The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has showcased “Sierra Leone’s path to sustainable development” at a conference at the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown, yesterday, Thursday 16 November 2017. The conference highlighted past and present pictures of four areas of intervention including, strengthening health systems and services, revitalizing agriculture and food security, enhancing democracy and governance, and engaging the private sector and integrating technology for development.
The USAID Country Program Coordinator, Khadijat L. Mojidi, said prior to Ebola the country GDP was 101 out of 189 with the lowest life expectancy, no access to water, with a downward reduction of growth from 20% to 6%. She said 7 key sectors were prioritized by government in a bid to addressed post Ebola cases where according to her they invested over 300 million dollars in addressing four out of the 7 key areas.
The program coordinator said 2 million people have gained access to improved health services with 348 tons of essential medicines supplied, they have also trained 1,500 community health workers. She said they spent 17 million dollars in the sector with 55% of functional water facilities.
She also noted, many households in the country experienced increased food insecurity as Ebola-related quarantines, fears, and restrictions disrupted trade, increased food process, reduce agricultural production, among many. She said they responded by supporting sectors like UNICEF to provide therapeutic food to nearly 9,000 children to treat acute malnutrition.
Mojidi said USAID also assisted more than 340,000 people in 14 districts pointing that their feed the future program will enhance nutrition and food security by improving the productivity of farming systems and value chain.
The United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Maria E. Brewer, said the conference was organized by USAID in partnership with the government with an engagement of more than 100 local, national and international partners, donors, the private sector. She said the USAID Women Empowered for Leadership and Development (WELD) project is geared towards training more women for better politics.
The Ambassador said the program also included a close-out ceremony of USAID’s food for peace projects, which has been around for the past two years and that, it has benefited 364,000 people with food assistance, 29,000 inland fish farming beneficiaries, 305 health facilities serving over 2 million people.
Amb. Brewer said despites the fact that the Ebola crippled the country economic, the government and other partners especially USAID remains relentless in building resilience against future crisis and fostering sustainable development prosperity. She however pledged their commitment in taking the efforts forward especially as they look forward for free, fair and peaceful elections come March 2018.
MK/16/11/17
By Mohamed Kabba
Twitter: @chikakabba
Friday November 17, 2017.
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