VZCZCXRO2041
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHFN #0189/01 1091626
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181626Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1864
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000189 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Department Please pass to OES/STC FOR EILEEN KANE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KSCA TSPL SENV EAGR SL
SUBJECT: EMBASSY/FREETOWN SCIENCE FELLOWS REQUEST 
 
REF: (A) SECSTATE 28712 (B) FREETOWN 033 
 
¶1. Embassy Freetown greatly appreciates the opportunity to 
submit two proposals in response to reftel A, each addressing 
priority and urgent needs. With a small USAID/Sierra Leone 
budget, Post is limited in its ability to assist the new 
Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) in several key areas of need, 
agriculture and health. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest 
nations in the world and is at the bottom of the UN Human 
Development Index.  While in Washington Ambassador Perry 
requested opportunities for the USG to increase support to 
Sierra Leone through additional short to medium term technical 
assistance in agriculture and health (Ref. B). Post believes 
this is a perfect opportunity to meet this request and serve 
these needs. 
 
¶2. All Embassy Agencies have participated in this process and 
fully endorse both proposals. Post also is firmly committed to 
providing the required logistical support, specifically housing. 
Due to the dire situation in Sierra Leone, Post requests serious 
consideration of both proposals and hopes for a favorable 
response to both of them as well. We stand ready to support and 
assist both Embassy Science Fellows. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Proposal Number One:  Ministry of Agriculture 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3. This is an urgent priority request. The Minister of 
Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MFFS) requests three- 
months direct technical assistance from the Embassy Science 
Fellow program to his Ministry to help in the review, update and 
formulation of the new Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and 
Food Security 10-15-year "National Agriculture Research, Policy, 
Strategy and Program" document. The expert Fellow is expected to 
work with technical experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, 
and other relevant ministries, and the FAO during the strategy 
review, update and formulation process. 
 
¶4. The Minister requests the expert(s) to be knowledgeable in 
policy and strategy formulation and planning, with a sound 
technical background in the following areas, in this tentative 
priority: 
 
--Agricultural Economics 
--Research and Extension 
--Private Sector Promotion 
--Institutional Capacity Building for counterparts in the 
MAFFS 
--Irrigation 
 
¶5. The Minister outlined the new vision for the agriculture 
sector and is in dire need of modern thinkers with current 
technological expertise to work as part of a core team. Some 
specific areas of focus include: the role of macroeconomics in 
increasing wealth, GDP and income, focusing more on farmer 
associations which can increase production and reduce costs. 
Research, extension, private sector promotion and irrigation are 
top priorities in the new agriculture sector development vision. 
 
¶6. Related to this vision is the Minister's acknowledgment of 
the extreme paucity of appropriate skills, knowledge and talent 
in his Ministry. He is therefore requesting support to 
strengthen the Ministry?s capacities. The Fellow could form part 
of a select design team to draft an action plan for the 
institutional capacity building of the Ministry of Agriculture. 
 
¶7. COMMENT: One of Post's major priorities is fostering economic 
growth through the rejuvenation of the agriculture sector of 
Sierra Leone, once a country of agricultural abundance. This 
priority will be met primarily through USAID/Sierra Leone's 
program, about half of which supports agriculture and 
agribusiness development. Post provides some technical 
assistance and training, but mostly at the local level (i.e., 
working with farmers, farm associations and communities). USAID 
has insufficient funds to provide the essential, urgent, 
intensive "one-on-one" technical assistance support that the 
Ministry requested. Post views this request as urgent and a top 
priority in order to assist the Ministry to address the rapidly 
escalating food crisis.  As a country with a major rice- 
producing history, Sierra Leone stands well-placed to regain its 
agricultural surplus status. The Minister, himself a PhD 
agricultural economist, has promised full commitment to ensuring 
the best significant use of an Embassy Science Fellow in his 
Ministry. He noted that a U.S. contribution of expertise will be 
a substantive contribution to the development of the Sierra 
Leone's new "National Agriculture Research, Policy, Strategy and 
Program." END COMMENT. 
 
------------------------------- 
Proposal #2: MINISTRY OF HEALTH 
 
FREETOWN 00000189  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------------- 
 
¶8. Currently, Sierra Leone has the highest under-five infant 
mortality rate in the world. Primary contributing factors to 
this are malnutrition, infectious diseases, and lack of access 
to trained health care providers. 
 
¶9. To address this problem, Njala University has established a 
number of institutions, including the Institutes of Home 
Sciences, Environmental Management and Quality Control, in 
addition to Departments of Nursing and Environmental Health. The 
university drafted a road map to define how these different 
university institutions can address the contributing factors 
identified above. 
 
¶10. A skilled expert could provide an executive review of the 
roadmap and establish a set of implementation recommendations to 
maximize effectiveness within this resource-poor environment. 
 
¶11.  Within a three-month period, a skilled expert could: 
 
--Assess the ability of the individual departments to perform 
their respective tasks; 
 
--Recommend corrections and deficiencies in their respective 
curricula, faculties and facilities; and 
 
--Recommend external sponsors and provide assistance in 
writing proposals to those organizations. 
 
¶12. Again, Post appreciates the opportunity to submit these two 
top priority proposals. We look forward to a positive response. 
 
PERRY