By Kadijatu Bangura, D.S.
Sierra Leone’s push to modernize farming and tackle unemployment received a major lift Thursday as the World Bank approved a $40 million grant to overhaul key agricultural value chains and help create at least 35,000 new jobs.
The funding, issued through the International Development Association on 18 June 2026, will launch the Sustainable Agricultural Value-chains Intensification for Growth project, or SAVIG. The initiative targets low productivity, weak market links, and limited private investment that have long held back the sector.
Agriculture employs most of Sierra Leone’s rural workforce and drives a large share of national output. Yet output per farmer remains low, and gaps in inputs, processing, and finance continue to stall growth. SAVIG aims to close those gaps with a market-led strategy that connects smallholders to agribusinesses and buyers, while strengthening production, post-harvest handling, and access to credit and digital tools.
“This operation tackles two of Sierra Leone’s most urgent problems at once — unemployment and food insecurity,” said Abdu Muwonge, World Bank Country Manager for Sierra Leone. “By strengthening value chains, this investment will improve household incomes and help build a more diversified, resilient economy.”
The project will concentrate on value chains with strong growth potential, backing improvements from farm to market. Beyond raising yields, SAVIG is designed to draw private capital into the sector and improve the policy environment for agribusiness.
Vinay Kumar Vutukuru, the Bank’s Lead Agricultural Specialist, described the approach as “pragmatic and systems-wide.” He added: “We’re not just investing in production. We’re investing in the full chain. Pairing public support with private investment should deliver lasting gains in income, jobs, and food security.”
Job creation sits at the heart of SAVIG. Sierra Leone currently generates about 41,000 jobs annually, far short of the 75,000 needed each year through 2050 to keep pace with its growing workforce. The project directly supports the government’s Feed Salone Strategy, which targets at least 35,000 formal agricultural jobs by expanding both on-farm work and off-farm roles in input supply, processing, and value addition.
Smallholder farmers, rural entrepreneurs, and agribusiness operators stand to benefit, with a focus on women and youth who make up a large portion of the agricultural labor force.
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