Dep. Minister, Ibrahim Turay, (above) delivering his statement while DOF, Kahdijatu Jalloh, (below) leads guests on tour of the ministry’s booth and presents a consignment of fish to the beneficiaries.
The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ibrahim Turay has assured guests at the just concluded World Food Day Programme held on the outskirt of Moyamba Town of his ministry’s determination to complement government’s effort in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for food security by providing the needed support to schools interested in constructing Fish Ponds as alternative sources of livelihood. He said the ministry will continue to work with Ministries, Departments and Agencies, particularly the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in promoting Fish Farming and Aquaculture in school curriculum.
The Deputy Minister disclosed that his ministry has provided a small consignment of fish to complement government’s effort in implementing the School Feeding Programme in Moyamba. “The road leading to a Zero Hunger World is a long way ahead but one that we can reach” he opined. Mr. Turay expressed the need to create opportunities for greater private sector investments in fisheries and agriculture while boosting social protection programmes for the vulnerable and linking producers with the urban. He also spoke of the need to adopt modern sustainable agricultural and fisheries methods to increase productivity and enhance income generation as well as sustainable life style and willingness to help ensure positive change in the country. Giving a brief statistics of the world’s food situation, Mr. Turay said, nearly Eight Hundred Million people in the world do not have food to lead healthy lives, noting that development countries including Sierra Leone have majority of the world’s hungry people. He added that Sixty Six Million Primary School-age children attend classes hungry across developing countries, with Twenty –Three million in Africa alone. He lamented that the situation is serious in Sierra Leone which has been ranked the sixth hungriest country in the world with nearly one-third of its children under five years, chronically malnourished. He called on all including government and development partners to take the necessary actions that would transform both the fisheries and agriculture sectors into profitable entities that would contribute significantly to the country’s socio-economic development through sustainable management and utilization of resources.
Making a symbolic presentation of fish products to management staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and a school authority in Moyamba, the Director of Fisheries, Madam Khadijatu Jalloh said the gesture is in line with President Bios New Direction Agenda which aims at promoting Free Quality Education and Food Security in the country. Representatives of the ministry of Agriculture and schools in Moyamba thanked the ministry for the kind gesture and promised to work in line with government development agenda. The ministry and partners, including Sierra Fishing Company, showcased a variety of fish products during the event which attracted dignitaries and people from all walks of life including the Chief Minister, Prof. Francis who officially opened the programme.
