Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, advocated for school feeding programmes to be recognized as a full national investment during an event in New York. The World Food Programme and The Rockefeller Foundation co-hosted the event, titled “School Meals for the Future: Leaders Accelerating Progress.” Mr. Bah emphasized that such programmes contribute to education, agriculture, youth employment, nutrition, and human-capital development.
Recalling his own experience, Mr. Bah stated, "I went to school hungry," and "Like many children in Sierra Leone, I knew what it meant for a parent to face an impossible choice: food for the family or transport to school." He added, "For a child, the questions are simple: Can I get to school? Can I eat? Can I concentrate? Can I dream beyond today?" He connected this to national policy, saying, "But once we made that bet on education, we also had to bet on feeding children in school." He continued, "And once we commit to feeding children in school, we must confront the bigger national question: can we feed our own country?" Mr. Bah concluded by stating, "The school meal is where our investment in the child meets our belief in ourselves as a country," and advocated for local production, "Grow what we eat. Eat what we grow. That is not only an agricultural slogan. It is a statement about citizenship."
Personal Connection and National Vision
Minister Chernor Bah shared that the issue of hunger and access to education holds deep personal significance for him, recalling his own childhood struggles. "I went to school hungry," Bah stated, adding, "Like many children in Sierra Leone, I knew what it meant for a parent to face an impossible choice: food for the family or transport to school." He emphasized the simple yet profound questions children face, saying, "For a child, the questions are simple: Can I get to school? Can I eat? Can I concentrate? Can I dream beyond today?"
Bah linked his personal experience to Sierra Leone's national policy, particularly its significant investment in education through the Free Quality School Education programme. He explained that this commitment necessitated further action: "But once we made that bet on education, we also had to bet on feeding children in school." This, he noted, led to a broader national inquiry. "And once we commit to feeding children in school, we must confront the bigger national question: can we feed our own country?"
Bah asserted that Sierra Leone's approach to education, school feeding, and agricultural production constitutes a single, connected national ambition. He concluded that a locally produced school meal has the potential to deliver benefits across various sectors. "The school meal is where our investment in the child meets our belief in ourselves as a country," Bah said, advocating for self-sufficiency: "Grow what we eat. Eat what we grow." He clarified this was more than an agricultural slogan, stating, "It is a statement about citizenship." Bah further elaborated, "When a young Sierra Leonean grows food, builds an agribusiness, chooses locally produced rice or develops technology that connects farmers to schools, that is not only economic activity. It is civic action."
Economic and Social Benefits
Minister Chernor Bah connected the school feeding initiative directly to President Dr Julius Maada Bio’s wider national development agenda. This agenda includes the "Feed Salone" message, which Bah articulated as: "Grow what we eat. Eat what we grow." He emphasized that this concept extends beyond a simple agricultural slogan, stating, "That is not only an agricultural slogan. It is a statement about citizenship."
Bah explained that locally sourced school meals could create dependable markets for Sierra Leonean farmers. The initiative also aims to open employment and business opportunities for young people throughout the agricultural value chain. Sierra Leone has a predominantly young population, with a median age of about 19, making youth engagement in such sectors particularly impactful. Bah noted that when a young Sierra Leonean engages in growing food, building an agribusiness, or developing technology to connect farmers to schools, "that is not only economic activity. It is civic action."
The country possesses significant agricultural potential, with more than 55 percent of its land classified as arable. Close to 60 percent of Sierra Leone’s population is involved in some form of agriculture, showing the potential for local production to support school feeding programs. Bah reiterated the nation's commitment, stating, "We bet on education. So we had to feed children in school. Now we must bet on feeding the country and we must do it locally." He concluded that "The school meal is where our investment in the child meets our belief in ourselves as a country."
Broader Impact and Call to Action
Minister Chernor Bah made his remarks during a high-level event held on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 21, 2026. The event featured a diverse group of speakers, including His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho, Kenya’s First Lady Rachel Ruto, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro, World Food Programme Acting Executive Director Carl Skau, and Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah also spoke at the gathering, alongside global content creator Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast.
Mr. Bah participated in a panel discussion during the event, joining France’s Minister Delegate for International Partnerships, Éléonore Caroit, and youth climate educator Sage Lenier. The Minister noted that the "Feed Salone" initiative is an integral part of President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s national agenda for Sierra Leone. This initiative also constitutes the second pillar of the country's National Civic Education Strategy, showing its importance beyond mere agricultural policy.