India Donates 1,000 Tonnes of Rice to Boost Sierra Leone’s School Feeding Programme
Osman Tolo Sesay The Government of India has donated 1,000 metric tonnes of rice to Sierra Leone to strengthen the National School Feeding Programme and improve access to nutrition for schoolchildren across the country.
The consignment was formally handed over on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Kissy, Freetown, by Indian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Norbu Negi, to Basic and Senior Secondary Education Minister Conrad Sackey.
The donation is expected to support efforts to address hunger among schoolchildren, particularly those from economically disadvantaged households, while encouraging school enrollment, improving attendance and reducing dropout rates.
Speaking at the ceremony, Negi said the contribution reflected India’s longstanding diplomatic relationship with Sierra Leone and its commitment to supporting the country’s human development priorities.
He emphasized that school meals play an important role in ensuring children attend classes regularly, remain in school and develop the physical and mental capacity needed for learning.
“This rice is meant for the children of Sierra Leone. A meal at school brings children to the classroom, keeps them in school and helps them grow healthy and strong,” Norbu Negi stated.
Negi also highlighted the role of school feeding in promoting girls’ education, noting that providing meals at school can encourage families to keep their daughters in education while easing household financial pressures.
He cited India’s PM POSHAN initiative, one of the world’s largest school feeding programmes, which provides hot cooked meals to more than 100 million children every school day.
According to the High Commissioner, India’s experience demonstrates how school nutrition initiatives can contribute to better attendance, improved health and stronger educational outcomes.
He linked the rice donation to President Julius Maada Bio’s Feed Salone and Human Capital Development priorities, describing the assistance as complementary to the government’s Free Quality School Education programme.
Beyond food assistance, Negi outlined several areas of India’s development cooperation with Sierra Leone, including healthcare, vocational training, education, agriculture and infrastructure.
He recalled India’s US$50,000 humanitarian contribution following the 2017 floods and mudslide disaster and its provision of 1,000 metric tonnes of rice and more than 7,000 kilograms of medicines valued at nearly US$150,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also disclosed that India supplied 15 haemodialysis machines to Sierra Leone in 2026 to support kidney care services.
On disability inclusion, Negi said India is financing a US$990,000 project through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to strengthen vocational training opportunities in six districts.
The initiative is intended to improve skills development and expand employment and self-employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
He further highlighted India’s capacity-building support through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, which provides 86 annual training opportunities for Sierra Leonean government officials. More than 200 officials have reportedly benefited over the past three financial years.
India also offers 50 fully funded scholarships annually through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), allowing Sierra Leonean students to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral studies.
Negi additionally referenced approximately US$250 million in concessional Lines of Credit supporting projects in agriculture, irrigation, drinking water, electricity transmission, street lighting and education. These investments include the US$32 million University of Science and Technology project in Koidu.
He reaffirmed India’s willingness to deepen agricultural cooperation through machinery, improved seeds, irrigation systems, farmer training and food-processing technologies in support of Feed Salone.
Receiving the consignment on behalf of President Bio and the government, Minister Sackey thanked India for its contribution, describing it as timely support for efforts to improve children’s nutrition and educational opportunities.
Sackey stressed that hunger remains a major obstacle to effective learning, arguing that children cannot fully benefit from classroom instruction when their nutritional needs are not met.
Referring to an African saying, he stated: “A hungry child cannot hear the teacher.”
The minister explained that school feeding goes beyond providing food, as it also encourages attendance, supports girls’ continued education and helps reduce inequalities among pupils from different economic backgrounds.
“School feeding keeps the child in the classroom. It improves attendance, supports girls to stay in school and gives every pupil a fair chance to succeed, regardless of family income,” Conrad Sackey stated.
He described the donation as another demonstration of the strong relationship between Sierra Leone and India, built on cooperation, mutual respect and a shared commitment to development.
Sackey also assured development partners and the public that the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education would ensure the rice reaches 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.
He emphasized that the government would manage the consignment responsibly and ensure transparent distribution to beneficiary schools.
The minister concluded by describing investment in children’s nutrition as essential to the country’s long-term development.
“With this support, our children will carry the load of learning, and they will carry Sierra Leone forward,” he stated.
The handover ceremony ended with the formal presentation of the rice by Negi to Sackey, marking another contribution to the country’s school feeding efforts and the broader development partnership between Sierra Leone and India.