By Sallieu S. Kanu
Miatta Conference Centre, Freetown — December 12, 2025: Day Two of the 2025 Salone Civic Festival brought together government leaders, development partners, academics, youth, and civil society, as Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh delivered a data-driven keynote address highlighting Sierra Leone’s stride in food security, education, infrastructure, and governance. His presentation underscored tangible progress toward President Julius Maada Bio’s Big Five Game Changers.
Feed Salone: Boosting Agriculture and Food Security
Dr. Sengeh announced that Sierra Leone is firmly delivering on Feed Salone through unprecedented investment in agricultural science and private-sector financing. He said that a modern seed laboratory is now operational, releasing four high-yield rice varieties capable of producing 8–10 metric tons per hectare, compared to the current 2–4 metric tons; additional releases include four cassava varieties to boost garri production and improved maize varieties; agricultural financing expanded to $24 million in 2025, up from $10 million in 2024, alongside $235 million in agriculture and livestock projects supporting cash crops and a new cattle settlement policy; national land cultivation targets were surpassed in 2024, with 586,000 hectares planted, exceeding the target by more than 50,000 hectares.
These efforts are already easing the cost of living.
Food prices are declining for the first time in years: local rice down 12%, imported rice down 26%, and onion and egg prices falling with improved market availability. According to the World Food Programme, severe food insecurity has dropped from 28% in 2023 to 13% in 2025.
“This is what progress looks like—prices down, production up, and food available nationwide,” Dr. Sengeh declared.
Human Capital Development: Education Gains
Education featured prominently in the Chief Minister’s address: Girls’ lower secondary completion rates now stand at 97%, the highest in West Africa; WAEC participation has surged from 30,000 candidates in 2017/18 to 204,000 in the last three years; TVET enrollment doubled from 10,000 (2018/19) to 20,000 (2023/24); more than 2,000 classrooms constructed and full internet connectivity established across 23 tertiary campuses; and the Radical Inclusion, introduced by President Bio, is now fully embedded into the National Development Plan, shaping education and social policy nationwide.
Dr. Sengeh highlighted steady gains in infrastructure, with new roads and bridges under construction daily. Governance reforms are advancing through the Implementation of the Wage and Compensation Commission Act.
The day also featured a guest lecture by Dr. Thoai D. Ngo of Columbia University, who praised Sierra Leone’s human-capital gains and emphasized the nation’s youthful population as its greatest opportunity. He urged continued investment in education, climate resilience, and gender equity.
Day Two of the Civic Festival reinforced Sierra Leone’s commitment to accountability, evidence-based policymaking, and collaborative national delivery. With clear progress and renewed momentum, the Big Five Game Changers are no longer ambitions—they are being delivered.