By Awa B. Bah
The National Coordinating Organisation for Famer Associations in the Gambia NACOFAG, on Saturday 29th July 2017, commenced a four- day capacity building training for youth and women across the country on enterprise development. The training is taking place at the National Agricultural Research Institute, NARI, in Brikama and is funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, under the Forest and Farm Facility project, FFF.
The objective of the training is to introduce participants to the concept of enterprise development as well as key steps in entrepreneurship institutionalization.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the coordinator of NACOFAG, Alieu Sowe, indicated that the training will enhance the capacities of forest and farm producer associations on governance entrepreneurship and business development. The training he said, attracted thirty members from the maize growers’ association and the association of the Shahelian women in the fight against drought and hunger and other federations to share experiences.
The training he said, will help participants develop a road map to organize better, the steps application for entrepreneurship as most of the country’s producers and processors are fully involved in production and marketing. However, establishing an institution remains a big challenge.
He said in collaboration with the National Enterprise Development Initiative, NEDI, the grassroots foundation consultants are working together to help prepare women and youth farmers to be business conscious, well oriented and organized in the execution of their business and farming programs.
Sowe informed participants to understand that they are representing the interest of their individual organizations and urged them to make good use of the resource persons as certificates will be awarded to them at the end of the four- day training. He extended appreciation to their partners and thanked the participants for their attendance, noting that their full attendance is key in their daily agricultural business. He reminded them that not everyone can work in government offices but can earn more than what government workers are earning from other sectors like agriculture.
Bakoto Jobe Mboge, president of the women wing, called for more women to engage in agriculture as they are key players in the sector. Gambian women she remarked, are known for their hard work in the agricultural sector as they grow vegetables to feed the nation
