The National Food Assistance Agency of Liberia (NFAA) has dedicated a new office building for its operational use. Speaking at the official opening of the new office building and formal turning over of office equipment donated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), NFAA Director General Borkai Sirleaf said the gathering serve as the long-awaited game changer for the role of NFAA that has suffered neglect for a number of years in its management and operations.
He expressed thanks to the Government of Liberia for its flagship ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) which has significantly underpinned national efforts to improve food security and nutrition in Liberia.
He said because the issue of food security is central to global efforts as detailed in Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations in Liberia has contributed immensely to the repositioning of NFAA.
“In recent times, UNDP donated assorted office supplies worth about USD$60,000.00 to the agency to improve efficiency in public service delivery with food assistance projects,” said NFAA DG Sirleaf.
He wants other development partners, corporations and individuals in the country to support the national government through the NFAA which has a huge mandate to address the broader issues of food insecurity in the country, using the Home-Grown Food Assistance (HGFA) approach.
According to him, with the approach, not only will food security and nutrition for vulnerable citizens gain traction, but also farming households across the country will also be empowered to increase their yields as locally produced food products will be used for food assistance.
“The World Bank poverty data on Liberia, indicates that 83.7% of Liberia’s population is living below less than US$2.00 a day since 2019. The country relies on importation of food to meet the needs of its 5.2 million population. Local food production is carried out on a low scale and the agriculture sector is unstructured and highly informal,” he said.
The NFAA boss said the government recognizing the extent of penetration of hunger and poverty in the country, by executive instrument created the National Food Assistance Agency to solicit funds and collaborate with international bodies to help curb the rapid expansions of the scourge.
The mandates of NFAA include developing programs to assist the physically challenged, the single and vulnerable parents including young children, pregnant and lactating mothers, the aged, sick and malnourished children, children without parental guidance, conduct feeding programs for schools, hospitals, prisons, orphanages and other vulnerable institutions across the country, and create food banks to intervene in the food needs of citizens during such times as drought, floods and other unforeseen natural disasters.
Sirleaf is appealing to the Ministry of Agriculture to purchase excess food from the agriculture fair and turn same over to NFAA for distribution to schools, churches, mosques, prison facilities and hospitals. By doing this, the slogan “Grow what you eat and eat what you grow” will become a reality.
Meanwhile, UNDP Liberia used the occasion to turn over to the Government of Liberia through the NFAA office appliances, furniture, laptops and desktop computers under the Accelerated Community Development Programme (ACDP) valued US$55,000.
“I am also delighted that after several months of partnership, we are here today to turn over office appliances, ICT equipment and furniture procured by us (UNDP) under the Accelerated Community Development Programme (ACDP),” UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Louis Kuukpen said.
He said the support will bolster NFAA’s capacity to better coordinate food assistance provision and reduce hunger and malnutrition in the country.
The UNDP Deputy Country Representative said the re-branded and re-invigorated NFAA will be better positioned to combat hunger, enhance food security, and provide critical support to the most vulnerable communities across our nation, while commending the agency for its dedication to ensuring that no one goes hungry by working closely with government entities, international partners, and local stakeholders to develop
He said in the coming year, UNDP will bridge a partnership between NFAA and the CDA to promote local content in food assistance provision which will allow for direct purchasing of food produced by cooperatives to support them.
At the same time, the Minister of Agriculture (MoA), Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah, calls for the creation of an enabling environment for a more dynamic and vibrant agricultural sector to ensure sustainable food security and employment opportunities for all Liberians.
He applauded officials of the NFAA and partners for the great initiative and urged it to manage the funds and supplies received from donors and partners as the government won’t be able to provide it for the agency at all times.
By T.Q. Lula Jaurey
