By Shadrach Aziz Kamara
The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, has endorsed the ratification of the €5 million financing agreement between the European Commission and the Government of Sierra Leone for sustainable food and agriculture value chain development. However, he raised strong concerns about transparency, land rights, and benefits for smallholder farmers, warning that past mismanagement of agricultural support must not be repeated.
The opposition leader recounted instances where foreign-donated rice and agricultural support were mismanaged, including a widely publicized incident in which Chinese donated processed rice went missing.
“We must not allow such mismanagement to tarnish this new agreement,” he cautioned.
“Until those who are not corrupt are willing to expose the corrupt in their political parties, this country will not move forward. We should not defend wrongdoing; we must prevent it.”
Hon. Kargbo emphasized that while the EU-funded project has the potential to empower rural farmers, women, and youth, there are risks of elite capture, land grabbing, and environmental degradation if proper safeguards are not in place.
He urged the government and the Ministry of Finance to:
1. Prioritize smallholder farmers over large commercial actors.
2. Ensure landowners and affected communities are fairly compensated if land is used for agricultural projects.
3. Implement transparent disbursement timelines and publish the list of implementing partners and contractors.
4. Guarantee public participation and monitoring mechanisms from the start to prevent mismanagement.
5. Design a sustainability plan so that the project continues to deliver results beyond the five-year EU funding period.
“Communities in my constituency have still not been paid for land used for agricultural purposes,” he revealed.
“This project must not repeat the same mistakes. Sustainability and transparency are the keys to long-term success.”
Despite his concerns, Hon. Kargbo confirmed that the opposition would vote in favor of the agreement, which aims to modernize Sierra Leone’s food systems, promote climate-smart agriculture, and reduce hunger and malnutrition.
He also called on the Agriculture Committee of Parliament to actively monitor the implementation stage of the project rather than waiting until problems arise:
“Parliament is good at passing good laws and agreements, but monitoring is often weak. We must ensure this project achieves real impact for the people.”
The financing agreement, fully funded by the European Union, will run for five years and support agricultural value chains in cassava, infant food, and other priority crops, creating jobs, improving rural livelihoods, and strengthening Sierra Leone’s resilience to climate change.
Parliament later ratified the agreement unanimously, with a collective commitment to ensure effective oversight and sustainable results.
