Sierra Leone’s Vice President, Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, has opened the sixth edition of the Market for Agricultural Innovations and Technologies (MITA 2026) in Freetown, bringing together more than 500 participants from eight countries to showcase over 100 technologies aimed at improving livestock and aquaculture production.
The event, which began on 19 October at the Bintumani Hotel, focuses on expanding access to agricultural innovations, strengthening food production and improving resilience and food security across countries implementing the Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP).
Speaking at the opening, Jalloh called for greater efforts to ensure farmers can access and adopt proven agricultural technologies, while urging regional cooperation and stronger partnerships among governments, private-sector actors and development partners to accelerate agricultural transformation.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Dr Henry Musa Kpaka said recent global crises had exposed weaknesses in food supply chains, underscoring the need to strengthen domestic agricultural production. He identified President Julius Maada Bio’s Feed Salone initiative as central to Sierra Leone’s efforts to improve food security, increase local production and create economic opportunities.
Kpaka urged Sierra Leoneans to “grow what they eat and export what they grow,” stressing that private-sector participation, investment, technology and partnerships would be essential to unlocking the country’s agricultural potential.
Meanwhile, World Bank task team leader for the programme, Adetunji Oredipe, highlighted the importance of providing farmers with suitable seeds and agricultural technologies to improve productivity and address growing challenges posed by climate change. He also emphasised stronger partnerships and regional networks to accelerate technology adoption.
Dr Kalifa Traore, a member of the CORAF Board of Directors, described MITA 2026 as an important platform for showcasing agricultural innovations and promoting their transfer and adoption across participating countries.
The event is organised by CORAF and hosted by the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute, with financing from the World Bank through the FSRP.
MITA 2026 supports Sierra Leone’s Feed Salone agenda, which seeks to make agriculture a stronger driver of food security, resilience and economic growth through research, innovation, investment and regional collaboration.