The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Henry Musa Kpaka, alongside UNDP Resident Representative Fredrick Ampiah, has handed over agricultural equipment to 100 Very Small Enterprises (VSEs), including women-led businesses, in Magburaka, Tonkolili District.
The handover took place on the second day of the World Food Day and Feed Salone Year Three celebrations.
The equipment, distributed under the Empowering Women and Small and Medium Enterprises (EWASME) Project, includes 118 motorbikes, 10 tricycles, 26 rice mills, three threshers, one destoner and one tractor-trailer.
The project is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with funding from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Kpaka said women remain central to the government’s flagship agricultural programme.
“Women are at the centre of the Feed Salone agenda, and this support will help strengthen their businesses and increase their capacity to contribute to food production,” Dr Kpaka said.
The support is expected to boost value addition, reduce post-harvest losses, improve the transportation of produce and strengthen the capacity of smallholder agribusinesses, particularly women-led businesses, which play a key role in Sierra Leone’s food system.
The EWASME Project aims to promote inclusive economic growth by empowering small enterprises to scale up production and contribute to national food security under the Feed Salone initiative.
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