Minister
of Agriculture Hon. Amie Fabureh has commended the Islamic Development Bank
(IsDB) for its financial and technical support throughout the process of
financing a livestock project for The Gambia.
Minister Fabureh was speaking at a recent
launch held at the Kairaba hotel.
It
could be recalled that The Gambia recently launched a four-year project
focusing on small ruminant production and the total project cost is about USD
26.81 million.
The
project, will be financed following a 2-steps financing approach and will
consist of four major components: improvement of small ruminant production,
processing, and marketing; access to Islamic financing and support to capacity
building; master plan development for livestock value chains and project
management and coordination.
According
to her, the road was rough and tough but they endured all the odds to ensure
that they make a great success. “The same goes to Ministry of Finance. Without
their immense contribution and support, there wouldn’t be a day like this”.
Minister
Fabureh promised to give full support during the project implementation and
ensure accountability and transparency in fostering effective management and
utilization of project resources for the interest of all Gambians.
She,
however, appealed to development partners and all stakeholders to join in
delivering this noble endeavor.
Also
speaking, Hamat Bah, Minister of Tourism and Culture, hailed the efforts of
staff of the Ministry of Agriculture in developing the project proposal, which
he said, when tabled in cabinet, would be unanimously approved.
Minister
Bah indicated that The Gambia has a lot of potentials, but it continues to
depend on neighboring countries especially in time of feasts.
Dr.
Soulay Mane Keber, team leader of the IsDB Mission outlined the approach taken
by the Bank and the government of The Gambia (GoTG) in developing and
finalizing the project formulation processes.
Dr
Kebe was quick to state that it’s the first of its kind for the bank to
consider a project prior to the conduction of the feasibility study.
He
congratulated the government of The Gambia for coming this far; further
reiterating the banks resolve to continue supporting the project financially
and technically.
