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| Kanayo F. Nwanze will arrive in Banjul on Wednesday (Poto: Taken from Mansa Banko) Several officials overseeing agricultural projects, including IFAD-funded projects, were sent to jail in June, some, over allegations of theft. It is not clear if Nwanze's talks with Jammeh will touch on such issues. |
The President of
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo F. Nwanze,
will arrive in Banjul on August 20 for a two-day official visit to meet with
The Gambia's President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh and Vice President Dr. Isatou
Njie-Saidy.
Nwanze's meeting
with Jammeh will focused on strengthening partnerships and furthering work to
transform rural areas into economically vibrant places, IFAD said in a
statement Friday, August 15.
IFAD supports a
number of agricultural projects in rural Gambia that worth millions of US
dollars.
He will also meet
Dr. Njie-Saidy, who is also the Minister of Women Affairs. Nwanze is expected
to meet the minister of agriculture, minister of Trade, other senior government
officials, and the UN System in The Gambia.
“Investments in
smallholder agriculture that prioritize rural people, and in particular women
and youth, will be on the top of my agenda during my discussions with country
leaders in Banjul,” Nwanze said ahead of his visit.
“Smallholder
family agriculture can be a
high-yielding, efficient and lucrative business as well as a dignified
profession that produces food, creates jobs, sustains families and puts
countries on the road to stable, inclusive development.”
Agriculture is an
important sector of The Gambia’s economy, contributing up to 25 per cent of the
gross domestic product (GDP). It provides employment and income for 70 per cent
of the country’s 1.8 million people.
While omen account
for over 50 per cent of the agricultural labour force and 70 per cent of
unskilled labourers, they produce about 40 per cent of total agricultural
output.
Nwanze's meeting
with Njie-Saidy is expected to focus on rural women’s empowerment and how to
enhance their contribution to family-farming as a profitable economic activity.
“Gender equality
and women’s empowerment have always been at the core of IFAD’s efforts to reduce
poverty,” Nwanze said.
He said investing
in rural Gambian women for them to have equal access to economic opportunities
and services is one of the most effective strategies for reducing poverty and
malnutrition.
According to the
UN Development Programme, poverty remains high in rural Gambia. It states that
the country may not meet the 2015 target of the millennium development goals.
IFAD has stated
that Nwanze's meeting with Kebba S. Touray, minister of finance and economic
affairs, and Solomon Owens, minister of agriculture, will be centred on “how
targeted investments in smallholder agriculture can raise household income
levels, improve food and nutrition security and reduce levels of poverty on a
sustainable basis.”
He will also visit
an IFAD-supported rice farm run by a women’s group at Pakalinding village and a
functional literacy training programme for women at Sibanor to see how
participants have improved their lives.
Since 1982, IFAD
has financed 10 programmes and projects in the tiny West African country for a
total value of US$197.7 million, of which IFAD has contributed $73.9 million
which it said directly benefits 149, 200 households.
Several officials overseeing agricultural projects, including IFAD-funded projects, were sent to jail in June, some, over allegations of theft. It is not clear if Nwanze's talks with Jammeh will touch on such issues.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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