By Foday Moriba Conteh
In a bid to revolutionize agrifood systems and foster sustainable development, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched the ambitious HASTEN Project on 6th May 2024 in Sierra Leone. This transformative endeavor, conducted in partnership with the Governments of Rwanda, Lesotho, and Sierra Leone, marks a significant milestone in empowering the next generation of agrifood leaders across Africa.
At its core, the HASTEN Project aims to cultivate a cadre of young professionals equipped with the multidisciplinary skills necessary to spearhead complex agrifood system transformations. As underscored by Stefanos Fotiou, Director of FAO’s Office of Sustainable Development Goals, this initiative holds profound implications, positioning youth empowerment as not merely an option but a moral imperative. The burgeoning potential of Africa’s youth, Fotiou emphasizes, serves as a linchpin for driving sustainable growth within agrifood systems, a vital pillar of socio-economic progress on the continent.
The project’s inception, marked by a pivotal meeting held on 6 May in Sierra Leone, convened key stakeholders including the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Security of Sierra Leone (MAFS). This gathering served to delineate a shared vision and understanding of the project’s objectives, underscoring its strategic alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its accompanying Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ms. Laurie Manderino, representing the UN Office of the Resident Coordinator, shed light on the synergies between the HASTEN Project and Sierra Leone’s developmental trajectory, notably citing the forthcoming fifth Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) as a pivotal framework for accelerating progress towards SDGs. Within this context, the project’s resonance with Sierra Leone’s National Goals 2 and 5 underscores its intrinsic value as a catalyst for inclusive growth and resilient development.
Sierra Leone’s designation as a fragile state beset by chronic food insecurity underscores the urgency of initiatives like HASTEN. Persisting challenges stemming from natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and socio-economic factors have underscored the imperative for bolstering the resilience of agrifood systems. Despite these adversities, the sector’s pivotal role in the national economy, constituting 61% of the GDP and employing over 70% of the labor force, underscores its centrality to Sierra Leone’s socio-economic fabric.
Madam Neneh Bah-Jalloh, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Coordinator, highlighted the profound implications of the HASTEN Project in mitigating Sierra Leone’s vulnerability to external shocks. By enhancing agricultural productivity and fostering local food production, the initiative is poised to galvanize inclusive growth, mitigate hunger, and fortify the nation’s food security apparatus. Moreover, by leveraging the demographic dividend of Sierra Leone’s youthful populace, the project stands to catalyze a paradigm shift in agrifood systems, positioning them as engines of sustainable development.
The HASTEN Project, co-led by various FAO entities including the Office of Sustainable Development Goals (OSG), Regional Office for Africa (RAF), Subregional Office for Eastern Africa (SFE), and Subregional Office for West Africa (SFW), embodies a holistic approach to agrifood system transformation. Through close collaboration with FAO Country Offices in Lesotho, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone, the project is poised to effectuate tangible change, laying the groundwork for a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood future in Sierra Leone and beyond.
