WFP and Sierra Leone Break Ground on Infant Food Facility in Bombali

The United Nations World Food Programme, the Government of Sierra Leone and local authorities have broken ground for a complementary food processing facility in Makarie Village, Bombali District.

The Makarie Infant Food Processing Facility is being established through the four-year Strengthened Agricultural Value-chain through Infant Nutrition for Growth (SAVING) Project. The initiative is principally financed by the European Union, which is contributing €11.5 million, and is being implemented by WFP in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone.

Facility to target infant nutrition

Once operational, the facility is expected to produce safe, affordable and fortified complementary foods for children aged six to 23 months. It is also intended to connect local agricultural production with food processing and improved infant and young child feeding practices.

The planned plant is expected to process approximately 200 metric tonnes of nutritious food each year. Its proposed equipment and infrastructure include automated packaging systems, food-safety facilities, off-grid solar power and solar-powered water systems.

More than 25,000 people, including over 8,000 farmers, are expected to benefit from the wider SAVING Project. The programme is designed to create sustainable market opportunities for smallholder farmers and women-led enterprises involved in the production and commercialisation of fortified foods.

Project builds on existing initiatives

WFP Representative and Country Director Andrew Odero said the Makarie facility was designed using lessons from four existing community-based facilities. He said the project was building on an approach that had already been started rather than introducing an untested idea.

“We are breaking ground not for an idea that has never been tried, but rather building on what has already been started. This new facility was designed along the lessons learnt from the four existing facilities,” Odero said.

The SAVING Project will build on community-based complementary food production initiatives in Pujehun, Moyamba and Kambia districts. The initiative combines improved nutrition with agricultural production, local processing and economic opportunities.

Farmers and health groups take part

Participants at the groundbreaking toured the proposed construction site and received presentations on the planned production process, food-safety systems, solar energy installations and water infrastructure.

Farmer organisations displayed nutritious crops expected to supply the processing value chain. Health workers and Mother Support Groups also demonstrated infant and young child feeding practices, including the use of locally produced complementary foods.

Chief Agriculture Officer Professor Abdulai Jalloh, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, said the facility would provide more reliable market opportunities for smallholder farmers. He also said improving nutrition among children was central to building a healthier and more productive population.

Mayor of Makeni City Council Abubakarr Kamara said the investment would promote greater economic inclusion and generate employment opportunities, particularly for young people. He encouraged residents to support the project and benefit from the opportunities it is expected to create.

Paramount Chief of Makarie Chiefdom PC Bai Makarie Nkolo II assured WFP and its partners of his full support for successful implementation of the project.

The facility’s completion and operational dates have not been announced. Its projected benefits, including processing capacity, market opportunities and the number of beneficiaries, remain expected outcomes of the project.