UN Agencies Weekly Highlights- April 7-11

IFAD Associate VP visits Sierra Leone to deepen partnership with the Govt. 

IFAD has invested approximately US$171.25 million in 9 projects and programmes in Sierra Leone, benefiting 547,500 rural households. The Fund is committed to supporting the country’s Feed Salone vision.  This week, Associate VP Donal Brown visited Freetown from the 6th to the 9th of April 2025. His visit was to deepen IFAD’s partnership with the government of Sierra Leone, facilitate the establishment of the IFAD-supported Agricultural Transformation Office (ATO) within the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, enhance the realization of the Feed Salone programme, and expedite the start-up of the newly approved US$ 105 million Livestock and Livelihood Project (LLDP).

He also met with the Resident Coordinator, Seraphine Wakana, to discuss his visit, enhancing the data ecosystem, improving early warning systems, and dealing with the global funding situation.

Brown had fruitful engagements with the Minister of Agriculture. These discussions reaffirmed IFAD’s commitment to ensuring the ATO's success and clarified its role as an auxiliary entity supporting the traditional structures within the ministry. The ATO will bring in highly qualified individuals with the requisite experience to provide the much-needed technical support to the Ministry.

In addition to his meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Brown also met with the Chief Minister at the Statehouse and the Minister of Finance, respectively. During these meetings, he reaffirmed IFAD’s commitment to the US$90 million pledge made in Vienna in June 2024. In both engagements, the government was encouraged to increase its commitment by providing counterpart funds to support current operational active projects.

UN and ASF partner to expand credit access for women-led development projects.

On 9 April 2025, the UN Resident Coordinator, Seraphine Wakana, together with the Head of Office for UN Women, Setcheme Mongbo, and their respective teams, convened a high-level meeting with the African Solidarity Fund (ASF) at the Resident Coordinator’s Office, UN House to explore innovative strategies for enhancing women’s access to credit in Sierra Leone. 

ASF’s Chief of Mission, Aly Guindo, and Senior Communications Officer, Mohammed Bada Diallo, introduced the Bank Loan Guarantee Mechanism, which is designed to support women-led development projects by increasing access to bank financing. 

The discussion highlighted the importance of sustainable, gender-responsive financing in driving inclusive economic growth and empowering women as agents of change in Sierra Leone. This engagement reinforces the UN’s commitment to SDG 5 and financial inclusion as a cornerstone of national development priorities. 

See more stories in the attached