The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Government of Sierra Leone and local authorities have broken ground for the construction of a new complementary food processing facility at Makarie Village in Bombali District, marking another major step towards tackling child malnutrition while strengthening local agricultural value chains.
The facility is being established under the Strengthened Agricultural Value-chain through Infant Nutrition for Growth (SAVING) Project, a four-year initiative principally financed by the European Union with a contribution of €11.5 million and implemented by WFP in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone.
Once operational, the facility will support the local production of safe, affordable and fortified complementary foods for children aged six to 23 months, while creating sustainable market opportunities for smallholder farmers and women-led enterprises.
The facility is expected to process approximately 200 metric tonnes of nutritious food annually and will be equipped with automated packaging systems, food-safety infrastructure, off-grid solar power and solar-powered water facilities.
More than 25,000 people, including over 8,000 farmers, are expected to benefit from the SAVING Project, which combines improved nutrition with agricultural production, local processing and economic opportunities.
Welcoming the initiative, Paramount Chief of Makarie Chiefdom, PC Bai Makarie Nkolo II, expressed appreciation for the decision to establish the facility in his chiefdom and assured WFP and its partners of his full support for the successful implementation of the project.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Chief Agriculture Officer Professor Abdulai Jalloh highlighted WFP’s support to processing mills across Sierra Leone and said the new facility would create reliable market opportunities for smallholder farmers.
He stressed that improving nutrition among children is central to building a healthier and more productive population, noting that feeding Sierra Leone must include ensuring that its children receive nutritious food during the critical early stages of development.
Mayor of Makeni City Council, Abubakarr Kamara, encouraged residents to embrace the project and take advantage of the opportunities it will create. He said the investment would promote greater economic inclusion while generating employment opportunities, particularly for young people.
WFP Representative and Country Director Andrew Odero said the project is designed to address challenges surrounding access to nutritious and affordable complementary foods for young children.
“This is the history of Nyam Nyam pap,” Andrew Odero said, explaining that the groundbreaking builds on an approach that has already been tested through existing community-based facilities.
“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,” he added.
The SAVING Project will build on community-based complementary food production initiatives in Pujehun, Moyamba and Kambia districts, while supporting the production and commercialization of fortified foods through women-led enterprises.
By linking nutritious crop production by smallholder farmers with improved infant and young child feeding practices and local food processing, the project seeks to establish a more resilient and nutrition-sensitive food system.
Following the groundbreaking ceremony, participants toured the proposed construction site and received presentations on the planned production process, food-safety systems, solar energy installations and water infrastructure.
Farmer organisations also showcased nutritious crops expected to supply the processing value chain, while health workers and Mother Support Groups demonstrated appropriate infant and young child feeding practices and the use of locally produced complementary foods.
The Makarie Infant Food Processing Facility is expected to strengthen Sierra Leone’s broader efforts to reduce malnutrition, improve local food systems and expand economic opportunities for rural communities, particularly women and smallholder farmers.
Beyond improving access to locally produced nutritious food for children, the facility is also expected to create a stronger link between agriculture, nutrition and rural livelihoods, ensuring that local farmers benefit from increased demand for the crops required to produce fortified complementary foods.
