Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) has reiterated its commitment to facilitating sustainable agribusiness models across the rice value chain in Sierra Leone.

This was made known during an African Development Bank-led Supervision Mission to Sierra Leone within the framework of the Sierra Leone Agribusiness & Rice Value Chain Support (#SLARiS) Project. TAAT’s footprint in seed multiplication and quality control in Sierra Leone through its collaboration with Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency (SLeSCA), and the Private Sector was duly acknowledged as a vital ingredient for the success of the project.

The supervision mission which held from the 13th to 24th November 2023 in Sierra Leone assessed progress and challenges in project implementation and proposed solutions to challenges encountered during project implementation.

A key component of the SLARiS Project is the optimisation of production and productivity with special focus on rice and maize seed production and supply to beneficiary farmers .

The supervision team commended the implementation and technical support provided by the TAAT Rice Compact through the provision of Early General Seeds for multiplication and assistance in the procurement of certified seeds.

The mission remarked that the new seed laboratory being constructed is at 86% completion and it is scheduled to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024. Variety maintenance, breeder and foundation seed production by the research institution, SLARi was considered successful with the production figures of 3.3 tons of breeder seeds and about 500 tons of foundation seed of rice.

The ENABLE Youth Program coordinated by the Njala University recorded the training of 400 graduates out of the target of 1,000. TAAT, through its Youth in Agribusiness Compact is supporting the ENABLE Youth programme to build the entrepreneurial capacity of students at the Njala University.