By Saidu Jalloh, Daily Scope Newspaper
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has inspected the ongoing construction of the Gbondapi Rice Processing Facility in Pujehun District, as work on the project nears completion with installation of major processing equipment now about 90 per cent complete.
The inspection was carried out by the Bank’s Environmental and Social (E&S) Implementation Support Mission, led by Rashida Katty Dumbuya, Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialist at the AfDB Sierra Leone Country Office.
The mission visited Torma Bum and Gbondapi alongside staff and stakeholders of the Sierra Leone Rice Agro-Industrial Cluster (SL-RAIC) Project to assess construction progress and compliance with environmental and social safeguards requirements.
At Gbondapi, the contractor informed the mission that more than 90 per cent of the recommended safeguards measures had been implemented, while installation of major processing equipment had also reached approximately 90 per cent completion.
The facility is equipped with two boreholes, water storage infrastructure and a hybrid power system comprising 78 solar panels, 16 lithium batteries and a 250 kVA generator. The contractor has committed to completing the remaining works by the end of November 2026.
During the inspection, the AfDB mission expressed satisfaction with the progress made, but emphasised the need to address outstanding environmental, health, safety and community welfare requirements before the facility is commissioned.
The mission also assessed key implementation challenges and recommended additional measures to strengthen environmental and social safeguards management under the project.
Once operational, the facility is expected to improve local rice processing capacity, reduce post-harvest losses, enhance rice quality and create economic opportunities for farmers.
The project forms part of broader efforts under the Government’s Feed Salone Agenda to strengthen domestic rice production and advance Sierra Leone’s drive towards rice self-sufficiency.
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