THE DEPUTY MINISTER
Dr. Robert Chakanda is the Deputy Minister of Planning and
Economic Development of Sierra Leone with many years of service at both the
national and international levels. He started his career as a Plant Breeder,
and advanced as a senior researcher at the Rice Research Station, Rokupr; now
known as the Rokupr Agricultural Research Center. He advanced his career
ability as a Seeds Specialist and Agronomist with wealth of experiences with
Universities, NGOs and the United Nations in Europe, across Africa and Latin
America.
Dr. Chakanda has a long standing relationship with the United
Nations, having served as an international specialist for the organization for
several years. He is the renowned scientist that produced the first Foundation
Seed of Rice in Liberia working for FAO, after Sierra Leone’s civil war.
As Deputy Minister, he provides oversight over Statistics
Sierra Leone (STATS-SL), Monitoring and Evaluation and a number of other
oversight responsibilities with development partners. Within his mandate, the
Deputy Minister provides a coordination role for UNFPA, and is directly
involved with the review of the National Population Policy and promotion of the
ICPD agendas. The Deputy Minister is also closely affiliated with the projects
and programs of WFP.