By Haruna Kuyateh
Holistic Agribusiness Solutions Agricultural Training Centre also known as Gambia Youths Project of Balingho of Upper Badibou over the weekend graduated 33 youth at a graduation ceremony held in Balingho, North Bank Region.
The Gambia Youths Project aimed to build capacity of youths in various fields of agriculture and food processing techniques to promote value addition. The training focuses on horticulture, oil enhancement, animal husbandry and specialisation in production and processing.
Bakary Jammeh Acting Chief of Upper Badibou thanked management and donors from Germany for their commitment to youth empowerment and development. He noted that providing two years intensive training on integrated agriculture would contribute to strengthen youth capacity to adopt best agronomic practices.
Momodou Y Bah Chief Executive Officer of Rural Development Organisation and Holistic Agribusiness Solutions described the maiden graduation of the first batch as a stepping stone. He noted that the two years training on agronomic practices will transform lives of the youths and they should make best use of opportunities to attain sustainable development.
Richard Daniel of Sabah Lou Foundation thanked the community for their support to the project and called on graduands to make use of the opportunities as provided by the training centre.
Suwaibou Cham Board chairman of Rural Development Organisation said the management and board are committed to provide standards curriculum to help in job creation. He used the moment to call on graduands to be goodwill Ambassadors of Holistic Agribusiness Solutions.
He further called on government to rehabilitate the 10kilometers road stretch from Farafenni to Balingho while extended appreciation to the community of Balingho for providing land and moral support. Cham disclosed that German Embassy has provided women vegetable garden and water supply, as part of fulfilment of their agreement between the project and community.
He disclosed the need for the Ministry of Youths and private sector to come forward to support this noble initiative and patronise the centre in marketing their vegetables.
Governor Lamin Saidykhan of NBR also thanked the donors for strengthen human resource development among young people, while assured them of government support and cooperation in accelerating youth participation in national development.
Gabriete Boner German Charge d Affair in Banjul Office described the occasion as historic and noted that entrepreneurship training manual is similar to German Rural Youths training standard.
She therefore assured them of German donors’ commitment to support youths in skills acquisition and development.
Fatou Jammeh Touray Deputy Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Agriculture, Alasana Jawo Regional Youths Coordinator for NBR, Isatou B Bojang among others made similar remarks.