Officials said the training aimed at improving the entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, and capacity of youth and women in the agri-food sector in the country.
The agro-youth pilot project which was rolled out in the West Coast Region (WCR) has been implemented by CASD with financial and technical support from Berliner Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit mbH (BGZ).
BGZ is a joint institution of the State of Berlin and the Berlin Chamber of Crafts which is supporting international development and cooperation, while Landesstelle zur Förderung gewerblicher Berufe in Entwicklungsländern is a training organisation affiliated with the Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth, and Family, Germany.
Siyat Gaye, the executive director of CASD, spoke at length on the significance of the training, saying: “Our aim is to come up with new agricultural innovations with the desire of transforming agriculture from subsistence to commercial entrepreneurship.”
Agriculture, he went on, contributes more than 20% of the country’s GDP, adding: “The agriculture sector employs more than 50% of the population. However, still some young people in the country don’t find the sector attractive which is concerning.”
Mr. Gaye added: “Therefore, there is a need to modernize the sector through increasing capacity and innovation in order to make agriculture more attractive to women and youth,” he said, while expressing optimism that the project will be rolled out in other regions of the country.
CASD, he went on, is committed to the pursuit and realisation of sustainable development and the fulfillment of human rights.
He added: “The organization also aimed to ensure effective stakeholder mobilization and coordination to improve human development, well-being, and sustainability of life on earth by reducing the impact of climate change effects through the protection and conservation of the environment.”
Ramatoulie Kujabi, a participant from Gambia Women Initiative, described the convergence as ‘timely’, adding: “Such kind of training will go a long way in building our capacities in the area of agriculture. Therefore, it is of crucial significance for young people in the country to venture into the sector.”
Dr. Sisira, programme manager at Berliner Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit mbH (BGZ) also spoke highly on the importance of the five days training and urged the participants to live up to expectations.
