India Donates 1,000 Tonnes Rice to Sierra Leone
The Government of India has donated 1,000 metric tonnes of rice to Sierra Leone to support the National School Feeding Programme, aimed at improving pupils' nutrition, school attendance and learning outcomes. The consignment was formally handed over on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, at the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Kissy, Freetown, by India's High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Norbu Negi, to the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey.
Speaking at the ceremony, Negi said the donation reflected the longstanding relationship between the two countries and India's commitment to supporting vulnerable communities in Sierra Leone. He noted that school feeding plays an important role in encouraging children to enrol and remain in school, while providing the nutrition they need to concentrate on their studies. "A meal at school brings children to the classroom, keeps them in school and helps them grow healthy and strong," Negi stated.
He also highlighted the contribution of school meals to girls' education, explaining that they help ease the financial pressure on families and encourage parents to keep their daughters in school. Drawing on India's experience with its PM POSHAN school feeding initiative, which provides cooked meals to more than 100 million children every school day, the High Commissioner underscored the importance of nutrition in supporting education.
He said the donation aligns with Sierra Leone's development priorities, particularly the Feed Salone initiative and Human Capital Development, under the Government's Big Five Game Changers. It also complements the Free Quality School Education programme by addressing hunger as a barrier to effective learning.
Receiving the consignment on behalf of President Julius Maada Bio and the Government of Sierra Leone, Minister Conrad Sackey expressed appreciation to India for supporting the country's efforts to improve children's education and nutrition. He stressed that hunger can undermine pupils' ability to benefit from classroom instruction, noting that children need more than access to school facilities to achieve meaningful learning outcomes. Referring to an African saying, Sackey remarked: "A hungry child cannot hear the teacher."
He added that school feeding helps improve attendance, supports girls' education and gives children from disadvantaged households a better opportunity to learn. The Minister assured India and other development partners that the donated rice would be distributed responsibly to its intended beneficiaries. "I give this assurance to our partners and to the people of Sierra Leone that every bag of this rice will be accounted for," he declared.
Beyond the rice donation, Negi highlighted India's broader development cooperation with Sierra Leone, including humanitarian assistance, healthcare support, education and agricultural development. He recalled India's provision of US$1 million in emergency relief, as well as supplying 15 haemodialysis machines to strengthen kidney care services in Sierra Leone in 2026.
In education and capacity building, India provides 86 annual training opportunities for Sierra Leonean government officials through its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme. More than 200 Sierra Leonean officials have benefited over the past three financial years. The country also offers 50 fully funded scholarships annually through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), covering undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral studies.
He reaffirmed India's readiness to deepen cooperation with Sierra Leone under Feed Salone, particularly through agricultural machinery, improved seeds, irrigation facilities, farmer training and food-processing technologies.
The High Commissioner also referenced India's US$990,000 partnership project with the United Nations Development Programme, funded through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, to strengthen vocational training and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in six districts.
The ceremony ended with the formal presentation of the rice, marking another contribution to Sierra Leone's school feeding efforts and the development partnership between the two countries.
Comments