The event, themed: ‘Investment Insights: Preparing for the 2025 Rome International Investment Forum’, focused on investment opportunities in agrifood systems and value chain sectors under the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative (HiHI). It also served as a platform for stakeholders to engage and strategisze ahead of the 2025 International Investment Forum in Rome, Italy.
At the forum’s opening, Carl Frederick Paul, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in The Gambia, reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to exploring investment opportunities in collaboration with the government of The Gambia. He emphasised that agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy, making it crucial for national agrifood systems to drive sustainable development, food security, and poverty alleviation. He highlighted that increased investment and commercialisation in agriculture would be key to accelerating national progress.
Paul further stated that the forum provides an ideal platform for policymakers, investors, financial institutions, and development partners to engage in meaningful discussions on agrifood system transformation, priority-setting, and partnership-building. He stressed that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires strong collaboration between the public and private sectors, with the UN playing a central role in helping governments align investments in agrifood systems with national development objectives.
Shibu Rampedi, FAO Representative in The Gambia, highlighted that this year’s forum aims to prioritise investment opportunities in agrifood systems and value chains, preparing stakeholders for their participation in the 2025 Rome International Investment Forum. She noted that the event provides an essential platform for fostering partnerships among government authorities, multilateral development banks, private sector actors, and donors to explore potential investment avenues.
Rampedi encouraged local agri-entrepreneurs and investors to actively participate in the World Food Forum, where they can showcase The Gambia’s agrifood potential on a global stage. She pointed out that the agrifood sector is rapidly evolving, presenting both challenges and opportunities. To adapt to changing market demands, she emphasised the need to diversify agricultural production, enhance competitiveness, embrace technological innovation, and strengthen value-added processing. These efforts, she added, would open up new domestic and international market opportunities for The Gambia.
In his remarks, Demba Sabally, minister for Agriculture, Livestock & Food Security, highlighted that the Investment Plan will identify priority commodities and value chains with the greatest investment potential.
He referenced the National Food Systems Dialogue, which established a pathway for agrifood transformation with seven key milestones.
One of these milestones, he noted, focuses on enhancing private sector involvement in food systems development. He stressed that the private sector plays a crucial role in ensuring food safety and quality, as it oversees most food production, processing, distribution, and sales. Therefore, increased private sector participation and investment are essential for achieving SDG-related food security goals.
Looking across the hall, Minister Sabally acknowledged the presence of key stakeholders from various sectors, including input suppliers, producers, processors, traders, consumers, transporters, financial and technical partners, researchers, and waste management professionals. He expressed confidence that the forum would facilitate fruitful discussions that would benefit all partners involved in The Gambia’s agrifood transformation agenda.
He concluded by reaffirming that the forum is conducted under the FAO Hand-in-Hand (HiHI) Initiative, which supports nationally led agrifood transformation programmes that are aimed at eradicating poverty (SDG 1) and promoting sustainable development.
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