China provides food aid to Sierra Leone via SSCAF

A handover ceremony for a cooperation project under the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF) to provide food assistance to Sierra Leone was held at the warehouse of the representative office of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in the country on July 26.

Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone Hu Zhangliang, Sierra Leone's Minister of Social Welfare Baindu Dasama Kamara, and Steve Nsubuga, representative for the WFP in Sierra Leone, attended the ceremony.

On behalf of President Julius Maada Bio and the government of Sierra Leone, Dasama expressed his sincere gratitude to China for the food aid through the WFP, saying that Sierra Leone and China have a deep traditional friendship and China has provided a great deal of help to Sierra Leone over the past 50 years, including active assistance in the fight against Ebola and COVID-19. Dasama pledged that Sierra Leone will work together with the WFP to ensure that the food aid will be distributed to the beneficiaries as soon as possible.

Steve Nsubuga thanked China for the food aid and said that China is an important partner of the WFP. He highly appreciated the deepening cooperation between China and the WFP, saying he hopes that China will continue to provide support to enhance food security in Sierra Leone.

Hu said that this year is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sierra Leone. In the past five decades, China-Sierra Leone relations and cooperation have achieved remarkable results for all to see, and food aid is one of them. It is believed that with the joint efforts of China, Sierra Leone and the WFP, the rice donated by China will be delivered to the beneficiaries in time to help alleviate the food problems faced by thousands of Sierra Leonean families during the food shortage period and amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

To date, the SSCAF has worked closely with more than 10 international organizations and implemented more than 100 livelihood projects in over 50 countries, benefiting more than 20 million people and making a practical contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.