Golley’s multi-million dollar agricultural investment to boost food production in Sierra Leone

Samuel Serry Jr: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 21 September 2023:

Sierra Leone is set to witness what could potentially become the biggest and most modern agricultural investment ever from the private sector. The Golley Agricultural Development Sierra Leone Limited, founded by former Ambassador to South Korea, Omrie Golley is set to introduce Drip Irrigation – a highly technical and effective system of crop production that defies seasonality. In simple terms, all manner of crops will be produced year round with less regard to our traditional planting seasons.

Drip irrigation involves placing tubing with emitters on the ground along side the plants. The emitters slowly drip water into the soil at the root zone. Because moisture levels are kept at an optimal range, plant productivity and quality improve.

With four agricultural training centers completed in Port Loko, Bumbuna, Bo and Kenema, over 200 Sierra Leoneans have received training on drip Irrigation. This cohort of farmers will become the main workforce for the actualization of the project.

The Golley Agricultural Group is partnering with renowned Irrigation experts from Israel where the system is widely used and has brought huge returns to that country’s economy.

With a pilot phase already completed, the project is now transitioning into full scale commercialization with hundreds of acres of land procured to cultivate high value crops that will not only serve the local market but can be exported as well.

According to Ambassador Omrie Golley: “We have set our footprints in the sands of time…this project will see us unleashing the greatest human resource and agricultural potential in Sierra Leone. We are going to be very deliberate in helping Sierra Leone to feed itself.”

Golley said modern irrigation equipment are already in the country while more are on the way to fully kick start the project.