SUN &Food Systems Coordination Unit, Office of the Vice President

14/07/2025

Thursday, July 10, 2025
The SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit, in partnership with Action Against Hunger and key stakeholders, hosted a powerful district-level engagement workshop for Koinadugu and Falaba.
🎯 Workshop Objectives:
✅ Strengthen multisectoral coordination for nutrition & food systems
✅ Share national updates on Sierra Leone’s nutrition commitments
✅ Promote local food production and community advocacy
✅ Empower CSOs and government actors with practical knowledge
💬 Interactive sessions, such as the Web of Nutrition activity, opened dialogue across sectors—from health, agriculture, education, and water—to address malnutrition and improve food security.
🛠️ The workshop generated clear action points and renewed district commitment to scale up nutrition and food systems transformation.
Together, we are working toward a healthier, well-nourished Sierra Leone. 💚🌍

27/06/2025

Sierra Leone Takes Stock of Food Systems Pathways Progress
On 25 June, the SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit hosted a high-level Validation Workshop in Freetown to review Sierra Leone’s progress along the eight nationally-prioritised food systems transformation pathways.
The workshop — held in partnership with FAO and supported by the EU — brought together district and national stakeholders, including District Agricultural and Planning Officers from all 16 districts.
We were honoured to hear from UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Seraphine Wakana, EU Delegation representative Mr. Frederico Capurro, and the Honourable Minister of State Madam Manty Tarawalli, who delivered a powerful keynote. The session was chaired by Dr. Abdulai Jalloh, Chief Agriculture Officer at MAFS.
As Minister Tarawalli said: “Transformation must be multisectoral and whole-of-government — not just in principle, but in practice.”
This review — and the findings validated by participants — will guide the next phase of national food systems coordination and inform Sierra Leone’s engagement at the UN Food Systems Summit +4 in Addis Ababa.
We thank FAO for its technical leadership, MAFS for its strong partnership, and all contributors across sectors and districts

18/06/2025

Inception Meeting on the Development of the National Food Systems Coordination Strategy & Action Plan

Date: Friday, 13th June 2025
Time: 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Venue: Helen Keller International Conference Hall
Organized by: SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit (Office of the Vice President)

The SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit, with support from GIZ, successfully hosted the Inception Meeting to kick-start the development of Sierra Leone’s National Food Systems Coordination Strategy & Action Plan. The meeting brought together key stakeholders to build consensus on a shared vision for transforming and coordinating the nation’s food systems — from production to waste management.
Highlights:
• Opening remarks by Hon. Minister Manty Tarawalli (online)
• Meeting chaired by Katherine Owen, Acting Director
• Presentations from SUN & FS team, consultants, and partners
• Interactive sessions using live polling to validate findings and priorities
Interactive Session:
Participants engaged in dynamic discussions aided by Mentimeter live polls ( menti.com/alkyxrwyw4az, code: 1962 7315), fostering inclusive contributions on the priorities for the strategy.
Next Steps:
• Consolidate inputs into the draft Strategy
• Continue stakeholder engagement
• Strengthen multi-sector collaboration
The SUN & FS Coordination Unit thanks all partners for their commitment. Together, we are advancing a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food system for Sierra Leone.

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03/06/2025

🚀 Big News for Nutrition in Sierra Leone!Following last Friday’s powerful launch, we’re excited to highlight one of the biggest tools now live: the Nutrition Information Management System (NIMS)!Led by the SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit in the Office of the Vice President, and developed by Smart Systems with support from the NIPN Initiative (through UNICEF), NIMS is a first-of-its-kind platform in Sierra Leone.💡 Why it matters:For the first time ever, Sierra Leone has a central place for real-time nutrition data — bringing together info from across sectors. This means better coordination, stronger accountability, and faster, smarter decisions for improving nutrition.🌍 Check it out: www.sun.ovp.gov.sl🎥 Watch this 3-minute demo video to see how it works — then explore the platform, use the data, and share your feedback.Let’s keep the momentum going! 💪 # SUN and FSCU

02/06/2025

📍Sierra Leone | Marking PASL’s 1st Anniversary and Launching Two Major Nutrition Tools
On Friday, we saw true collaboration in action as the SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit partnered with the Paediatric Association of Sierra Leone (PASL) to support their 1st Anniversary & Annual Conference — themed "Breaking the Cycle" of childhood malnutrition.

🎉 Key highlights:
✅ Launch of the National Nutrition Commitments Framework (NNCF)
✅ Launch of the Nutrition Information Management System (NIMS) 👉 www.sun.ovp.gov.sl
📢 Statements from the Vice President, Minister of State (VP’s Office), and Acting Minister of Health
🏅 Honorary PASL Membership awarded to H.E. Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh & Hon. Dr. Austin Demby

Congratulations to PASL for their leadership in advancing child health.
Together, we are through data, action, and collaboration!

24/05/2025

Breaking the Cycle: Ending Childhood Malnutrition in Sierra Leone 🇸🇱

Today, the Paediatric Association of Sierra Leone hit the streets—backed by the SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit, the Directorate of Food and Nutrition, UNICEF, and other key partners—to raise awareness and drive action against childhood malnutrition.

Walks took place simultaneously in Freetown and in districts including Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Kono, Kambia, and beyond—a powerful demonstration of nationwide solidarity and commitment to ending malnutrition.

A huge thank you to all our partners, fellow walkers, and community champions across the country for your passion and dedication. 💙 Together, we’re building a healthier future for every child. 👶

22/05/2025

📢 Breaking the Cycle of Childhood Malnutrition
Next week, the Pediatric Association of Sierra Leone (PASL) celebrates its 1-year anniversary with activities including a health walk, outreach, AGM, and a scientific session — all under the theme:
*“Breaking the Cycle: Ending Childhood Malnutrition in Sierra Leone.”*
The SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit is proud to partner with PASL to spotlight this urgent issue and call for action.
Every child deserves good nutrition, care, and a chance to thrive.
🟠 Join us and stay tuned for updates!
SUN partners — government, NGOs, donors, media, private sector — we need you!

22/05/2025

WALK INVITE
📣 Join the Health Walk for Good Nutrition! 🚶🏾‍♀️🍊
Let’s walk together to raise awareness and break the cycle of childhood malnutrition in Sierra Leone!
📅 Date: Saturday, 24 May 2025
🕙 Time: 9:00 AM
📍 Route: From Victoria Park to Ola During Children’s Hospital
We especially encourage our SUN Movement partners — across government, development agencies, civil society, the private sector, academia and media — to take part, stand in solidarity, and proudly represent your institution as part of this united movement for nutrition.
Let’s take visible steps toward a healthier future for every child. 💪🏾

16/05/2025

Congratulations to the Ministry of Health and one of the driving forces in the SUN Movement - the Directorate of Food and Nutrition - for their powerful display at the National Health Summit this week. Go and check them out!

09/05/2025

Under the leadership of the National Food Systems Convenor, Hon. Minister Manty Tarawalli, and in collaboration with the FAO, the SUN & Food Systems Coordination Unit is facilitating a comprehensive review of progress made against the 2021 nationally-prioritized food systems pathways.
This important exercise is part of Sierra Leone’s preparations for the UNFSS+4 Summit in Ethiopia this July, where we will showcase our nation’s journey in food systems transformation — highlighting achievements, identifying challenges, and contributing to the global dialogue on sustainable food systems.

📢 Inception Meeting Alert!
Your voice and contributions are vital in shaping the future of food systems in Sierra Leone. Let’s build a healthier, more resilient food future together!

24/04/2025

The final statement from the Nutrition For Growth Summit is here, along with 403 commitments from 127 commitment makers across 66 countries (50 of which are SUN Countries) totaling an incredible $25.7 billion new financial commitments see link :https://lnkd.in/dvWgF7hQ

17/04/2025

We couldn’t be happier about this - the adoption of Minimum Dietary Diversity in the SDG framework will give governments, policy makers and international organizations a key tool to formulate evidence-based strategies that can improve diets and help reduce malnutrition. In Sierra Leone, Government's Feed Salone strategy already recognizes the critical importance of improving not just food quantity but also quality. Under Objective 4 - Alleviating Hunger and Malnutrition the focus is on ensuring all-year-round availability of nutrient-dense crops including yellow cassava, orange-flesh sweet potato, and pulses. It is essential we measure dietary diversity to ensure this nutritious and locally produced food is being consumed at household level, especially by the most vulnerable.

FAO assumes joint custodianship of indicator seen as key to ending malnutrition