Food Scarcity Vs National Security: A Hungry Man Is An Angry Man- Bio Tells Sierra Leoneans

During the state opening of the Second Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Julius Maada Bio was bold enough to remind Sierra Leoneans of the popular adage that: “a hungry man is an angry man.”
Before reminding Sierra Leoneans of the adage, President Bio stated that Agriculture and Food security are the cornerstones of a nation’s stability and prosperity, and that they transcend mere sustenance and form a crucial pillar of national resilience, economic growth, and social wellbeing.
“Without the ability to feed our people, we risk sitting atop a volatile precipice poised for unrest and turmoil. The adage ‘a hungry man is an angry man’ holds profound truth, highlighting the direct link between food scarcity and national security,” President Bio said.
He referenced that in his last address to the House of Parliament, he emphasized that prioritizing investments in agriculture can mitigate food price volatility, enhance resilience to external shocks and advance journey towards food self-sufficiency.
Speaking on the Feed Salone agenda which is his government flagship program, President Bio said that they have expanded rice production areas and highlighted other strides that they made to develop the sector in other to ensure food security.
According to the WFP Sierra Leone Country Brief April 2024 report, the latest Food Security Monitoring System assessment indicated that 82.3% of Sierra Leoneans are food insecure.
“Sierra Leone currently co-chairs the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation and is a signatory to the Republic of Korea’s K-Rice Belt project, supporting select African countries in achieving rice self-sufficiency,” the president stated.