The last day of the consultation, held at NARI office in Brikama, was attended by thirty-five participants from various areas within the West Coast Region and KMC.
Alieu Sowe, National Coordinator of NACOFAG, revealed that they are currently implementing three-main activities, one of which is the regional consultation of National Association of Food Processors to be able to come up with a committee that will work for each regional congress.
The congress, he added, is to enable the association’s governance and management structures have clear roles and responsibilities for implementation by the members.
"As a result of that, NACOFAG has just ended its regional consultation starting from the Greater Banjul Area, North Bank, Lower River, Upper River, Central River North and South Regions, Kanifing Municipality and today we are here in Brikama in the West Coast Region.
Sowe reminded that the reason behind their collaboration with ROOTS project is to enable institutional strengthening and institutionalisation of the farmers’ organisation to be able to develop their own basis in terms of empowerment, capacity, needs assessment and mobilisation of resources for the benefit of the members
"So, it is in this respect that NACOFAG decided to raise funds through our partnership with the Roots Project under the Ministry of Agriculture to be able to do this regional consultation."
He, besides, revealed that after the consultation they will be conducting regional congresses that would be followed by a national congress, where leaders would be elected to spearhead the day-to-day affairs of the organisation.
Sowe also spoke about some of their current and upcoming projects, which include strengthening the association’s membership base by involving non-members and to adopt new ways in food processing and value-chain.