Within its support to Sierra Leone’s agricultural sector, SOBA is working to strengthen the local rice market, bolstering rice production, processing and sales to outcompete imported rice that is not necessarily cheaper and can be poorer in quality.

Lion Mountains, a rice processor based in Bo, the country’s second largest city, has set up a local resale network and marketing initiative with SOBA support. As part of this, Lion Mountains has built 20 branded kiosks to date (co-financed with SOBA) and has hired an exclusively female sales agent team to staff the kiosks. Lion Mountains plans to continue to grow its kiosk sales network.