Sierra Leone's Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, participated in the Korea-Africa Agricultural Conference held in Seoul on Wednesday, alongside the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit. The conference aimed at expanding agricultural cooperation between the two regions.

In his presentation, Dr. Kpaka emphasized his ministry's crucial role in ensuring agriculture and food security in Sierra Leone. He highlighted that Sierra Leone is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change impacts, according to United Nations climate reports. Dr. Kpaka underscored the significance of international partnerships, stating, "Korea is a textbook example of human capital development."

Discussions on joint responses to the climate crisis and other challenges occurred between Dr. Kpaka, South Korean Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung, and agriculture ministers from nine other African countries.

A notable success was the official development assistance (ODA) project launched last year, which resulted in a harvest of 2,321 tons of high-quality, high-yield rice seeds across six countries.

South Korea also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with African countries,  aimed at enhancing information exchange in the agricultural sector and fostering government-civilian cooperation.

Michaella Bonnie 

Information Attaché 

Embassy of Sierra Leone 

In the Republic of Korea 

Info@sierra-leone.or.kr