FREETOWN — The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), in partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), on Monday, September 29, 2026, hosted the Second Edition of the Sierra Leone World Food Prize Youth Institute at the Country Lodge Hotel in Freetown.
The event brought together 16 pupils from schools across the country who presented innovative ideas and practical solutions for transforming food systems and advancing agriculture.
Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, commended the pupils for their creativity and brilliance. He also highlighted the achievements of Borlaug Scholars Nancy Koyema and Joseph Moripeh, who represented Sierra Leone at the World Food Prize Foundation’s DialogueNEXT and the Kenya Youth Institute in Nairobi in June 2026.
“Take full advantage of the opportunities provided through the Youth Institute and develop innovative solutions to challenges facing agriculture and food systems,” Kpaka urged, noting that the initiative reflects President Julius Maada Bio’s vision of empowering young people to contribute to food systems transformation and the Feed Salone agenda.
Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Hon. Conrad Sackey, said the pupils’ ideas demonstrate the impact of investment in education and encouraged youths to develop practical solutions to climate change, agriculture and food security challenges.
Vice Chancellor of Njala University, Prof. Bashiru Koroma, said the Youth Institute provides a platform for young people to move beyond identifying food security challenges to selecting problems, gathering evidence and making a case for change.
World Food Prize Foundation representative, Jon Wogman, commended Sierra Leone’s commitment to the Youth Institute vision and highlighted progress made under Feed Salone in strengthening infrastructure, markets and food systems.
Following presentations and assessment by a panel of judges, Komeh David Issa of Murialdo Secondary School, Lunsar, and Aminata F.K. Kabba of Services Secondary School, Freetown, emerged as finalists.
The programme was moderated by Deputy Minister of Agriculture I, Dr. Isata Kamanda, while Deputy Minister II, Ing. Bryan Smart-Kanu, presented certificates to participating pupils. Minister Kpaka presented certificates to the two finalists.
The event, funded by the World Bank-supported Food System Resilience Program, underscored the importance of investing in young people and creating platforms for them to contribute to agricultural transformation and food security.
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