A
three-day forum on the second generation of the Gambia National Agricultural
Investment Plan (GNAIP 2.0) for farmer organisations recently concluded at a
hotel in Kololi.
The
forum was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and coordinated by the
Central Project Coordinating Unit (CPCU).
Speaking
at the closing ceremony, Alagie Bassi Mboge, president of the National Farmers
Platform of The Gambia, said the overall goal of GNAIP is achieving an
increased contribution of the agriculture and natural resources (ANR) sector to
the national economy.
This
is to be achieved by improving productivity through commercialisation and
active private sector participation aimed at enhanced growth and poverty
reduction.
“Therefore,
the development of GNAIP strategic programmes for the second generation is
timely and important in the development of the ANR objectives,” Mr Mboge
said.
“We,
as a farmer-based organisation, are aware of the fact that while the government
will mainly have a coordinating and supervising function, the GNAIP programmes
will be primarily implemented by the private sector stakeholders.”
Farmers
Platform president said in order to promote effective management and
sustainability of production, processing and marketing activities, beneficiaries
of GNAIP 2.0 would be supported to organise themselves into groups and register
as farmer organisations which will be self-governed and self-financed.
He
requested that farmer organisations should be engaged in the sub-committees and
working groups so that their case can feature in GNAIP 2.0.
“We
assure you of our collaboration and participation during the entire process of
the formulation stage,” Mr Mboge said.
Coordinator
of the Central Project Coordinating Unit (CPCU), Momodou Mbye Jabang, called on
all stakeholders to ensure that the new GNAIP is a success.
“We
need to work together as it is a national endeavour to put our inputs to make
it a vibrant document,” he said.
