Agric Minister inaugurates new NARI board members

The NARI Board of Directors provides policy guidance and strategic direction for all NARI activities.

The board members are expected to ensure the objectives of the Institute are achieved in support of the food and nutrition objectives of The Gambia.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, the Agric Minister emphasised the importance of NARI as a sector, stating it is not restricted to only the Brikama Campus. It is a national research board which is responsible for every agricultural research including agricultural research of the University of the Gambia, agricultural research under the Gambia College and other institutes that deal with agricultural research nationwide, he added.

He also spoke on the legal framework of NARI, saying: “Yes, the Act established the board, and the board established the research institution itself.

“The institution itself does not have an Act of its own; so its legal framework is very sketchy, and I would ask the board to do a consultancy to have an Act for the National Assembly that will be referred to as the NARI Act.”

Mod Secka, Permanent Secretary of MoALFS, underscored the importance of NARI in the agricultural sector, saying NARI is very central, and they want to ensure it goes back to its glorious days or even better.

“As a chairman you have a major role to play to make sure that the board is directing the policy, and we are aware that the fundamental challenge is funding, but the argument is: if you have a good research proposal, you can attract funds from donor funds,” he said.

The NARI Board chairman stressed that NARI is facing the challenge of low production and productivity, adding that research constitutes an important pillar of agricultural development.

It is through agricultural research that technologies and new varieties of seed fertilizers are developed and provided for farmers to improve production and productivity, Chairman Secka stated, adding: “NARI through the board has been given the mandate to research a whole variety of crops, livestock, fisheries, and water resources based on the National Agricultural Research Act of 1993.”