Victor Chukuma Johnson Jr. of Lion Food, Snacks and Beverages Ltd
Victor Chukuma Johnson Jr. has seen a lot and has been through a lot. Today, the small business owner’s ambitions extend beyond entrepreneurship – he is determined to establish Lion Foods as a national brand.
On April 8, 2025, Lion Food, Snacks and Beverages Ltd., based in Sierra Leone, was proudly featured in the International Trade Centre's prestigious International Trade Forum. Titled "Connect and You Will Succeed," the feature highlights Lion Food's inspiring journey of growth, innovation, and its impact on the global stage.
A truly inspiring story!
Trade Forum Features
Connect, and you will succeed: The Story of Lion Food from Sierra Leone
8 April 2025 | Evelyn Seltier, International Trade CentreVictor Chukuma Johnson Jr has seen a lot and has been through a lot. When the 11-year-long civil war in Sierra Leone ended in 2002, the self-made entrepreneur saw economic opportunities where many saw hardship. His vision for a sustainable, social business exporting locally sourced, processed, and packaged food, turned into Lion Food, Snacks and Beverages Ltd.
Today, the small business owner’s ambitions extend beyond entrepreneurship – he is determined to establish Lion Foods as a national brand.
Victor Chukuma Johnson Jr, the owner and CEO of Lion Food, Snacks and Beverages, in his production facility in Waterloo, Sierra Leone | © Ibrahim Miles Kamara / ITC / Fairpicture
A fourth-generation native of Waterloo, the capital of Sierra Leone’s Western Area Rural District near Freetown, Victor grew up in a region profoundly affected by the war. Waterloo became a densely populated area, home to a large community of young ex-combatants, with a military training camp located less than a mile from his future factory.
Given the volatile post-war environment, it is no surprise that Victor initially pursued a career in telecommunications. He worked on communications systems for the UK Commonwealth, the UN peacekeeping mission, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the National Civil Registration Authority, as well as private firms and various NGOs.
However, despite his expertise as a radio frequency and computer systems specialist—with studies leading him to Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Israel, and the United Kingdom—Victor ultimately chose a different path. His passion for agriculture led him to question the overwhelming reliance on imported food that he observed in Sierra Leone.
“I thought to myself: all our food is imported. Why? We grow our own food, so we should be buying our own food.”
Uprooting cassava: By prioritizing local sourcing and quality, the founder of Lion Foods is not only reducing the country’s dependency on imports but also paving the way for a stronger, self-sufficient food industry | © Ibrahim Miles Kamara / ITC / Fairpicture
Reducing the need for imported brands: Lion Food is born
Peeling cassava by hand, the basis of "garri" | © Ibrahim Miles Kamara / ITC / Fairpicture
Determined to add value to Sierra Leonean agricultural products, Victor set out to create locally processed and packaged foods that could compete with imported brands.
“You need to do your research well. For instance, how does cashew sell? You need the same standard packaging. This is why first I invested in branding across my entire product line. Only then are people willing to try. I can compete with anyone coming from outside Sierra Leone.”
Success, however, required more than just branding. Victor understood that sustainable growth depended on investing in people. Through Lion Agric Product, he spent 11 years working with farmers, strengthening supply chains, and refining his products before officially launching Lion Food, Snacks and Beverages Ltd. in 2019. By prioritizing local sourcing and quality, the founder of Lion Food is not only reducing the country’s dependency on imports but also paving the way for a stronger, self-sufficient food industry.
Washing cassava before the grinding process | © Ibrahim Miles Kamara / ITC / Fairpicture
“We built our business on the philosophy that our success is measured by the number of people who benefit from it. We deeply value our customers, suppliers, and employees. To support local farmers, we partnered with Ecobank Microfinance Sierra Leone for financing. Previously, nearly 50% of our farmers’ produce was lost due to post-harvest spoilage, making it difficult to meet the demand for processing their entire harvest on time. This partnership not only helped address those losses but also enabled us to build our packing and processing factory in Waterloo. In addition, Apex Bank Sierra Leone provided funds for our farmers.”
The location of the factory carries historical significance. During the war, the Revolutionary United Front Rebels burned their weapons and ammunition there, which set every home in the area ablaze.
“After the war, I chose to turn a place once scarred by destruction into a symbol of resilience, hope, and progress. It stands as a testament to our ability to rise from adversity and build a brighter future for Sierra Leone.”
Lion Food is the first company in Sierra Leone to use biogas and liquified petroleum gas for food processing (here for parching garri) | © Ibrahim Miles Kamara / ITC / Fairpicture
The next step: Connecting buyers with suppliers in West Africa
In 2022, Lion Food took a significant step toward expanding its business by developing supply and value chains across West Africa. Through the power of partnerships, the company actively looked for opportunities to strengthen its market presence.
Lion Food booth at West Africa Connect
As part of this plan, Lion Food joined the International Trade Centre (ITC) and participated in trainings on value addition, product branding and marketing, packaging and market entry requirements, and attended trade fairs. This is how Victor was able to join West Africa Connect, a regional trade fair and business-to-business event that turned out to be a game changer for the small business.
“Because of this exposure I am collaborating in the cassava value chain with Meannan Foods, Oxy Industries Ltd, Edmass Foods Ltd, and Christaa Agric Ventures in Ghana, as well as Dasun Integrated Farms Limited, Goalpath Nigeria Limited, and Kitovu Technology Company in Nigeria. Additionally, I am working with Give Smile Solutions in Togo and engaging small businesses from Burkina Faso and Benin to secure international deals. Through WestAfrica Connect, I was also able to connect with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The possibilities seem endless.”
Lion Foods has fostered collaborations with like-minded entrepreneurs in areas such as local packaging and machinery. The company is also capitalizing on regional trade agreements, including the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which allows Sierra Leone to trade products duty-free.
Beyond trade expansion, Lion Food has received additional training on accessing finance and improving product value through traditional techniques. The company is now launching a new packaging line with bilingual descriptions in English and French, broadening its market reach.
In the past two years, Victor has made valuable connections that help his business grow rapidly – and all this by keeping production and sourcing within Africa: for instance, using laboratory facilities, graphic design and logistics service providers in Nigeria and Ghana, importing soy beans from Togo and exchanging cashew recipes with The Gambia, or facilitating transactions through regional banking mechanisms in local currencies.
“ITC has changed the dynamics for us. This is why we are moving forward in our commitment to intra-African trade.”
VIDEO | 26 March 2025
The company launched a new packaging line with bilingual descriptions in English and French, broadening its market reach | © Ibrahim Miles Kamara / ITC / Fairpicture
Turning Lion Food into a beacon of hope for communities and the planet
Lion Food is more than just a business—it is a social enterprise committed to creating lasting impact through a triple bottom line approach that balances social, environmental, and financial success. “Our goal is to harmonize these three elements to ensure a positive, sustainable impact for everyone involved.”
Victor not only creates social impact by hiring a mostly female farming workforce, but his company is also the first one in Sierra Leone to use biogas and liquified petroleum gas for food processing. Waste from palm kernels is a basis for biofuel, fertilizers and biogas. Finally, a few months ago, the company started using solar panels to power their productions and further reduce environmental impact.
“I am building a national brand with strong environmental standards, selling good food for a good price.”
In the next five years, Lion Food is looking to expand beyond Sierra Leone and Africa. To enable this growth, Victor plans to attract investment by buying and selling shares, allowing the company to scale its impact.
“Our vision is simple: when people think of healthy, affordable food, they think of us.”
“I am building a national brand with strong environmental standards, selling good food for a good price” | © Ibrahim Miles Kamara / ITC / Fairpicture
Victor has been participating in the EU-funded West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) interventions implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC).
WACOMP is financed by the European Union under the 11th European Development Fund. The programme aims to strengthen the competitiveness of West African countries and enhance their integration into the regional and international trading system. ITC implements the programme in cooperation with UNIDO and under the overall guidance of the ECOWAS Commission. The overall objective of the programme is 'to strengthen the competitiveness of West Africa through an enhanced level of production, transformation and export capacities of the private sector in line with regional and national industrial and small business strategies'.
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