By Marcus Bangura | Commentary & Op-Ed
Be it what it may, Le800 million or a staggering $800 million, revelations that the Ministry of Agriculture surreptitiously spent a colossal amount on the development of a single strategy paper are not just troubling but outrageous and offensive in a country rassling with widespread poverty, food insecurity, and a fragile economy.
Regardless of the currency or the exchange rate confusion, this reported expenditure is emblematic of a deep-rooted culture of financial recklessness, weak institutional oversight, and gross insensitivity to the real needs of ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
According to the Auditor-General’s 2025 Performance Audit Report, the Ministry of Agriculture, under its 2019–2023 strategic planning, committed an eye-watering sum, cited in different contexts as either Le800 million or $800 million, to the preparation of the National Agricultural Transformation Strategy. Even if we assume the figure to be the smaller of the two, the equivalent of roughly $35,000–$40,000, the lack of transparency, impact, or clear justification for the expense renders it an outrageous misuse of scarce public resources.
The report states:
“From a review of the climate change policy, we noted that eight trillion Leones ($800 million) was spent to develop the National Agricultural Transformation Strategy (2019–2023) … there was no evidence of coordination and collaboration of the working group.”
This damning observation raises a central question: How can such a colossal amount be spent without basic documentation, coordination records, or demonstrable outcomes? Sierra Leone’s agricultural sector employs over 60% of the population. Farmers still depend on rain-fed subsistence farming, lack access to improved seeds, and rely on outdated tools. Against this grim backdrop, diverting such significant funds into a strategy paper, without proof that it was even utilized, is not just wasteful; it’s shameful.
What the audit uncovers is more than just bad accounting. It signals a failure of governance. When strategy development becomes an excuse to funnel public funds into obscure consultancies and politically connected firms, it undermines the very premise of planning for national progress. The absence of competitive bidding, the duplication of roles, and the lack of public accountability show that this was less about agriculture and more about financial opportunism.
The Ministry has offered no robust defence. No public explanation. No evidence that the strategy document improved agricultural production, increased yields, or reformed outdated systems. Instead, there’s silence and evasion, while farmers in Koinadugu, Pujehun, and Bonthe continue to struggle under the same conditions year after year.
This must not be allowed to pass quietly. Sierra Leoneans deserve answers. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, and civil society watchdogs must act. We cannot build sustainable development on a foundation of fraud, waste, and institutional complacency. There must be a full-scale forensic audit to trace who approved the payment, who received the funds, and what deliverables, if any, were produced.
Moreover, this situation reignites the debate around how donor funds and government budgets are managed in sectors most critical to livelihoods. How many other strategy papers, frameworks, or policy documents are draining our national coffers without measurable impact? Strategy is important, yes, but not at the expense of starving the sector it is meant to save.
A serious nation invests in farmers, not just in paperwork. A serious ministry delivers seeds, tractors, irrigation, and markets, not just glossy PDF reports. If we are to reclaim public confidence and drive real reform, then expenditures like this must be exposed, explained, and punished.
Whether it’s Le 800 million or $800 million, the message is clear: it was an outrageous waste. And until someone is held accountable, it will happen again.
