IPNEWS: On Thursday, November 17, 2022, Volunteers for Sustainable Development in Africa (VOSIEDA) signed a grant agreement with the Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia for a 3-year project. The Embassy will be contributing the amount of approximately 1.9 million United States Dollars as funding for the project.
The grant will support over 60 farming groups in rural Liberia, particularly Nimba County through low-carbon / climate-smart agriculture initiatives. It is expected to impact over four thousand two hundred (4,200) farming households or 21,000 farmers.
During the signing ceremony held at the Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia, the Head of Development Cooperation, Mr. Johan Romare said that the process was rigorous; it consisted of several options of national and international organizations, etc. However, VOSIEDA has been selected because Sweden wants to see localized sustainable development and believes Liberians must be trusted to lead their development efforts.
Mr. Romare also said Liberia will only develop if Liberians are supported to implement development initiatives by themselves. Moreover, VOSIEDA, a Liberian organization, has shown to be a trustworthy organization according to various capacity assessments.
Meanwhile, the Team Leader for VOSIEDA, Timothy Kortu, lauded the Swedish government for the opportunity and stated that he believes in evidence-based results. Mr. Kortu further said the three-year agreement with Sweden is a great test for his institution and the Liberian people. “We have to perform beyond expectations because an excellent performance by VOSIEDA will open doors of opportunities for other Liberian organizations to win the trust of bi-literal cooperation with Sweden”.
At the same time, the Chair of the Climate Smart Farmers Association of Nimba, Fredrick Gonkartee, applauded the Swedish government and people for their support. Mr. Gonkartee said, in the past, international NGOs have often designed farming projects for farmers without involving the beneficiary. As a result, most farming projects have yielded no substantial results, thereby becoming wasted resources.
He averred that this is the first time for farmers to form part of the design of a major agriculture project in Liberia that is approved by major donor like Sweden to be implemented by Liberians directly. He said he believes most of the challenges that farmers face such as lack of improved irrigation systems, access to better farming equipment, seeds, etc. are now integrated into this project which they (farmers) have designed.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Ms. Laura Golakeh, thanks the Embassy for entrusting their organization with the project, as she pledges VOSIEDA’s commitment to performing beyond doubt. Ms. Golakeh, who is also a gender expert, praised the embassy for prioritizing small-scale farmers, especially women farmers under the project.
