Forty course participants on training of trainers for Agricultural Service Providers and Farmer-Based Organization Friday received certificates after completing the course held at the Management Development Institute in Kanifing.
The training was sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations food security unit through commercialization of agriculture project.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Dr Babagana Amadu, representative of the FAO in The Gambia, underscored the importance of the training, saying it “will help” the participants in their work.
“The training is of paramount importance as it will be useful to the beneficiaries,” he said, adding that acquiring knowledge is a continued process to which, in the case of The Gambia, his office will continue to give the necessary support.
He called on the participants to put the knowledge gained from the course into good use.
Bumi Camara, the course coordinator, commended the participants and their facilitators for their commitment to and cooperation during the course. “We have been able to achieve a lot in various areas during this course and I think this will go a long way in helping the participants to build their future,” he said, adding that a lot of discussions took place on the commercialization of agriculture during the training
Mr Camara commended the FAO and Action-Aid for their support to the programme.
“Commercialization is coming more and more important in this country,” said Baboucarr Njie of the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to him, farming is a way of life for a lot of people in The Gambia, which makes agricultural development imperative.
He commended the FAO for complementing government efforts in agriculture, assuring them and other organizations that “government is always ready to work with them as partners”.
Other speakers at the ceremony included Dr Jainaba Kah, director general of MDI, and Dr Kujejatou Manneh Jallow, Action-Aid The Gambia country director, who both expressed similar sentiments as those of the previous speakers.
