By: Mustapha Jarju
Activist Jaha Dukureh has strongly promised to dispose of her property in the US and return home if the government provides her land to actualize her dream of becoming a farmer.
“I am ready to sell everything I have in America and come back home if the Gambia government gives me land to fulfill my dream of venturing into agriculture. I am ready to invest in agriculture as soon as possible. If they give me land today, I have enough money to start today,” she told The Voice in a recent interview.
According to her, The Gambia has acres of arable land, adding that Gambians need to start growing what they eat. She explained that Gambians can leverage the abundant sunshine and rainfall quantity to turn around their fortunes by engaging in lucrative agricultural ventures.
Madam Dukureh highlighted the need for the government to support agricultural mechanization to position The Gambia favorably with other countries in terms of food production.
“I have plans to invest and if I have the land, I am ready to invest heavily in agriculture,”
She expressed the conviction that she could become a billionaire and a shining example to many through agriculture if she remained committed.
The PDOIS official told this medium that she became enamored of farming after touring the nation with Halifa Sallah, adding that she was heartbroken by what she saw during that tour. Jaha lamented that many families in The Gambia struggle with food insecurity despite the availability of land.
“There is so much that we can do to support our communities and invest in our communities. I left(tour) feeling that I have to do something about it because I care about women’s issues in general,” she explained.