By Esther Wright
A joint supervision mission team from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) on Saturday, July 14, 2024, arrived in Sierra Leone to evaluate the ongoing activities of the Regional Rice Value Chain Project under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
The mission aims to inspect various Bank-funded initiatives, particularly the development of 4,000 hectares of irrigation in Tormabum, which is crucial for boosting rice production.
Paramount Chief, Alex Maada Kaipumu, of Bum Chiefdom, Bonthe District, warmly welcomed the team. He expressed gratitude to the IsDB for its support through the irrigation scheme and highlighted the project’s potential to significantly enhance the Government’s Feed Salone program. Chief Kaipumu also praised the contractor’s work and shared the Chiefdom’s excitement about the project’s completion.
Sabiu Auwal, Operations Team Lead for Agriculture and a member of the IsDB mission team, commended the progress observed in Tormabum. He noted advancements in constructing the irrigation system, rehabilitating two warehouses, building a new warehouse, erecting two prefab milling houses and refurbishing 35 km of road. Sabiu Auwal emphasized the importance of timely completion and proper utilization of the facilities and urged the contractor to expedite the work to avoid delays.
Alhaji Mohamed Sesay, Project Engineer of the Regional Rice Value Chain Project, reported that Pavifort Associates, the project’s contractor, has been fully mobilized since March for the irrigation scheme and road rehabilitation. The irrigation project is slated for an 18-month duration, while the road rehabilitation is expected to take 12 months.
Pavifort Associates’ General Manager, Mohamed Kamara, confirmed the full mobilization for both the irrigation scheme construction and road rehabilitation from Victoria in Tormabum to Manokioganya.
The IsDB mission team includes Br. Javed Khan, Senior Agriculture Specialist-LLF (Team Lead), Br. Sabiu Auwal, Operations Team Leader (Regional Hub Dakar), and Sr. Asma Bousdira, Project Management Specialist-1 (Regional Hub Dakar). Representatives from the Ministry of Finance and technical staff from the Regional Rice Value Chain Project also accompanied the team.
