By Lamin Fatty
Tumanna Agency for Development (TAD) on Thursday 25th February 2021, held a stakeholders’ forum on information sharing and feedback generation.
The forum which was sponsored by European Union through GIZ, was held at TAD master farm at Tinkinjo in Tumanna district.
The forum targeted seventy-five participants including the partners to share information on the impact registered by TAD in collaboration with partners and to receive feedback from the beneficiaries and local stakeholders regarding the project and/or activity implementation of TAD and its operation and governance.
In his opening remarks, Momodou Bitaye from GIZ, said the forum would help TAD develop a new strategic plan for next three years.
“We have introduced lots of sustainability concepts in this institution, but our ideas are not enough as we want TAD to stay for generations. We don’t want to see them scrubbing immediately we pack our bags. Because our project (GIZ) is now on the verge of coming to an end, we need to look at the ideas of consolidating sustainability,” Mr. Bitaye said.
Bittaye appealed to the participants to come up with groundbreaking ideas that would be of utmost benefit to TAD.
The Executive Director of TAD, Mahamadou Drammeh, highlighted some of the projects implemented successfully by his institution in collaboration with partners.
“Tumana Agency for Development (TAD) through the support of ‘Future In-Our Hands’ was able to implement projects including adult literacy programs, serial banking, and construction of bakeries and training of youth on bakery within Tumana and Jimara,” he said.
Photo: Drammeh
Drammeh said the United State Peace Corps Office also supported TAD by funding the construction of a building, fencing and a borehole at TAD master farm in Tinkinjo and also trained master farmers on innovative agriculture.
He said through the support of GIZ, they were able to train 105 youth- both girls and boys on bee keeping, agriculture and agro-food processing.
“Tumana Agency for Development (TAD) also collaborates with other institutions within URR, like IEC, NDMA, Tostan, WASDA and Basse Area Council etc. for implementation of projects such as voters’ sensitization, assessing and supporting more than 40 household disaster victims within Tumana, and also conducts annual youth study camp for the youths of URR on gender and human rights, leadership and advocacy, and entrepreneurship”, Director Drammeh highlighted.
Deputy Governor of Upper River Region, Essa J Conteh, speaking at the forum indicated that the government is fully aware of the activities and programs of TAD in the region.
He thus assured them of the government’s support, while calling on the beneficiaries, especially the youth to take up the opportunity provided by TAD.
Conteh also urged TAD to appeal to their donors to consider offering start-up capital to their trainees so that the youth- after acquiring knowledge and skills- would be able to utilize the knowledge gained.
Meanwhile, TAD was established in 2013 and it’s a youth-led organization that aims to enhance food and nutrition security and engender sustainable development for all rural communities in The Gambia.
