By Forum staff writer
The Office of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security PI CREF in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO has successfully concluded a one day regional training workshop on strengthened food systems coordination and information dissemination in Bo City.
The Bo engagement followed an earlier regional workshop held in Makeni and brought together key food systems stakeholders from the Southern and Eastern Regions of Sierra Leone. The workshop formed part of ongoing national efforts to improve coordination collaboration and information flow across the country’s food systems landscape.
Welcoming participants on behalf of the District Agriculture Officer Ms Kadijatu Alice Koroma District Crop Officer expressed appreciation to PI CREF and FAO for selecting Bo as the host city. She highlighted the importance of strong inter institutional collaboration in advancing national food security goals and noted that platforms for dialogue learning and shared problem solving remain critical to collective success.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Chairman of PI CREF Dr Patrick Kormawa Director of Food Security and Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation underscored PI CREF’s mandate as a national coordination hub. He commended FAO for its continued partnership and emphasized that effective food systems governance goes beyond agriculture and requires deliberate multi sector engagement.
Dr Kormawa stated that PI CREF provides a strong national platform that brings together ministries departments and agencies development partners the private sector civil society and communities. He stressed the importance of collaboration over isolation and collective action toward shared national objectives.
He further described the workshop as timely and strategic noting its focus on strengthening coordination structures and improving food systems information dissemination to support evidence based decision making.
Also addressing participants Ms Neneh Bah Jalloh National Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition SUN Secretariat commended PI CREF and FAO for convening stakeholders at the regional level. She reaffirmed SUN’s commitment to sustained collaboration in advancing integrated food and nutrition systems across Sierra Leone.
In his remarks Dr James Edwin Director General of the National Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate NaMED praised PI CREF and FAO for organizing the workshop. He described it as a critical step toward inclusive dialogue and stronger institutional alignment and called for more engagements that promote shared learning and coordinated action.
The workshop was facilitated by Hon Solomon Bangali who served as Lead Consultant alongside his technical team. Their guidance ensured focused discussions active participation and practical outcomes throughout the day.
Participants included District Agriculture Officers District Nutritionists agricultural nutritionists and national level actors. The workshop concluded with renewed commitment to cross sector collaboration and building resilient data informed food systems to improve food security and nutrition for all Sierra Leoneans.
