Press release number: IFAD 10/04

Rome, 20 February 2004 - A new project in eastern Sierra Leone will help rural poor communities hit hard by the country’s ten-year civil war to rebuild agricultural capacities and infrastructure.

The USD 10.78 million project will be financed largely by a USD 8.51 million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to the Republic of Sierra Leone. The loan agreement was signed today at IFAD headquarters by IFAD President Lennart Båge and The Honourable Francis Kutubu Ngebeh, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

About nine out of ten people in Sierra Leone live in extreme poverty, and as few as one in 20 people have access to clean water and adequate sanitation.The country is the lowest ranking on the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index, which ranks countries based on the quality of life of their populations.

The country’s civil war, which ended in 2001, only worsened the problem of poverty. The rural districts of Kono and Kailahun, for instance, experienced massive structural damage during the fighting, as well as a loss of skilled workers. Now, as displaced people and former combatants are returning to the districts, additional pressures are being placed on already scarce resources and economic opportunities are limited. It is feared that the resulting hardship could lead to tension and disillusionment, and ultimately undermine the peace process.

The IFAD-backed project is designed to respond to the immediate needs of Kono and Kailahun residents, while also contributing to the long-term processes of reintegrating displaced people and combatants, and rebuilding infrastructure and local capacities. Sexually-abused women and war widows, as well as young people and others who suffered greatly from the war, will receive special attention.

The project will work to strengthen grassroots organizations and renew community cohesion. Through community organizations, local people will receive basic agricultural packages that include seeds, tools and livestock that will help them re-establish their farming activities.

The project will also provide financing to rebuild infrastructure that will help improve people lives. For example, remote communities will be better connected to markets and suppliers by new and restored roads. People will also see improvements in production and living conditions with the construction or repair of storage facilities, drying floors, rice sheds and wells. A good deal of work will be done to make local swamplands arable, so that communities will be able to establish rice and vegetable crops. Farmers will further benefit from the rehabilitation and construction of small-scale irrigation systems. Infrastructure development work will be carried out through non-governmental organizations and local private firms, and by community members who will earn income for their labour.

With this loan, IFAD will have financed five projects in the Republic of Sierra Leone for a total of USD 47.3 million.

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IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to combating rural poverty in the most disadvantaged regions of the world. Since 1978, IFAD has invested USD 8.1 billion in 653 projects and programmes in 115 countries and territories. Through these projects and programmes, about 250 million rural people have been supported in their efforts to overcome poverty.