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The All Peoples Congress (APC) held its third Parliamentary Monthly Press Conference on August 28, 2024, at the party’s headquarters in Brookfields, Freetown, focusing on the critical issue of food security in Sierra Leone.
The event, attended by key APC figures, also highlighted the party’s ongoing efforts to modernize its membership registration process.
During the conference, APC Secretary General Esq. Lansana Dumbuya announced the party’s transition from a manual to a digital membership registration system at the national level, while acknowledging that local registration remains manual. Dumbuya emphasized that this new system aims to unify party members and strengthen their sense of patriotism.
“It is a system that will help us identify our members wherever they are and be able to call upon them when needed,” he stated, assuring members that their unique registration codes would be permanent and exclusive.
The press conference took a critical turn as APC officials addressed the country’s food security crisis, pointing fingers at the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP).
Hon. Ibrahim Barrie lambasted the government for its failure to adequately address food insecurity, citing a 2023 report from the World Food Programme (WFP) which revealed that 78% of Sierra Leoneans are food insecure, with 20% of households facing severe insecurity.
Barrie argued that the SLPP’s agricultural policies, particularly the much-touted “Feed Salone” project, have been more about political posturing than effective action.
Barrie highlighted the failure of the Tomagbom project, a key component of the “Feed Salone” initiative, which despite receiving $34.1 billion, has yet to produce tangible results. “Since it was launched on June 11, 2021, not even a bag of rice has been shown for the project,” he claimed.
Hon. Alpha Jalloh further criticized the government’s repeated failures in similar initiatives, likening the “Feed Salone” project to “giving an old dog a new name.”
He urged President Maada Bio to personally visit agricultural sites, without the media, to gain a true understanding of the challenges and devise practical solutions.
The APC’s strong critique of the government’s handling of food security underscores the party’s positioning ahead of the next elections, with leaders expressing confidence in their chances of returning to power.
“I am sure that everybody is sure that the party will come to governance, even Maada Bio himself is sure that the APC will win the next election,” Dumbuya declared, dismissing doubts about the party’s prospects as baseless.
The APC’s press conference not only reinforced its stance on key national issues but also marked a significant step in its internal restructuring efforts, as it seeks to galvanize support and present itself as a viable alternative to the current administration.
Was this not the same criticisms, they made about the free quantity education? These are programs that, are new and starting from foundation. To be honest, we shouldn’t criticize because the pace, they might be going.
If the APC hadn’t craped the sababu education, which they inherited. If they should have taking the project as a national issue and tried to develop it. I don’t think we would have needed the free quantity education.
The unfortunate thing, Sierra Leone has been facing, is that once the government changes, everything of the previous government is abandon. And new policies implemented, and some of those programs need continuity, so the people may realize the benefits.
Was there any policy about feeding ourselves, which the previous government was implementing? If not, as a nation, we need such programs. But a country can’t be living by making plans only when resources are available from the international community.