The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, has officially opened a day’s session to refine the implementation framework of the Government’s flagship Feed Salone strategy.
The workshop brought gathered about 40 participants, including MAFS leadership, representatives of farmer organizations, major agricultural projects, development partners such as FAO, WFP, and IFAD, as well as the private sector and research institutions.
The ToC process will help map the program’s wins, gaps, outputs, and outcomes, ensuring a coherent strategy that aligns government efforts with donor support and community needs.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Kpaka underscored that the Feed Salone Strategy was developed internally by the Ministry’s technical staff at zero cost, yet it has already attracted significant donor interest.
He emphasized that President Bio views Feed Salone as critical to Sierra Leone’s national food drive, noting that reliable data and evidence are essential to achieving the program’s ambitious targets.
Dr. Kpaka highlighted the Strategy’s focus on transforming agriculture into a driver of job creation, particularly for young people and women, while simultaneously tackling food insecurity and nutritional challenges. “Once fully implemented, we anticipate reducing rice importation by at least 10% annually, alongside progress in poultry and other value chains, including exports,” he said.
The Minister described Feed Salone as a “living document”. This important initiative of refining Theory of Change two years down the road, is a testament to the agility and adaptability of Feed Salone. He stressed that the TOC workshop embodies this spirit of adaptive learning and participatory planning. With the upcoming Year Two Annual Progress Report, the Ministry will have an opportunity to take stock of achievements, identify gaps, and reallocate resources to sustain momentum.
Senior Permanent Secretary Madam Nancy Tengbeh highlighted the technical benefits of the ToC exercise for Ministry staff. “This workshop allows us to go deeper into co-creation, reviewing and operationalizing a pathway for positive impact. Through this exercise, we will jointly map the wins, gaps, outputs, and outcomes,” she said.
A Technical Expert from IDInsight, Dr. Salif Jaiteh, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting MAFS in developing an operational Theory of Change. The expert noted that a well-articulated ToC will provide a structured approach for tracking progress, ensuring accountability, and scaling successful models under Feed Salone.
The IDInsight team facilitated an extended discussion on the ToC to enable frank exchanges on priorities, gaps, and pathways to impact.
In attendance were the Chief Agriculture Officer, Professor Abdulai Jalloh, and other senior technical staff from the Ministry and Agricultural Transformation Office.
