AYV News, March 7, 2024
Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy & Food Security, convened a series of individual policy dialogues with key stakeholder groups aimed at advancing sustainable development goals in Sierra Leone. The separate meetings, held over the course of a day, saw fruitful exchanges with three distinct groups, each vital in addressing the multifaceted challenges facing the nation.
The engagement with the Human Rights Commission for Sierra Leone underscored the the linkages between human rights and environmental issues. Discussions revolved around the importance of public education on climate change, ensuring climate justice for vulnerable communities, safeguarding women and children’s rights, and advocating for the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment. Dr. Yumkella emphasized the need for inclusive policies that prioritize environmental protection while upholding human dignity.
Addressing representatives from the Food Systems Resilience Program, Dr. Yumkella highlighted the importance of climate-resilient agricultural practices in bolstering food security. Deliberations centered on the upcoming 2024 FSRP cropping season and plans to achieve 14-17 thousand hectares cultivated rice under the program in 2024. Dr. Yumkella highlighted the leadership of Minister Musa Kpaka in aligning existing projects to Feed Salone. He commended the technical team led by Dr. Lakkoh for a good work program with measurable district level targets. He praised the World Bank for funding the program, and committed PI-CREF to join the implementation and monitoring.
In a collaborative session with the Clean Cooking Alliance of Sierra Leone, attention turned towards the critical role of clean cooking technologies in promoting sustainable development. Dr. Yumkella and the executive of CCASL deliberated on policy frameworks to support private sector involvement in deploying clean cooking solutions and fuels. Additionally, they discussed the formulation of a comprehensive Clean Cooking strategy to address energy poverty, deforestation, women’s empowerment, and environmental degradation. The forthcoming Energy Roundtable supported by all donors was considered as a pivotal platform for advancing clean cooking initiatives on a national scale.
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