It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that the Executive Director of FARA, Dr. Aggrey Agumya announces the passing of FARA’s founding Executive Director, Prof Monty Patrick Jones, a national of Sierra Leone. His death occurred on Sunday 28th April 2024. He was 73 years.
Prof Jones (or “MPJ” as his staff fondly called him) led the FARA Secretariat as Executive Secretary / Executive Director from its inception in June 2002 to June 2013 when he completed his second term. He also served as the Chairperson of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) from 2010 to 2013.
Prof. Monty Jones was the first African to be awarded the World Food Prize. He won the award in 2004 for his discovery of the genetic process to create the New Rice for Africa (NERICA). In 2007, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential persons in the world. He masterfully leveraged the reputation and prestige that came with this recognition to advance agricultural research and innovation in Africa and globally, and to elevate the profile of FARA and the sub-regional agricultural research organisations. Prof. Monty Jones was a visionary. He was instrumental in laying the foundation of FARA and in shaping what the organisation has become. At FARA he served Africa with unwavering dedication and passion, and with relentless drive.
Upon leaving FARA in 2013 Prof. Monty Jones returned to his country, Sierra Leone, to serve as a Special Advisor to the President and Ambassador-at-large. In February 2016 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, a position he held up to April 2018. He leaves behind a strong legacy in Africa’s agricultural research and innovation domain which FARA will honour in his memory.
97 Comments
May his soul and spirit rest in eternal peace.
We will remember you forever!
RIP, for his soul,
May God rest Monty’s soul. He was a quiet giant in the agricultural research space in Africa. He pioneered agricultural research cooperation in the African region, which he nurtured on the platform of FARA.
Ths is a great loss to agriculture. He shall be missed. Deepest condolences to FARA, the entire agricultural fraternity,, Sierra Leone, and the kith and kin. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
Truly sad indeed! My deep condolence 🙏
I know Monty from the days we were discussing the establishment of FARA. He was a kind, affable man, but highly focused on achieving the African dream of excellent science. We worked/collaborated well while he was the ED of FARA. He has left an indelible mark in the coordination of African Agricultural Research.
May his Soul Rest in Eternal Peace
its sad indeed. may his soul rest in peace.
Prof. Florence M’mogi Olubayo
its sad indeed. may his soul rest in peace.
Prof. Florence M’mogi Olubayo
This is really sad. I had collaborated with FARA since when Dr. Monty Jones was Executive Secretary, and that time a Delegation from FARA visited the newly established Mozambique National Research Fund ( FNI) when I was the Executive Director , and FARA supported agricultural research projects. He left a legacy to the African Continent and to the World. He will be missed.
May His Soul Rest in Peace.
Respectfully,
Alsácia Atanásio
Director
National Biotechnology and Biosciences Centre ( CNBB)
Mozambique
This is really sad news, the passing of Professor Monty Jones. Monty Jones was a man of passion and commitment. I worked closely with him during his last term as Executive Director of FARA, when I was President of FARA (2010-2013). I salute his memory and I pray to God that he receives his soul.
A great Son of Africa has fallen. Condolences to his family and the African farmers.
May you rest in peace as your legacy continues to inspire us
It is a sad day to learn of Monty’s passing. We will fondly remember his contribution in agriculture and in particular Agricultural research. May Monty’s soul rest in peace and rise in Glory. May his family and friends be comforted at this difficult time as they mourn his passing.
Without question, Prof Monty Jones was a global agricultural Titan. To African agriculture, his memory will remain a blessing. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
This is sad news! My condolences to his biological family and his FARA family. May his soul rest in peace.
RIP MPJ! May God welcomed him at his almighty paradise
This is bad ..a great man gone too soon. As a member of the Agriculture Journalist Network of Africa , we shall miss him
May the Soul of Dr. Monty Jones Rest in Eternal Peace. When the history of Agricultural Research in Africa is written Monty will certainly stand out as one of the greatest Scientists to emerge from this continent during the 20th /early 21st Century. My deep condolences to his family.
Geoffrey C. Mrema
SUA- Morogoro. Tanzania
May his soul rest in peace
My condolences to the FARA family.
We mourn the passing of Prof. Monty Jones. He indeed made his mark on African and global agriculture. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
RIP
So so sad to hear this😭😭😭. As a wetland or swamp rice farmer, I benefited a lot from the NERICA Rice varieties researched by Dr. Monty Jones. Oh God what a loss! This is a big loss to the African region (the AFRICA RICE Org,) and other partners, WFP etc. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
May his soul rest in peace.
Great loss indeed! He contributed immensely to agri-research in Africa. May his soul rest in peace
This is really sad news. May His soul RIP. Sad to say Goodbye to Dr Jones! He was such a hard working professional. Africa will greatly miss Him
It’s quite sad loosing such a genius who contributed much to improvement of Agricultural Research and Advisory services on the continent. May his Soul Rest in Eternity
What a great loss. A man of celestial academic standing. He would sadly be missed. Nerica is being consumed all over West and East Africa. He made his mark in the sphere of agriculture especially in the area of developing rice varieties for rice consumers.
Very sad and what a loss. May his soul rest in Eternal Peace!
RIP, in early 2000, met him in Uganda, during the IFPRI, meeting at Speke Resort Munyonyo, food and nutrition security beyond 2020
May his soul rest in eternal peace
May his soul rest in perfect peace. He enhanced Sierra Leone’s contribution to global agricultural rice research and was an excellent ambassador for the country.
This is a great loss to Africa. May his soul rest in perfect peace
May His Soul Rest in Peace.The Lord will strengthen the family.🙏
May his soul rest in peace… he has gone to the world beyond, but his legacies will live on forever
Mes sincères condoléances à la famille du Prof Monty et à tout le monde scientifique, ceux qui l’ont connu de près ou de loin.
Ses trouvailles ont rendu service à l’Afrique et au monde entier surtout dans le domaine de la sécurité alimentaire.
Reposez en paix cher Professeur et que le Tout Puissant vous accueille dans son royaume.
Professor Jones was an accomplished and exemplary innovator who devoted his efforts towards solving food insecurity.
May his soul rest in peace
May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace Prof. Jones.
What a huge loss! Rest in peace my brother….your legacy will endure.
May his soul rest in peace peace
May His Soul Rest in peace. Africa has lost.
May his Soul Rest in Peace. Africa has lost
Monty and I supported each other in Accra when he was the Executive Director of FARA and I was the Executive Director of INDEPTH Network. He was a big brother. He was coordinating and facilitating agricultural research in Africa while I was doing similar work in the health research area. May his soul RIP.
A great son of the Africa Continent. You did your best to serve humanity. Rest in peace.
So sad. May his soul rest in peace
May God rest his soul in peace
This is a monument and tree of knowledge in ARD in Africa that is gone. May his soul rest in peace. Also, having worked under his leadership, he was socially concerned by the improvement of the conditions of the staff.
He was a Visionary. He loved resarch, He will be remembered in African history of science and technology. .May his soul rest in peace.
May his soul rest in peace
Please prepare a note of condolences for FARA. I first met Professor Monty Jones in 1995 at the MBE station of what was called then the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) near Bouake in Cote d’Ivoire, and he is since been an inspiration. We spoke about the use of tissue culture in support of interspecific crosses (for the development of the NERICA series), an approach that I came to use in my banana research work. I recall him receiving me in November 2017 in his office of Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in Freetown and giving me his insightful guidance on how SROs should work together through FARA to better support agricultural research for development based on the IAR4D approach he championed through the Sub-Saharan Challenge Program. A Giant has gone to sleep. May his soul rest in peace.
Deepest condolences to his family, country and FARA community.
It is sad to learn of the death of Prof Monty Jones. He played a big role in steering the agricultural agenda in SSA. May his soul RIP
My deep condolences…. May your soul rest in peace!
Rest well prof. SL will always remember you!
Great loss to the people of Sierra Leone and Africa; for we have lost a great scientist and innovator. We shall forever remember you by your works. RIP!
May his soul rest in perfect peace 🕊️
May the family find comfort in the lord during this trying time and beyond. Prof. your legacy will live on, as we continue growing NERICA we will remember your works in the Agricultural Research Space. Rest in Peace!!!
Professor Monty Jones was a great man full of humility and modesty. His contributions to especially Africa’s food security through research remain indelible, so too was his invaluable approach and commitment to issues of democracy, equity, and good governance when he served as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security under erstwhile President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
May his gentle soul RIPP.
Abdulai Bayraytay
Former Presidential Spokesman of Sierra Leone
The contribution of Dr Jones to Africa agriculture was great and strategic as the Fara’s Director and as a breeder. At Embrapa he was fundamental to improve partnership between Brazil and the continent. Dr Jones, rest in peace, you legacy is profoundly recognized.
Only now that he is gone do we surely come to realize what we are now without and life without him is going to be testing.
RIPP, and rise in glory with all the dearly departed. Thank you for your service to the world especially to Sierra Leone.
RIP Bro. God knows better why now and why Prof Monty Jones.
It is with great sorry and a heavy heart to receive the passing away of Dr/Prof. Monty Jones. Monty have served stakeholders in agriculture – an “industry” – he tirelessly worked for, with passion and commitment. On the Policy front and in collaboration with the World Bank (eg. David Nelson), he catalyzed the re-established of the SRO – CCARDESA in the Southern Africa region through buy-in and ownership from SADC.
On technology and innovation, he championed IAR4D despite the huge grey area that exist at the time but today, that set of principles have become one of the efficient ARD tools (multi-stakeholder innovation platforms) in technology and innovation generation and scaling in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. His great achievement on the Upland NERICAs have earned him the name – Papa NERICA while at WARDA/ADRAO (now AfricaRice); and his introduction of PVS/PRIGA as tool for farmer/end user selection of the NERICA varieties based on their socio-economic preferences, have led to wide adoption of the upland NERICAs. PVS/PRIGA remain a formidable tool for research and extension. I witness his regular field trips in Cote d’Ivoire (to other countries as well eg. Guinea) to visit, interact, and co-learn with farmers in their fields on the up-scaling and adoption of the NERICAs and its processes.
May Allah bless your soul and grant you Jannah Firdaus, Ameen
May his gentle soul rest in eternal peace
The African AR&D Community has lost a great man who defended the continent’s food security interest. While serving as Director of Policy and Advocacy under Prof. Monty Jones, I learnt a lot from him. He will be missed by many. May his Soul RIP.
It is quite sad to learn about the passing of a geat contributor to Africa’s food systems advancement. We will never forget Monty as a colleague and friend.
It’s so sad to hear of Prof. Monty Jones passing. He was a true African, a leader and great man. May God comfort his family and may his soul rest in perfect peace.
Very sad news.
May Allah bless his soul and grant him Jannah Firdaus,
Ameen
May his soul rest in peace
So sorry, a colleague whom I knew as a great scientist of repute, rest in peace brother. Ratemo
Dr. Monty Jones, you were a true leader that loved others as yourself. At WARDA, Bouake, Cote D’Iviore you inspired us to the best that we can be. May the Lord comfort your family, and may your gentle soul rest in perfect peace.
Very sad news. We will miss Prof Jones, this valued African Sientist. May his soul rest in peace. Amen!
Very sad news. We will miss Prof Jones, this valued African Sientist. May his soul rest in peace. Amen!
May Prof Jones’ soul rest in eternal peace.
In te passing of Monty Jones, Africa as lost a champion for excellence in agricultural research and its application to raising farm productivity. We overlapped in FAO – I being in technical cooperation. We also interacted when I was Deputy head of the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). May his soul rest in peace and his example motivate the youth in agriculture.
What a great loss! Dr. Jones was a great Scientist who touched many lives. He developed and made many scientists in his lifetime. May his soul rest in peace. May the Lord comfort his family.
Adieu Dr. Jones!
Monty’s contribution to rice breeding at WARDA is immeasurable. I am proud to have been your colleague at WARDA from 1990 to 1996.
Short
Monty’s contribution to rice breeding at WARDA is immeasurable. I am proud to have been your colleague at WARDA from 1990 to 1996.
Short
May his soul Rest In Peace 🕊
So sad to learn of the demise of this great son of Africa. His works leave on and his legacy will inspire many for years to come
MHSRIP
Patrick
RIP
My condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues for the loss of Prof Monty Jones, a visionary African and pathfinder. Africa has lost a great mind. May his soul RIP
Rest in peace. Your work is immortalized forever in our hearts
May his soul rest in peace .RIM.condolence Africa
Great icon for ARD in Africa. RIP
This has been a great son of Africa. He has left a legacy of agricultural research that will forever remain in our heart. Rest in peace.
This is a heavy blow to the FARA fraternity. MHSRIP
May His Soul Rest In Perfect Peace
May you rest in peace.
Prof. Monty Jones was a renowned Scientist who impacted research in Africa and beyond. Among other things, he will be remembered for his leadership of FARA and as a role model to many. May his soul RIP
Very sad. May his soul rest in peace
Rest Well Prof. Monty Jones . My condolences to the family and friends. And to the FARA family. We are praying with you.
He was an African with pride, a leader with core qualities and values. May his Soul rest in Peace.
May his gentle soul rest in eternal peace
What a loss to African agriculture. Last worked with Monty when he was Special Advisor to the President. Always eager to learn and full of vision.
RIP Prof. Innalillah waina illayh rajyuun.
My condolences to his family and FARA as well..
He was a really good person, I pray that his soul rest in peace.