New Delhi, March 24 – India sent 1,000 metric tonnes of rice to Sierra Leone on Tuesday to support its school midday meal scheme. This gesture reinforces India's commitment to enhancing cooperation with countries in the Global South and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "Partnership in the Global South in action! India has sent 1,000 metric tonnes of rice today to support Sierra Leone's school midday meal scheme. This is in line with India's commitment to enhancing cooperation with countries in the Global South and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals."
In March last year, India and Sierra Leone held the second round of Foreign Office Consultations (FoC) in New Delhi, reviewing bilateral ties across all sectors, including trade, investment, health, pharmaceuticals, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
Sevala Naik Mude, Additional Secretary, MEA, and Alan CE Logan, Director General, Sierra Leone's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, co-chaired the meeting.
In a statement, the MEA said, "India has pledged to continue supporting Sierra Leone in capacity building in various fields and further developing the development partnership. Both sides noted with satisfaction the progress made on India Stack, following the signing of a MoU on 'Cooperation in the field of sharing successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation' and discussed next steps for implementation in this area."
"Both sides also agreed to further deepen and diversify bilateral ties in key areas of contemporary relevance, including defence cooperation, energy development, and development cooperation," it added.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed and exchanged perspectives on key issues of regional and global importance. Officials from India and Sierra Leone discussed cooperation in multilateral organizations, including the United Nations.
Sierra Leone agreed to consider supporting India's candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the years 2028-29. Sierra Leone also agreed to expedite the process of obtaining approval from its government to sign the Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and joining the Global Biofuels Alliance, according to the MEA statement.
India and Sierra Leone enjoy cordial and warm ties based on shared values and a common vision, dating back almost six decades. India is committed to being a reliable partner of Sierra Leone in its development journey through soft loans, scholarships, and capacity building, according to the MEA statement. The two nations also cooperate at the United Nations and other multilateral forums.