Sierra Leone, FAO and Viet Nam sign new agreement to develop the rice sector in the African country

From FAO Regional Office for Africa

09/06/2023

Freetown – Sierra Leone, FAO and Viet Nam today signed a South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) agreement aimed at developing the rice sector in the African country. The new project has an estimated budget of $5 million to be implemented through a Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF) from Sierra Leone.  

The tripartite agreement was signed by His Excellency Abu Bakarr Karim, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security of Sierra Leone, and by Saeed Abubakar Bancie, FAO Representative in Sierra Leone.

Minister Abu Bakarr Karim commended Viet Nam for its commitment to providing technical assistance through FAO South-South Cooperation, emphasizing the invaluable role it will play in Sierra Leone's agricultural landscape. 

The new tripartite project will support diverse actors to increase productivity and production of rice through increased access to improved technologies and upscaling of best practices along the rice value chain.

Over the course of a four-year project, Viet Nam will provide its expertise in rice-value-chain development to Sierra Leone. 

Skilled experts and technicians specialized in rice production, irrigation, rice breeding, mechanization, and post-harvest management will be deployed to various national sites, including research stations. Additionally, capacity-building initiatives such as study tours, field training, and training of trainers will be implemented to empower local stakeholders.

This new tripartite agreement is part of FAO’s strong commitment to broaden its partnership base with diverse groups of countries through South-South and Triangular Cooperation and the mobilization. The countries in the Global South are increasingly recognizing SSTC as one of the most efficient delivery modalities addressing their needs.

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