By Nasratu Kargbo
Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Maada Bio has urged the European Union to enable the country to send its products directly to European markets, and not through other countries.
Whilst delivering her keynote address at the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 2023 ‘Opportunity Salone’ Knowledge Sharing Event on the 5th December 2023. The first lady stated that Sierra Leoneans cannot have their fish sold in Europe, but it is the same fish that is taken to Ghana and then marketed in Europe, without consumers knowing its origin.
She expressed her desire to see the country’s product accepted in the international market. “It is our labour, it is the women in this country that suffer to make sure products are out there and they should benefit directly; we should not have a middle person standing in the way”, she stressed.
She said Sierra Leoneans can introduce food and other products from the country to Europeans, stating that if Sierra Leoneans can eat pizza and other European food, the Europeans can also eat garri, cassava amongst others.
Speaking on the relevance of a good road network, she stressed the need for feeder roads, noting also how poor road network serves as a barrier to accessing the market. She further explained that if there are poor road networks, it would be difficult for beneficiaries of the project to access the market and that the efforts of the sponsors will be fruitless.
She passionately called on all to contribute to ensuring the government succeeds in its ‘Feed Salone’ project which she believes can be achieved mentioning how some developed countries now celebrate success because they prioritize development.
The First Lady expressed appreciation to the donors and called on beneficiaries (entrepreneurs) to ensure they make use of the opportunity and ensure the knowledge they acquire is shared with others.
Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security Mohamed Rahman Swaray said the project is owned by the government, sponsored by the European Union and implemented by ILO, emphasizing the need for Sierra Leoneans to own the project.
He said the country spends about two hundred and fifty million dollars to import rice yearly, stating that investing in ‘Feed Salone’ means the county will save resources to invest in other areas.
Swaray expressed appreciation to the donors and ILO for such a project which he said is in synergy with the government’s commitment to ‘Feed Salone’ and which will create five hundred jobs, highlighting that the project has empowered entrepreneurs who have in turn employed other persons.
The minister noted that the knowledge-sharing programme is significant, saying people will share experiences which will help each of them in their pursuit.
EU Ambassador to Sierra Leone Manuel Muller stated that it was delightful to see concrete results and the impact of the joint Sierra Leone, EU and UN efforts in the country. He stressed the importance of the knowledge-sharing event, stating “This Knowledge sharing event is a great opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved and reflect on how support can be improved to scale up impact”.
He said the ‘Opportunity Salone’ project is part of the EU jobs and growth programme in the country, noting that job creation is one of the EU’s flagship initiatives.
Muller assured Sierra Leoneans that the EU will support the government’s ’Feed Salone’ agenda.
The ‘Opportunity Salone’ four-year project is implemented in Bo, Kenema, Bombali and Port Loko Districts. The project supports feeder-road maintenance and youth entrepreneurship for agricultural value chain development. The three-day event ended on the 7th of December 2023.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (08/12/23)
