COP28: Dr Yumkella discusses President Bio’s food self-sufficiency drive
The Chairman, Presidential Initiative for Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security, Hon. Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella has delivered an address at the “Alliance Of Champions For Food Systems Transformation Consultation” Forum at the ongoing COP28 in Dubai, where he also discussed efforts being made by Sierra Leone’s President Dr. Julius Maada Bio to achieve food self-sufficiency in the next five years.
Sierra Leone is among 134 countries who have signed the Leaders Declaration on Agriculture, Food and Climate to strengthen food systems, build resilience on climate change and aid the fight against hunger. The Food Alliance, due to be formally launched during the COP28, will be Co-chaired by Sierra Leone, Norway, and Brazil to provide roadmap to accelerate global partnerships on food security.
UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Her Excellency Mariam Bint Almheiri said that the food sector was proud of what had been achieved at the COP28, emphasizing that the COP28 presidency had placed food systems at the heart of its agenda for the first time in COP history providing an opportunity to accelerate efforts toward food security. She also disclosed the ongoing COP28 had so far mobilized $83 billion, setting the pace for climate action.
She noted the top five priorities for implementing the Leaders Declaration would be scaling up adaptation and resilience activities to reduce impact on farmers, collectively working towards promoting food security and nutrition, focusing on supporting workers in the agriculture and food systems especially women and youth whose livelihood are threatened by climate change, embracing integrated strategy of managing water and agriculture food systems and maximining the climate and environmental benefits by promoting and restoring land and natural ecosystem.
Hon. Dr. Yumkella, on his part, stated that President Dr. Julius Maada Bio had placed priority on food security for the next five years in order to make Sierra Leone food sufficient to create jobs for women and youth and boost economic growth, while assuring that they were ready technically with the right strategies and plans to achieve food self-sufficiency.
“We are very clear. Our President is leading in front. For us it’s action. We really want to be food self-sufficient. We are among the most vulnerable countries because of climate change. We want to embed energy solutions, decentralize energy solutions for the food system as well that will help the adaption and the resilience,” he said.
Also at the event was Sierra Leone’s Minister of Environment, Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai and Executive Chairman of the country’s Environment Protection Agency, Dr. Abu-Bakarr Massaquoi.
