Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) on Wednesday 10th January, 2024, held its Annual Work Programme and launched the SLARI 2023 Act at the St. Anthony’s Hall, Syke Street in Freetown.

Officially launching the Act, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Henry Musa Kpaka, said he was told that SLARI has about 150 agricultural scientists.

He said the launching was not only remarkable for the institution but also for Sierra Leoneans whose hopes for the President’s Feed Salone Project lies on the ministry’s shoulder.

He further said that it was an opportunity to tell SLARI staff what their roles are and how important they are in terms of agricultural enhancement.

“Pushing for the new SLARI Act was the best thing that has happened in the country and I want to commend all those involve – as it [ SLARI’s bill] was the last act that was passed in Parliament in the year 2023. If we are serious about moving agriculture to another height, SLARI has to be revitalized.”

The Acting Director General at Sierra   Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), Dr Abdul Conteh, said the institute was established through an Act of Parliament in 2007.

He said when the Act was established, the requirement to work in SLARI was a master’s degree, which is similar to university’s lecturer requirement.

He went on that it came to a point when they were denied of the equivalent with that of the universities, stressing that as a result, they saw their colleagues in the universities moving forward while they were leaving behind.

“There was resentment in SLARI, morals eroded, and productivity stalled until it was noticed by His Excellency the President Dr Julius Maada Bio who sent a high power delegation to visit the institute.

“What came out of that visit was a recommendation requiring us that we need a new act for which we are launching today among other things including a look into staff conditions of service”.

Dr Conteh went on that the Act is an act for a very important institution in the country, citing some of the benefits of the Act for which according to him, SLARI has a role to play in the President’s Big 5 Agenda of ‘Feed Salone’. The presence of varieties of rice, high yielding of cassava and other major crops, is as a result of the research-generated work of SLARI,” he concluded.

In her statement, National President at the National Federation of Farmers Sierra Leone (NaFFSL), Yatta Samah, says the federation recognizes and celebrates the symbiotic relationship between farmers and SLARI.

She went on that their farmers are not merely producers; they are custodians of land, and stewards of biodiversity and also as partners in the quest for sustainable agricultural practices.

“Research is the compass that guides us towards innovation, resilience, and food security. “Through collaborative efforts, we will be able to empower our farmers with knowledge, will enable them to adopt cutting edge techniques, to design crop technologies that will adapt to a changing climate,” president Samah said.

She also pinpointed that today as they were witnessing the launch of the SLARI new Act, they acknowledged the institution’s pivotal role in shaping the future of agriculture in Sierra Leone.

She ended by revealing that SLARI as the “torchbearer of agricultural research”, holds the key to unlocking transformative solutions ranging from crop improvement to climate-resilient practices.

“SLARI stands as the beacon of innovation that will steer our agricultural landscape towards greater productivity and sustainability.”

The event was climaxed with group discussions followed by a presentation ceremony.