RSLAF Seeks Le960 Million to Achieve Rice Self-Sufficiency by 2027
The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) is seeking increased government funding for agricultural activities as it works towards producing enough rice to meet its own needs by 2027.
The target comes as the RSLAF prepares its 2027 spending plans, with agriculture identified as one of the areas requiring additional investment. At a budget hearing on September 28, the armed forces requested approximately Le960 million for agricultural activities under a wider public investment programme.
The RSLAF’s agricultural expansion builds on earlier efforts to increase food production within the military. In 2025, the Food System Resilience Program reported that the military had expanded rice cultivation with support for seeds, fertiliser, land preparation and harvesting.
The programme reported that the RSLAF cultivated more than 200 hectares of rice in 2023 and doubled production in 2024, with plans to increase cultivation to 500 hectares the following year.
The armed forces have also undertaken other agricultural activities, including livestock production, fishing and tree-crop farming. In November 2025, the RSLAF reported that it was cultivating rice on a 600-acre farm at Yoni in Moyamba District and had established the Lion Agricultural Company to coordinate its agricultural operations.
However, the RSLAF’s latest budget presentation indicates that rice production has not yet eliminated the need for externally supplied food. Rice for troops and military operations was included among its 2027 operational requirements, while insufficient and delayed funding was identified as a challenge affecting some programmes.
The planned expansion also aligns with the government’s broader Feed Salone strategy, which seeks to increase domestic agricultural production and reduce reliance on imported food.
The proposed Le960 million allocation remains subject to the national budget process, with the final level of funding depending on government approval and disbursement.