The program was initiated by a Portugal-based international organization, Instituto Maropês de Valle Flôr (IMVF) through the Tekki-Fi project funded by the European Union.
The sensitization was held on Wednesday 20th July 2022 at the Khamsy building in Bijilo.
Most agribusiness men and women in different regions are engaged in poultry, animal husbandry and horticulture. The grant was given to them to start up or improve their businesses.
The project gives out agro grants and mini-grants to rural youth and coaches them in trainings like entrepreneurship, record keeping and other important business strategies.
One of the factors that prompted the program is mainly to discourage youth from going on the perilous journey (back-way).
Gabriel Gomez, Agribusiness Adviser for IMVF said most of the grantees did not continue in their businesses because they did not reinvest.
“Some use their grant for different purposes and ended up losing or going astray in their businesses,” he stated.
In their previous assessments, Mr. Gomez said they realised that marketing and pricing products is a major challenge and that necessitated them to organise the coaching for those engaged in production.
The trainees were made to understand the role of marketing in achieving the goals of a business enterprise and how they go about it.
They were also coached on product pricing techniques and the arts of selling.
Isatou K. Jallow, a grantee from Basse, Upper River Region (URR) who engages in poultry explained the benefits she got from receiving the grant.
She said the funds helped in expanding her business as well as increased her sales and profits.
“Since I am going to school in the urban site, the grant was also an opportunity for me to decentralise my business from URR to the urban site while I am also assisting my siblings in their education,” she added.
Alagie Jatta, another grantee from Central River Region (CRR) South who engages in animal husbandry expressed similar advantages he got after receiving the grant.
“One of the achievements I have made is employing other youth and I am optimistic that in the future I will be able to employ many young people,” he said.
During the training, through observations and participation, most of the participants disclosed their challenges with pricing and understanding their customers’ satisfaction.
The trainers took them through some of the strategies of marketing and pricing to prosper in their businesses.
