The Right Man To Be In The Right Place

By Edwina Sia Janga

Following discussions among citizens recently both on the electronic media and on the usual Ataya bases and social gatherings, many people have been calling on President Bio to make a more reasonable choice of seasoned people and get rid of those round holes in square pegs that have not performed in the past five years. Among the ministries identified for change is the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to a program aired on Epic Radio and Slik TV, most callers, including the panellists, called for the removal of the Agriculture Minister, whom they see as not fit for purpose. They maintained that the said minister is a nurse, whilst that particular ministry deserves an expert in the field, and not a novice.

According to many other callers, both from within and outside Sierra Leone on Facebook, they urged the President that since he has chosen Agriculture as his next flagship program, he needs to look for an expert that will be able to deliver his vision. In this vein, many Sierra Leoneans who have been following the work of the indefatigable Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency, Dr. Robert Chakanda, on TV and other programs, see him as the fittest man to lead this drive to feed Sierra Leone.

Dr Robert Chakanda is a known expert in the seed sector, where he has worked for over 30 years in both Sierra Leone and internationally. His contribution to the development of other countries should be tapped, to be replicated in this country, his very home, the land that we love. As a Sierra Leonean and a native of Kono, his appointment as Minister of Agriculture will further strengthen the bond between President Bio’s government and the people of Kono. It will also showcase His Excellency’s desire to diversify his cabinet to include people across the country.

The work of Dr. Chakanda in the past years in the seed sector has for the first time in decades seen the government being able to ensure that rice seed is not imported into the country, and in the last two years, the huge amount of money spent to import rice has been saved. This is the man that knows what it is to be an agriculturist. Under his watch SLeSCA has been able to have a data base of farmers, growers and dealers, a situation that has brought sanity to the sector. If given this opportunity, many are confident that Dr. Robert Chakanda will ensure that the Feed Salone project becomes a reality.