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Tawa quoted provisions of Standing Orders (S.O) 5.2 which in summary states that after 12:00 pm on Friday, a sitting should be adjourned except otherwise and consequent upon the realities of the activities of Muslims MPs Holy Month of Ramadan.
He said, MPs are having busy schedules, adding that the documents were not submitted on time for MPs to do a thorough scrutiny on them.
The Members of the Committee however unanimously agreed to take a preferable adjournment date so as to give opportunity to MPs to look at the document and be properly positioned to understand the information delivered in the document and ask relevant questions.
Hon. Tawa emphasized that the Committee is not oblivious of the fact that it has a duty to discuss and understand the activities of the Project.
“We want the manager of this project to work in unison with this Committee to achieve the audacious target to provide food through agriculture under the President’s flagship vision,” Hon. Tawa noted.
He also urged for the consideration and engagement of MPs that are engaged in farming so that they can benefit from some of the machinery.
The Project Manager FRSP, Kepifri Lakoh said that they are providing supervisory roles on farmers in hard-to-reach communities, adding that they are working with government related structures like parliament to fix the problems facing the project.
He noted that things like seeds inputs are problems not caused by the project on seeds alone.
The Committee however adjourned to a date that is to be communicated to the FSRP by the Principal Committee Clerk.