Matching Grant Beneficiaries Praise Nema Project

Mr Musa Bah 

President of Bolongdala Rice Processing

The beneficiaries of the Matching Grant Facility, which is being provided by the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema) have expressed heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the Benefactor for supporting their various youth groups with processing and pressing machines.

Last month on 21^st June, 2019, fourteen youth groups across the length and breadth of the country received over sixteen rice, cereal processing and oil pressing machines through the Nema project Matching Grant Scheme at a presentation held at its office grounds in Abuko.

The Matching grant is designed to innovate, develop and build medium term financial services adapted to women and youth groups and individual-based Small and Medium Enterprises.

In an exclusive with, one of the beneficiaries of the machines, Ahagie Muya Baldeh, the president of Mbaalondiren Youth Development Association from Basse in Upper River Region commended the Nema project for the gesture, noting that the machines came at the right time as there is only one processing machine in their community which is owned by a Senegalese national.

On Nema Project’s Largesse to 14 Youth Groups

Musa Bah from Wassu, Central River Region North (GYINer)

By Mariam Saine

As part of its intervention to support youth and women in agricultural production and productivity, the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project, dubbed Nema, on Friday, 21 June, 2019 handed over sixteen (16) rice and cereal processing machines and accessories to fourteen (14) youth groups across the country.The presentation of the items was held at a colorful ceremony at the Nema office in Abuko.

The provision of the said equipment, made possible through the Nema Matching Grant facility, is geared towards ensuring that the intended services are provided to the smallholder farmers.

Six cooperatives supported by Nema-Chosso generate D11M

Nema-Chosso Project Director, Mr. Gassama

By Mamadou Edrisa Njie

In an exclusive interview on Tuesday, 18^th June, 2019, with the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema), Mr. Momodou L. Gassama, the Project Director, gave the latest updates on some of the project’s success with special focus on support to cooperatives and linkages between producers, economic operators and other actors of the value chain. These initiatives have been ongoing since the start of project implementation in 2012.

“Over the last 2 years, the cooperatives have generated cumulative savings of more than eleven million dalasis (D11,000,000,000) from the purchase and sale of fertilizer alone,” he disclosed.

According to him, the six cooperatives were created in the cluster areas of: Boiram and Kudang in Central River Region South (CRR South), Bajarally Suba in Central River Region North (CRR North), Jurunku and Salikene in North Bank Region (NBR) and Pakalinding in Lower River Region (LRR).

GYIN-Gambia Rural Youth Award NOC meets NYC Executive Director

#GYINGambiaRYA2019 Chairperson, Sarjo Jarju

The Global Youth Innovation Network - Gambia’s Rural Youth Award National Organizing Committee members on Wednesday paid a courtesy call to the executive director of the National Youth Council, Lamin Darboe to inform him about the upcoming third edition of the awards 2019.

The award recognises and celebrates the achievements of rural youths in entrepreneurship and agribusiness. This year’s theme is “Discovering Rural Value Chain by Putting Young People in Agricultural Value Addition.”

The awards provide financial support to deserving agribusiness players to not only grow their businesses, but serves as an encouragement for them and others to stay in agriculture and contribute to increasing food security, and at the same time enjoy the benefits of running their own businesses.

The 2019 awards winners’ are to receive cash prizes of D35, 000.00 each plus a six-month mentorship.

GYIN Gambia ELIT 2017: Expanding Youth Development through Entrepreneurial Mentorship

Churchill’s Town, The Gambia – The Global Youth Innovation Network Gambia Chapter (GYIN Gambia) will hold its 2^nd Edition of the National Youth Summer Camp from July 23-August 1, 2017.

                             

This year’s Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Information and Technology (ELIT 2017) Summer Camp will allow young people to become rural mentors in their own regions as well as other regions in the country.

The 10-day event will hold under the theme –ELIT 2017: Expanding Youth Development through Entrepreneurial Mentorship. It is aimed at establishing a rural mentorship programme; sharing knowledge and experience on entrepreneurship, agribusiness and youth development issues; seeking business opportunities and networking; and to design a rural youth employment survey plan.

Activities will take the form of conferences, individual and group presentations, quizzes, comedy, culture; field visits to agricultural project sites (rice and poultry farms), markets; and case studies on youth mentorship programmes.

P2RS training aims to bolster youth and women on advance helpful knowledge, says Mrs. Tamba

Olimatou S. Tamba Asst. BDONema/P2RS Training

The Assistant Business Development Officer of the Building Resilience against Food Insecurity in the Sahel (P2RS) project, Madam Olimatou S. Tamba has said that their trainings are designed to upgrade effective knowledge and skills on business development in rural regions.

She was speaking at the official opening ceremony of a 4-day training programme held from 14 to 17 November 2016 at the Microfinance centre in Brikamaba, Central River Region, for rural women and youth on business and income generating methods. 

The overall goal of this training, according to her, is to raise effective knowledge and skills on rural women and youth to become self reliant at the end of the training.

“One of the key activities of the training will focus on guideline on writing business plans thus the training has been designed to be practical with exercises to provide skills”, Tamba noted.

Training for women, youth on income generating activities starts

High table and participants

The Building Resilience against Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the Sahel’ (P2RS) project, a component managed by the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project, popularly know as (Nema), is embarking on a four-day training designed to enhance the skills of women and youth on business planning and management of income generating activities.

The training will run from the 31^st October to 3^rd November, 2016 at the regional education directorate in Basse, Upper River Region, is financed by African Development Bank (AfDB).

Speaking on the occasion, Ousman M. Colley,  regional agricultural director, Central River Region south, said the alarm bell is ringing for women and youth to develop bankable business plans so as to access funding, particularly the agricultural matching grants available within projects in the country.

“We have millions in the coffers of the agricultural projects because we cannot develop bankable business plans, the grants are not moving,” he said emphatically.

Governor Puye tells youth: Seek funding and you will be assisted

Governor Salifu Puy, Lower River Region at the closing ceremony

“Seek for funding at the regional and national levels and you will be assisted,” the  Governor of Lower River Region (LRR), Salieu Puye, told Gambian youth last week. 

 

While presiding over the closing of GYIN Gambia ELIT 2016 summer camp on July 31 at Jenoi village in LRR, Governor Puye said the youth should start-up businesses and be persistent in it.

“Let us stay there for a while, learn some theories, learn from our mistakes and then correct it for the future. Try to build partnership among yourselves like other countries are doing and you build yourselves into a vibrant private sector-led business in this country,” he further said.

The regional governor said at regional level, there are small grants from FASDEP, CILIP, and NEMA projects that the youth can benefit from. 

REVCEL Training for 50 Youth Opens in LRR

REVCEL LRR Rural Youth session

A 12 days (Dec. 11-22, 2015) training on entrepreneurship dubbed the Rural Entrepreneurial Venture Creation and Experimental Learning (REVCEL) for 50 rural youth kicks-off at Pakalinding, Lower River Region (LRR) on Friday.

Organized by the Creating Opportunities for Rural Youth (CORY) Gambia project, it is being implemented by the Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) - Gambia chapter.
The training, which is meant to equip young men and women with entrepreneurship skills, focusing on project and enterprise development, is underway at the Trans-Gambia Lodge in Pakalinding.

It is jointly funded by CORY Project The Gambia and the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema) and officially opened on December 14, 2015.

CORY Gambia project completes 2nd badge of REVCEL in CRR

By Madi S. Njie

Group picture of the REVCEL participants, dignitaries and Facilitators at the opening

On 3^rd  December 2015, 27 participants drawn from various parts of the Central River Region North and South completed an entrepreneurship training organized under the Creating Opportunities for Rural Youth (CORY) Gambia project, coordinated by the Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) Gambia.

The twelve days training meant to equip young men and women with entrepreneurship skills, focusing on project and enterprise development was held at the Forestry Camp Bantaba hall in Janjanbureh, the administrative capital of CRR.