The project has got underway after Vietnam became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and the chair of the Sierra Leone Committee.

It is an upgrade of a programme launched in 2005 when Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Safety Dr. Sama Mode visited An Giang University and sought its expertise to increase food production.

In 2006 the university’s Professor Dr Vo Tong Xuan arrived in Sierra Leone and chose Mange Bureh for a pilot project.

Dr. To Van Truong, head of the Southern Water Conservation Institute, who recently visited the African country along with Xuan, said, “Mange Bureh is 100km from the country’s capital and has fertile land. Due to war and other reasons, the living standards of local residents are very low and their main foods are potato and cassava.”
” Sierra Leone and Vietnam have many similarities with regard to their people and climate. Therefore, we will transfer our farm model to them”, said Mr Truong.

In May this year, more farmers will be sent to Sierra Leone to help with the cultivation.
Sierra Leone will, in turn, send to Vietnam farm workers and technicians for training in irrigation, cultivation, fishing, and forestry.