The Government of Sierra Leone convened the Sierra Leone Agrifood Investor Summit in Freetown on 28 October 2025, bringing together around 25 international and regional investors and over 40 domestic agrifood companies. Opened by President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, the event highlighted the country’s vast agricultural and agribusiness investment potential, supported by political will, rich natural resources, and a strengthening business environment. President Bio reaffirmed his government’s commitment to creating an enabling atmosphere for investors to drive growth, resilience, and self-sufficiency in the agrifood sector.
A key outcome of the summit was the signing of a EUR 10 million agreement between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Vista Bank, aimed at expanding access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sierra Leone. The facility will prioritize key agrifood value chains such as rice, cocoa, palm oil, cassava, cashew nuts, coffee, and fruit and vegetable processing. Through a series of panel discussions and networking sessions, participants examined investment opportunities, policy incentives, and the government’s goal of reducing food imports by 25% within five years.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka emphasized that under the Feed Salone initiative, Sierra Leone is mobilizing both public and private investment to enhance productivity, value addition, and inclusive growth. He reiterated the country’s openness to partnerships that strengthen local food systems and create economic opportunities.
Representatives from development partners also reaffirmed their support. The FAO noted Sierra Leone’s strong potential and political commitment to transforming its agrifood systems sustainably, while the European Union reiterated its backing through the EIB–Vista Bank agreement, aligned with the Global Gateway strategy for Africa. British High Commissioner Josephine Gauld underscored the UK’s partnership in supporting agribusiness investments, job creation, and long-term food system resilience through initiatives like Invest Salone and British International Investment (BII).
The summit was the result of strong collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, FAO, the European Union, the UK’s FCDO, BII, the Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator (ARIA), and Invest Salone. Together, these partnerships reflect a shared vision to unlock Sierra Leone’s agrifood potential and accelerate sustainable growth through regional and international cooperation.
