THE ENVIRONMENT Promote Local Food Stuff for Tourism Development in Sierra Leone Posted by Ishmael Kindama Dumbuya on Aug 3, 2009, 12:10

Cassava Farmer in Sierra Leone....The Root Crop has Many By Products

There is presently a need for the promotion of our local food stuffs for national tourism development in Sierra Leone. It is widely and conventionally believed that the enhancement and development of tourism in any country starts from the local food stuffs produced by the country.

In Sierra Leone, some of the local food stuffs produced in the country although at a very minimal rate is cassava, bananas, pineapples, rice, and millet to name but few.

These are good food stuffs that many people known as tourists may come into Sierra Leone and if not purposely for that but it can influence them to stay longer in the country since they have been welcomed by the different types of local foods in the country has.

Africa is a continent that is known, recognized and even respected for the various types of African food stuffs that we produce and these various foods needed to be dominant in the hotels operating in the African continent including Sierra Leone. What normally disturbs this tourism development advocate and columnist is that the European foods have dominated all the hotels in the countries and Sierra Leone is no exemption.

I am not saying that European or English food stuffs should not be sold in these hotels in Sierra Leone but preference should be given to our Sierra Leonean food like cassava so that when the tourists came in they will know that the continent they are presently staying is Africa and they can only know that through the type of food they will meet and eat. But what some few hotels like when you take a look at their daily menu is always European, Chinese etc food examples.

There are many hotels now operating in Sierra Leone. This is a welcomed attempt in the business sector of Sierra Leone but they actually need to do more for the improvement of tourism in the country through the adoption of Sierra Leonean local food stuffs in their daily menus at these hotels. Very recently, I undertook a project to go and eat at some key hotels operating in the country. I have observed many lapses and deficient in the sight of these hotels and it is obvious that some of these hotels are doing absolutely well in the country.

From the look of things, I observed that some hotels don’t have enough European or Chinese food not to talk about our African local food for their customers that includes tourists.

In fact, this takes me again to comment on the rapid spread of hotels in the country. The ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, the policy and regulating body in Sierra Leone should ensure that they make it as a policy for all hotels operating in the Republic of Sierra Leone to adopt at least 60% of their local food stuffs of cassava, millet, pineapples etc in their daily menus.

By this stride, the tourism industry in the country will develop and more so we cannot depend on European or Chinese food alone but on our African foods.