By Marcus A. Bangura | Editorial
When President Bio launched the “Feed Salone” flagship initiative in January 2023,the air was thick with hope and ambition. The project was pitched as a game-changer, a national priority and a timely response to Sierra Leone’s mounting food insecurity and overdependence on imports. The initiative was hemmed and embroidered with promises of transforming agriculture with mechanize-farming, empowering rural communities and increasing local food production, reducing Sierra Leone’s million United states Dollars in food import bill, and ultimately feed the nation. It promised to turn our fertile land into a source of abundance and self-reliance. This policy blueprint stirred hope across a nation where food prices were spiralling and malnutrition remained a chronic issue. More than two years later, “Feed Salone” remains largely unfulfilled, even though, it was good on paper, ambitious in vision, but too slow to deliver the tangible relief Sierra Leoneans urgently need. Empty promises have yet to translate into full plates and many citizens are left asking: Where is the food?
The Feed Salone initiative came at a crucial moment, when COVID-19 pandemic had laid bare the fragility of global supply chains and the dangers of overreliance on imported staples. Russia’s war in Ukraine further triggered food and fuel shocks that worsened living conditions for millions of Sierra Leoneans. According to the World Bank, Sierra Leone’s food import bill exceeded $500 million annually, a staggering figure for a country with arable land and a predominantly agricultural population. The idea of boosting domestic production to replace imports was not only economically sound, it was politically urgent.
But implementation is where vision too often falters in Sierra Leone, and Feed Salone has become the latest case study in this tragic pattern. Despite its impressive launch, the initiative has struggled to move beyond pilot projects, donor workshops, and ceremonial visits to farms. The government touted plans to support thousands of farmers with seeds, equipment, fertilizers, and access to markets. In reality, most smallholder farmers say they have seen little to none of this promised support.
The timing of this unfulfilled promise could not be more critical in Sierra Leone than, the middle of the rainy season, a period that historically marks the most difficult time for the poor, rural and urban alike. Like the previous years under Bio’s governance , this year’s rainy season could be the most challenging period for food access, exposingjust how little has changed on the ground. Markets remain flooded with imported rice, flour, onions, and cooking oil, while local farmers continue to lack irrigation systems, farm tools, and storage facilities.
Flooded farms, blocked roads, and market disruptions, often lead to food shortages and rising prices. The hardship is compounded by an economic crisis that has spun out of control. In several districts, particularly in the northern and eastern provinces, farmers complain of late or no delivery of inputs. Extension services are still overstretched and under-resourced. The big machinery promised remains largely inoperable or unused, and land tenure issues continue to block many willing farmers from scaling up.
Government Promises and the Harsh Reality
Prior to the inflation surge in 2018, thegovernment, whilst in opposition made bold promises assuring citizens that inflation would remain in the single digits if elected top These pledges raised hope for economic stability and relief.
Worse still, inflation hit over 45% in 2023, devastating purchasing power and deepening economic hardship, despites the big talk about its decrease. The national inflation rate over 45%, is one of the highest in West Africa, driven in large part by the rising cost of food and transportation. The gap between government assurances and economic realities has fuelled public discontent, especially among the poor and vulnerable who bear the brunt of rising costs. The “Feed Salone” program was supposed to cushion vulnerable households from such shocks, but instead, even the basic cost of a plate of rice continues to climb. In urban areas, food vendors now operate on razor-thin margins, while in rural communities, families are still skipping meals or relying on unsafe food alternatives. The disconnect between policy pronouncements and lived reality is growing sharper by the day
Across major cities like Freetown, Bo, Kenema, and Makeni, food prices have surged dramatically, with a 50kg bag of imported rice now costing over Le 1,000, up from Le 600 a year ago. Staples like palm oil, cassava, pepper, and fish have also doubled in price, making even one daily meal unaffordable for many families. This worsening food insecurity is driven by the Leone’s sharp depreciation (now over Le 23 to US$1) and high inflation, which peaked at 47.64% in 2023 and remains high at 28.63% in 2024. Meanwhile, stagnant wages leave most citizens unable to cope with the soaring cost of living
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), used to measure inflation, reveals the core of the crisis. In Sierra Leone, food and non-alcoholic beverages account for 40% of household spending, followed by housing, utilities, and transport at 9% each. That means when the price of food or fuel increases, it immediately affects the bulk of the population, especially the poor. The CPI is not just an economic indicator—it’s a mirror. And what it reflects right now is distress, inequality, and a failure to protect the most vulnerable. The government had previously assured citizens that inflation would be kept in single digits. That promise collapsed under the weight of poor planning, external shocks, and limited institutional capacity.
At its core, “Feed Salone” had the right goals: mechanize agriculture, provide modern tools, expand access to inputs, empower smallholder farmers, and reduce dependency on imports. But farmers say the support never reached them.
“We’re still using hoes and cutlasses,” said a rural farmer, “The tractors and seeds we were promised never came. We are farming the same way we did 20 years ago.”
In Freetown’s Calaba Town, market trader Fatmata Kamara expresses similar disappointment. “Prices are too high, the market is empty, and people are hungry. What are we really feeding? Not Salone.”
While the Ministry of Agriculture touts progress, tractor deliveries, land clearing, fertilizer subsidies, these achievements remain patchy and poorly distributed. Independent monitors describe a project marred by red tape, uneven coordination, and minimal local ownership
So, what went wrong?
First, there is a lack of transparency and accountability in how Feed Salone funds are allocated and used. Despite repeated calls from civil society and the media, comprehensive public reports on the program’s budget, targets, and results remain scant. Without transparency, it is impossible to hold implementing agencies to account or identify what aspects of the program need adjustment.
Second, there appears to be weak inter-ministerial coordination. Agriculture cannot succeed in isolation. Infrastructure, finance, land management, education, and trade policies must be aligned to make food systems resilient and efficient. Yet the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security seems to be operating in a silo, with little synergy from other critical sectors. That institutional weakness, combined with bureaucracy, has made service delivery slow and uneven.
Third, the private sector, particularly agro-processors, transporters, and financiers, hasnot been adequately involved. For Sierra Leone to truly feed itself, it needs to stimulate a full agribusiness ecosystem, not just subsistence farming. This requires tax breaks, affordable credit, guaranteed market access, and public-private partnerships that reduce risk and increase scale.
But perhaps most crucially, there is a governance deficit. Programs like Feed Salonecannot thrive in environments plagued by corruption, political favouritism, and short-termism. If contracts are awarded to politically connected but technically unqualified suppliers, or if farmers have to know someone “at the top” to receive assistance, then the very people the program is meant to serve will be shut out.
Still, all hope is not lost. Feed Salone remains a valid concept, but it urgently needs a reset, not just in communication strategy, but in structure, focus, and delivery. The government must treat agriculture not as a photo opportunity, but as a national emergency. It must publish progress reports, engage more directly with farmer-based organizations, and create local monitoring mechanisms to track outcomes. There should be a clear roadmap for reducing rice imports year-on-year and for increasing yields across key staple crops.
In the long run, food sovereignty is central to economic sovereignty. Sierra Leone cannot develop on a diet of imports. A country that cannot feed itself cannot prosper. As “Feed Salone” enters its third year, its true test will be whether it can turn vision into reality, ensuring affordable food, stabilizing prices, and restoring hope to a nation eager for economic recovery The Feed Salone project promised to be the bridge between poverty and prosperity. But for now, it remains good on paper, ambitious in vision, but sadly, a dream deferred
