Sierra Leone revamps their plan and pursues food & nutrition security for all

Photo source: The Sierra Leone Telegraph

On 2nd July 2015, Sierra Leone’s Vice President, Victor Bockarie Foh, launched the Food and Nutrition Security Implementation (FNSI) plan as part of the country’s efforts in Scaling Up Nutrition. In his keynote address, Vice President Foh spoke on the importance of the FNSI Plan which, as part of the Agenda for Prosperity, will guide the government in achieving their goals in attaining food and nutrition security to build a healthy nation.

To the audience, including Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians, Members of the International Community, Mayors and Traditional Leaders, the Vice President said, the FNSI Plan, to a large extent, will serve to enhance the food and nutrition security concern in the National Development Agenda especially in the fight against Ebola and other infectious diseases in the post-Ebola Recovery Phase.

“Our membership of the Global Scaling Up Nutrition Movement in the past two years witnessed considerable gains. Three main reasons led us to adopt this global initiative. In the first place, after five years in governance, we became painfully aware of the huge cost of under-nutrition on our economic and human development, and the devastating effect of malnutrition on our children and hard working women.

Secondly, it became imperative for us to revamp food production and reduce under-nutrition to its barest minimum.  Finally, we needed to establish a direct relationship between under-nutrition and the prevalence of infectious and other preventable diseases. Hence in 2012, with a new mandate from our people, we renewed our commitment to the people of this country to fight against hunger and malnutrition, and to build a well-nourished and prosperous nation.

Our Scale Up Nutrition plans were well underway until last year when Ebola struck with its horrible toll on all facets of society, especially the health sector. However, the Ebola epidemic only slowed our progress, but it has never wiped out our determination and commitment to building a healthy and prosperous Sierra Leone.

Food and nutrition security is certainly one endeavor we will pursue without relenting, because, it is a significant dimension of our economic and human development. Our resolve to attain prosperity shall therefore be without hindrance.” – Sierra Leone Vice President, Victor Bockarie Foh

The Vice President also shared that the FNSI will be led by the Office of the Vice President. He highlighted that considerable efforts have already been invested into the design of the strategy including support from other non-state institutions and actors to ensure a collaborative approach to achieving food and nutrition security.

The FNSI will also serve as an advocacy tool for mobilizing resources on behalf of nutrition implementing agencies, and will broadly encourage and motivate nutrition stakeholders to use the strategy as a working document accepted by all.

The Country Representative for the Food and Agricultural Organization, Dr. Rugalena, added that the United Nation’s (UN) recognise that optimum nutrition and food security are essential to development and will align efforts to support the country’s Food and Nutrition Security Implementation Plan.

Learn more at The Sierra Leone Daily Telegraph and The Awareness Times