By Lemuella Tarawallie
The Parliamentary Committee on Defence led by its Chairman, Hon. Alex Mattia Rogers together with his Deputy Hon. Captain (Rtd) Sylvester Arnold Maxwell Boima and other Committee members, made an inspection tour of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) cashew farm in the north-west of Sierra Leone on Saturday 23 August 2025.
The reason for the inspection was to assess the ongoing work at the RSLAF Cashew Project, which aims at boosting food security and supporting the welfare of military personnel and also forms part of the broader strategy to enhance agricultural self-sufficiency within the armed forces.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, Hon. Alex Mattia Rogers in his statement at the cashew farm, stated that his Committee was concerned about the welfare of military personnel. He noted that one of the reasons for their visit was to see for themselves how the farm was progressing.
At the farm, Private Mansaray said one of their challenges was the non-availability of safe drinking water.
To that, Hon. Sulaiman Marray Conteh suggested that a borehole should be dug so as to permanently solve the issue of safe drinking water for the smooth running of the farm.
The Committee also visited personnel at the Fourth Infantry Brigade at Tekkoh Barracks in Makeni; the Fifth Infantry Brigade at Gondama Barracks in Bo, and the Second Infantry Brigade in Kenema District.