SLeSCA Employs First Female Senior Seed Analyst

By Edwina Sia Janga

 

In his bid for Excellence at the Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency (SLeSCA), Dr. Robert Chakanda, the Executive Director, has employed one of the top Scientists in the country, Dr. Janatu Veronica Sesay, as Senior Seed Analyst for SLeSCA. This move does not only ensure quality human resource introduction in the sector, but also enhances President Bio’s Female Empowerment drive.

According to the Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency, Dr. Robert Chakanda, who is himself, Sierra Leone’s best Seed Specialist, with over 30 years’ experience in the sector, at both national and international levels, during his tour of the country in assessing the seed capacity and needs of the sector, he discovered Dr. Veronica Sesay at the Njala Research Centre with the Sierra Leone Agriculture Research Institute (SLARI), and was able to convince her to join the agency and contribute to the development of the sector at the national level.

In an exclusive interview with this medium, Dr. Chakanda said that being at the helm of affairs in the sector, he has been in close contact with President Bio and was privy to His Excellency’s desire to make food security his top priority in his second term in office, thus, this necessitated the strengthening of the sector, and Dr. Veronica Sesay is a notable player in the agency. He disclosed that in her expertise in the research and scientific world, Dr. Veronica Janatu Sesay is also the only tissue culture expert in Sierra Leone, adding that her CV holds a long term service to the Njala Research Centre with the Sierra Leone Agriculture Research Institute (SLARI), where, jointly with other research fellows, she has published dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles. Her experience with research and variety development, especially with non-seeded crops, roots and tubers, will go a long way with SLeSCA’s seed sector development

Dr Chakanda stressed that for any agricultural development to take place in any country, there is the need to get the seed aspect right, and among moves to get it right is to get experts who are able to analyse seed. He stated that Dr. Veronica Sesay is the country’s only female seed analyst, and with her in the agency, they will be able to train other women to access skills in that department. Dr Chakanda maintained that quality seed is an important requirement for good agricultural yield, He furthered that the clarion call of President Bio to focus on the development of agriculture is the way to go, if the country is to feed itself, and the establishment of SLeSCA is in line with this aspiration and vision.

Speaking about her appointment as Seed Analyst at SLeSCA, Madam Veronica Sesay stressed that seed is the backbone to any agricultural yield, and called on farmers in the country to bring their seeds to the Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency (SLeSCA) for testing, where they will be advised on the quality of the seed. Madam Veronica Sesay furthered that she has been in the seed sector for some 15 years, and is also a tissue expert working at Njala. She expressed gratitude to the Executive Director for spotting her and bringing her to the limelight, and buttressed the point of the ED that for any meaningful agricultural development to take place, the quality of the seed is very important, and that is why SLeSCA was set up, to ensure that the seed that farmers use to grow their crops are of good quality and will enhance their yield., adding that she is happy to be at SLeSCA to help Sierra Leonean farmers produce better quality crops.

On the facility for testing of seed, she furthered that the agency has a laboratory that tests seeds to determine their quality, and encouraged farmers to take advantage of this opportunity to produce better quality food stuffs and get better yield. She disclosed that not all seeds that are used by farmers are up to the required quality, and this has been the reason for the low yield that they get, but if they come to the agency and get their seed tested by the SLeSCA technicians, they will know about the type of seed to use and how that will improve their yield, which will in turn mean more yield, better quality and increase in sales. She stressed that without viable seed, there will be no better yield, adding that there are two different types of seed, the grain, which is for domestic consumption, but with the other seed, it is what is used to increase yield.  She furthered that even with cassava, there are varieties, and often these are plagued by disease, but with testing, they will be able to get better yield. As a tissue expert, she has been able to advice farmers on how to address some of the seed that are plagued by disease.

 

Madam Veronica Sesay admonished other women to come on-board and undertake courses that will make them also seed analysts, as this sector is vital for the development of agriculture. She concluded that with the help of SLeSCA, farmers will be able to produce more food and make money, and provide enough food to feed the country. SLeSCA, she stressed, is open to everyone, and urged farmers to come with the seed they want to use so that they will be advised on the quality and how they will get better yield. She again expressed appreciation to the ED for bringing her into the limelight and to be able to make her own contribution to the development of agriculture in the country.