Mile 91, Thursday 9 October 2025 – His Excellency, Dr Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, has reaffirmed his government’s unwavering commitment to agricultural innovation, food security, and national self-sufficiency as he opened the National Seed Testing Laboratory at Mile 91, describing it as a “practical pillar of the Feed Salone agenda.” He noted that the new facility will ensure local testing, certification, and control of seed quality, a critical step toward ensuring reliable and high-performing seed systems.
“No crop, no yield, and no harvest can survive shaky seed systems,” President Bio emphasized. “Certified and climate-resilient seeds are fundamental to making farming profitable.”
The President commended the Executive Director and staff of the Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency (SLeSCA) for their leadership in establishing the facility, training seed inspectors, and deploying modern seed-tracking technology across the country.
He congratulated Dr Chakanda, Executive Director of SLeSCA, on his recent election as President of the Regional Seed and Planting Material Committee of West Africa, the first Sierra Leonean to hold the position, describing it as a mark of Sierra Leone’s growing leadership in agricultural governance.
President Bio also expressed appreciation to development partners including the FAO, CORAF, AGRA, IAEA, IITA, and the World Bank’s Food Systems Resilience Programme for their continued technical and financial support to Sierra Leone’s agricultural transformation.
“This laboratory is not the finish line,” he stated. “It is the base from which our transformation must accelerate. We now must build the supply chains, certification systems, and market structures to ensure this scientific breakthrough benefits every farmer.”
Reaffirming his government’s direction under Feed Salone, President Bio declared: “Sierra Leone cannot continue to rely on imported food and imported seed. We must transform from a food-importing to a food-producing nation. And that transformation starts with seeds.”
The President concluded by calling on farmers, researchers, seed entrepreneurs, and private sector actors to work together with integrity, innovation, and national responsibility to sustain the momentum of Feed Salone, before officially declaring the National Seed Testing Laboratory at Mile 91 open.
