Gambia: Agritech Enterprise Donate 2000 Face masks to Farmers

Photo: Mr. Gassama and delegation.

 By Mamadou Edrisa Njie

A Gambian-own Enterprise locally dubbed Agritech Enterprise has on Thursday 5 June 2020, joined the ongoing crusade against in the distribution of face masks admits the Novel Coronavirus virus also is known as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agritech Enterprise is a Gambian-own registered business enterprise specializing in supplying different types of farming machinery.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Agrictech Enterprise have taken it upon themselves to donate 2000 face masks to the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema).

The onward distribution was part of Nema’s support to beneficiary community farmers as part of humanitarian efforts.

The protective items were handed over to Mr. Momodou L. Gassama, Director Nema Project.

Gassama lauded the benefactors for the gesture while promising to distribute the face masks as agreed.  

He adduced his office cordial working relationship with Agrictech Enterprise in which he described to be the service provider for the project.

“Agritech Enterprise is serving as the provider for the project.  The project has been effectively working with us for the past years. They have honored and respect all the agreements we have signed with them,” he said.

He hailed Agritech Enterprise on their timely intervention in the donation of face masks to rural farmers.

“Farmers in rural areas needed face masks the most as it will help them to prevent themselves from COVID-19. With the help of these face masks, farmers can now work in their farms conductively.

He opined that the only way to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic is that community farmers need to protect themselves with the donated face masks while at work.

On his part, Mr. Mohammed Kora, Proprietor of Agritech said: “the donation made to Nema project is geared towards protecting the lives and live hoods of beneficiary farmers.”

He said Agritech is here to support the Gambian farmers so that they can improve in their farming activities.

He promised his company’s continued plowing back to Gambians particularly to farmers.

He highlighted the areas in which his company deals activities is centered on to be agro-machinery, agricultural inputs-fertilizer, seeds, and farming tools.

“We have this year added in the services of general construction, drilling of boreholes sola installation, fencing of gardens, construction of cattle troughs and construction of garden storage facilities,” he listed.

  

He added: “Today is another great day in the annals of my company’s history, because we are plowing back to society.”

He commended the Ministry of Agriculture and Nema project in their fruitful partnership and cooperation.

Lamin Badjie, Programme Manager, Agritech Enterprise, said the donation was geared toward contributing their quarter nation-building.

“The distribution of these face masks to our beneficiary community farmers is intended to remember them. We cannot afford to forget them in this trying time of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he concluded.

Six Cooperative Groups Supported by Nema-Chosso Generates D11M

By Ousman A. Marong

Six cooperative group from Boiram, Kudang, Bajarally Suba Juruku Salikene, and Pakalinding over the weekend generated an amount of money worth over eleven million dalasis (D11, 000,000.00).

This initiative came through the support from Nema-Chosso.

According to Mr. Momodou L. Gassama Projector Director said, over the last two (2) years the six cooperative bodies have generated a savings of over eleven million dalasis (D11, 000, 000. 00) from the purchase of sale fertilizer alone, he confirmed.

“The project provides support to organizational management, initial seed-funding as well as linkages conniving The Gambia Groundnut Cooperation (GGC) and the National Seeds Secretariat (NCS) to promote access to fertilizer and improved seeds for rice production,” he stated.

He made this disclosure in an exclusive interview with our reporter in his Abuko office. Mr. Gassama further gave updates on some of the project’s success with special focus to support cooperatives and linkages between producers, economic operators and other actors of value chain. “These initiatives have been ongoing since the start of the project implementation in 2012,” he asserted.

According to him, the six cooperatives groups 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).

According to him the Nema project was financed by the government of the Gambia through funds from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a Rome based UN Agency which focuses on poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.

He disclosed that the project had made numerous impacts on the lives of The Gambian youths and women respectively since its official launching in 2012, he said.

 He noted that the project has supported the formation of six agricultural cooperatives to serve the interests of their members along rice value chains across the country.

“With this initial support of the project”, noted Mr. Gassama, “the 6 cooperatives are now playing the role of economic operators, facilitating access to fertilizer for their members through bulk-buying from the Gambia Groundnut Cooperation (GGC). With the revenues generated and the trust they have built with (GGC) over the years, the cooperatives are now able to secure fertilizer for their members without direct project support, thereby laying the fundamental foundation for sustainability after the phasing-out of the project.”

Mr. Bakary Jammeh the cooperative project focal person outlined the projects support in providing them with the construction of nineteen (19) seeds and grains storage facilities across the six (6) cooperatives. He said this will enable farmers to effectively store their harvest products, noted.

PHOTO: Mr. Gassama. {Photo credit Edrissa Njie}

KARPOWERSHIP GIFT RAMADAN FOODSTUFF TO COMMUNITIES IN KAIRABA AVENUE.

By Ousman A. Marong

Karpowership a Turkish electrical Company thus are partnering with Nawec (National Electrical and Water Company) in term of effective electricity power supply in the country.

 They today Thursday; 30 distributed food items worth over two million dalasis to communities in  Kairaba Avenue and it's surrounding towns as part of their first Ramadan gift.

The donated food items included bags of rice; sugar etc to two hundred families.

The gifts witness the inauguration of Karpowership electrical sea vessel power supply which is ducked along the river side in Banjul.

This is the first of its kind the company has started partnering and operating in the country, giving food items for free as a charitable initiate with the purpose of helping the needy.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony; Fatou Camara of The Fatu Network as the country director of Karpowership revealed that the organization recently made some Intervention in energy sector; among them she cited the recent MoU being signed between Nawec (National Electricity and Water Company) and the Turkish Karpowership Company.

Mr. Yankuba Mamburay; project manager Karpowership said "Karpowership has connected it's 36 MW "Karadeniz Powership Koray Bey", to The Gambian national grid a few weeks ago."

"It has fleet of over 3.800 MW operating all around the world in seven countries."

No! country can develop without correct stable electricity said Mr. Mamburay.

"The company is committed to community development and it will continue to enhage in social projects that will help growth of local people as well as providing educational tools."

He noted that Karpowership will continue to provide all Gambians with sustainable; reliable; and affordable electricity power supply for many years to come.

Mr. Mamburay concluded the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked muslims to share and care within themselves especially during Ramadan.

He thank both Karpowership and the government together with Nawec and the people of The Gambia for the initiative.

Fatou Camara in the middle and Mr. Mamburay on far left.(photo credit ousmana A. Marong)