The World Bank Group has approved a $40 million grant through the International Development Association to support the Sustainable Agricultural Value-chains Intensification for Growth (SAVIG) project in Sierra Leone. The approval, announced on Thursday, June 18, 2026, is aimed at accelerating agricultural transformation by improving productivity, expanding private sector participation, and generating sustainable employment opportunities across key value chains.
The SAVIG project is designed to address long-standing structural challenges in Sierra Leone’s agricultural sector, where farming remains the backbone of the economy and the primary source of livelihoods for most rural households. Despite its importance, the sector continues to face low productivity levels, limited access to quality inputs, weak market linkages, and underdeveloped processing and value addition systems. The new investment seeks to shift agriculture from subsistence-based production toward a more market-oriented and commercially viable system.
According to Abdu Muwonge, the initiative is intended to tackle unemployment and food insecurity simultaneously by turning smallholder farming into a more productive and job-creating sector. He noted that agriculture holds significant untapped potential in Sierra Leone and that strengthening value chains will not only improve rural livelihoods, but also contribute to building a more diversified and resilient economy.
The project will target selected high-potential agricultural value chains, supporting improvements across the entire system from production and post-harvest handling to processing, storage, and market access. It will also promote stronger linkages between farmers, agribusinesses, and buyers, while encouraging greater private investment through improved access to finance, supportive policies, and digital agriculture solutions. By combining public investment with private sector participation, the programme is expected to drive more efficient and competitive agricultural markets.
Job creation is a central focus of the initiative, particularly in a context where Sierra Leone currently generates significantly fewer jobs each year than required to meet labour market demands. The SAVIG project aligns with national development priorities, including the Government’s Feed Salone Strategy, which aims to create tens of thousands of agriculture-related jobs by expanding both on-farm productivity and off-farm opportunities in input supply, logistics, and value addition.
Vinay Kumar Vutukuru emphasized that the approach goes beyond increasing production, focusing instead on strengthening the entire agricultural system from farm to market. He highlighted that coordinated investments across the value chain are expected to improve incomes, expand employment, and enhance food security in a sustainable way.
The project is also expected to benefit smallholder farmers, rural entrepreneurs, and agribusiness operators, with a strong emphasis on the inclusion of women and young people, who make up a large share of the agricultural workforce. By improving infrastructure, market access, and institutional support, the initiative aims to unlock greater private investment and position agriculture as a key driver of inclusive economic growth in Sierra Leone.