On Tuesday, 27 January 2026, a consortium comprising the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), and their partners formally launched a technical assistance initiative for the Soil Digital Hub in Sierra Leone. The event took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Freetown.
The initiative aims to achieve strategic alignment between national institutions, development partners, and regional and international research bodies. It focuses on validating the project scope, sequencing priority activities, and strengthening governance arrangements through a clear RASCI framework to guide roles, responsibilities, and decision-making. This approach is intended to ensure coordinated implementation and formal endorsement of a shared roadmap for the Soil Digital Hub.
The launch brought together senior government officials, development partners, researchers, and representatives from IITA, MAFS, SLARI, and Njala University, as well as other key stakeholders. Discussions centered on advancing soil health as a practical and sustainable pathway to reducing production costs and increasing agricultural productivity for smallholder farmers across Sierra Leone. Participants emphasized that improved soil information and management are critical to strengthening the entire agricultural value chain, from input suppliers and extension services to producers and agro-processors.
During the engagement, ISRIC highlighted its contribution through technical backstopping and capacity strengthening delivered via IITA. The collaboration is designed to build local expertise, improve access to modern soil data, and ensure that global knowledge and tools are effectively adapted to Sierra Leone’s conditions, with lasting impact for farmers and institutions alike.
The FSRP Project Manager, Dr. Kepifri Lakoh, recalled that the Soil Digital Hub originated from a formal request submitted two years earlier by Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka on behalf of MAFS. He explained that the initiative was designed to address persistent soil fertility constraints, close information gaps, and strengthen evidence-based decision-making in agricultural planning and production. He further noted that the project will build the skills of young Sierra Leonean scientists in soil health management, while reinforcing national research and development systems over the long term.
Dr. Lakoh also announced that FSRP has signed two Memoranda of Understanding with IITA to support the Government of Sierra Leone’s flagship agricultural transformation agenda, the Feed Salone Initiative. These agreements provide a framework for sustained technical cooperation, technology transfer, and institutional strengthening that benefit farmers, researchers, and policymakers.
The inception meeting marked the formal engagement of the Soil Digital Hub, funded by FSRP and implemented through collaboration among IITA, MAFS, SLARI, and Njala University. Under the MoU between IITA and FSRP, IITA will upgrade the existing Soil Digital Hub developed by SLARI and Njala University, integrating advanced technologies to improve soil data generation, analysis, and use. This upgrade will enhance advisory services for extension agents, input suppliers, and producers by enabling more accurate, location-specific recommendations.
Addressing participants, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security commended the initiative for tackling the long-standing challenge of blanket fertilizer application in Sierra Leone. He explained that the integration of artificial intelligence and big data analytics into the Soil Digital Hub will allow for site-specific fertilizer recommendations based on local soil conditions. According to the Minister, this innovation will help farmers apply the right inputs at the right rates, reduce unnecessary costs, improve yields, and increase farm incomes, while promoting environmentally sustainable practices.
The Minister further acknowledged the contribution of soil scientists from Njala University involved in the National Comprehensive Soil Survey, which provides the foundational data for the Soil Digital Hub. He described the initiative as a major step toward modernizing the agricultural sector, strengthening resilience across the food system, and improving coordination among public institutions, research organizations, and development partners.
Concluding the discussions, Dr. Lakoh encouraged stakeholders to adopt government-led arrangements to ensure the sustainability of the Soil Digital Hub beyond the lifespan of FSRP financing. He emphasized national ownership, institutional integration, and long-term financing as critical factors for maintaining and expanding the platform.
Overall, the Soil Digital Hub initiative represents a strategic investment in science, technology, and human capacity. By strengthening collaboration among IITA, FSRP, MAFS, SLARI, and their partners, the initiative is expected to deliver tangible benefits to agricultural stakeholders—lower production costs for farmers, improved advisory services, stronger research systems, and more informed policy decisions—thereby supporting data-driven agriculture and the successful implementation of the Feed Salone Initiative in Sierra Leone.
