The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Japan have renewed their partnership to improve food security and education in Sierra Leone. The two parties formalized this collaboration with the signing of the 2025 Kennedy Round (KR) Food Assistance Grant at a ceremony held at Country Lodge Hotel in Freetown.
The grant, valued at JPY 200 million (approximately USD 1.3 million), will be implemented over two years in Pujehun District. The programme, titled “Improving Educational Outcomes and Food Systems Resilience through School Feeding in Pujehun,” aims to provide reliable school meals to over 27,000 primary and pre-primary schoolchildren in the district’s most food-insecure chiefdoms. It will finance the procurement and delivery of school meals, including locally sourced rice, and support activities to strengthen food system resilience.
Speaking at the ceremony, Aminata Tall, WFP Representative and Country Director a.i., thanked Japan for its continued generosity. “The Kennedy Round Grant is more than a donation. School meals are no longer just about feeding children; they also help grow local economies, support food sovereignty, and advance the FeedSalone Strategy, linking national policy to household incomes,” she said. “We are grateful for this new support, which comes at a time of economic pressure for many families.”
Japan has been a key supporter of WFP’s school feeding initiatives in Sierra Leone. In 2024, a similar KR grant enabled meals for nearly 28,800 pupils in the same district. Over the past decade, Japan has contributed USD 37 million to WFP Sierra Leone, making it the largest donor to the country’s school feeding portfolio.
“This new grant reaffirms our shared commitment to inclusive education for the children of Sierra Leone,” stated H.E. Ambassador Yoshimoto Hiroshi of Japan to Sierra Leone. He emphasized that Japan believes in empowering countries to lead their own development and is pleased to provide food assistance that supports the government’s vision of increasing enrolment and retention by ensuring children receive timely, nutritious meals.
The event also marked the closure of a previous project that provided school meals to children in Kambia and Pujehun districts during the 2022/23 academic year, valued at USD 1.61 million.
Hon. Conrad Sackey, Minister of Basic, Senior, and Secondary Education, welcomed the signing of the new grant, saying it will directly support over 27,000 learners in Pujehun District, ensuring that no child must choose between hunger and hope. He added that the programme aligns with the government’s priority of human capital development.
This latest KR grant underscores the ongoing commitment of Japan and WFP to improving educational outcomes and strengthening food systems for Sierra Leone’s most vulnerable children.
