By Emmanuel Mbowa
Bombali, 7th October, 2026 – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone and local leaders, has turned the sod for the construction of a new local complementary food processing factory in Makarie Village, Bombali District.
The factory is being established under the Strengthened Agricultural Value-chain through Infant Nutrition for Growth (SAVING) Project, a four-year initiative financed principally by the European Union as part of its EUR 11.5 million contribution.
Speaking at the ceremony, WFP Representative and Country Director, Andrew Odero, said once operational, the facility will strengthen local production of safe, affordable and fortified complementary foods for children aged 6-23 months. It is expected to process approximately 200 metric tonnes of nutritious food (Nyam Nyam Pap) annually and will feature automated packaging systems, food safety infrastructure, reliable water and off-grid solar power, according to Odero. More than 25,000 people are expected to benefit, including over 8,000 farmers.
“This initiative is extremely important because more than one in every four children under five in Sierra Leone is stunted,” Odero said. While the figure has declined over the years, he however noted, “but at 26.2 percent, it remains far too high. Stunting is not simply about a child being shorter than expected. It reflects chronic undernutrition during the years when the body and brain are developing fastest. Its effects can follow a child into school and into adult life.”
Odero further said that they are breaking ground not for an idea that has never been tried, but rather building on what has already been started. “Our responsibility now is to make it work at a scale that reaches many more children and creates opportunities for many more Sierra Leoneans,” he said.
He noted that addressing malnutrition requires the involvement of farmers growing groundnut, rice, sesame, soybean and orange-fleshed sweet potato, which are key ingredients in the nutritious food. “We have to make sure that farmers can produce enough, produce safely and have a reliable market. We have to support the women processing those crops so that they are running viable businesses, not project activities,” he noted.
Odero thanked the European Union, the Government of Sierra Leone, partners, and local leaders in Bombali, and recognized Paramount Chief Bai Makarie N’kolo II and the people of Makarie Chiefdom for making the land available.
In his address, Paramount Chief of Makarie Chiefdom, PC Bai Makarie N’kolo II, welcomed the initiative and assured WFP of his fullest support. “I am excited because I have seen evidence of what has been proposed for this community, and we are expecting to see this facility soon,” he said and thanked his people who supported him in offering the land to WFP to start something that will benefit not just the children of Makarie, but the nation as a whole. “Whatever thing WFP needs, we are ever ready to support,” he assured.
Director of the Directorate of Food and Nutrition at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Millicent M. Allie, said the project is timely and aligns with the Government’s ongoing Triple Zero campaign under the Ministry’s 300 Days of Activism.
“Most children die because they are malnourished. But I believe with the Nyam Nyam Pap established in this district, it will minimize the deaths of children, and Makarie will surely produce good results in subsequent years,” she said.
The Makarie Infant Food Processing factory is expected to complete in 14-16 months, contribute to Sierra Leone’s efforts to reduce malnutrition, upgrade existing food production in the four existing facilities established in Kambia, Moyamba, and Pujehun. It is also expected to strengthen local food systems and boost economic opportunities for women, smallholder farmers and rural communities, while ensuring more children have access to locally produced nutritious complementary foods.
