Robert T.M. Chakanda, the Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency and his technical team narrowly escaped death in a serious road accident along the Pujehun highway.

This is coming at the time when the Executive Director is on a nationwide Seed Data Collection and Mapping of potential in-country seed growers and/or suppliers. In line with the Mid-Term plan (2021-2022) of the Agency to completely stop government’s importation of rice, which is the country’s staple food, the Executive Director has designed a strategy to identify all seed producers at community level.

This trip to Pujehun district was one of the several trips he is making to each district/chiefdom.

Early this week, the Executive Director, the Head of Accounts and the Head of Projects attended a day Steering Committee Meeting of one of the donor projects in Moyamba district. The Executive Director was due for another two days meeting with the National Farmers Federation of S/L whilst the other two Senior staff left for Freetown. Upon completion of the two days meeting, the Executive Director continued with his field mission to Bonthe. This time, he was due to visit a farm that produces a floating rice variety. This is the only farmer that has maintained the production of this particular rice variety in the whole of the country.

On his way from Bonthe to Pujehun district to continue with the rest of the field mission exercise, he and team had this accident. However, I am pleased to inform the general public that the Executive Director and team are fine. They are responding to treatment at the Pujehun Medical hospital from injuries sustained as a result of the accident.