 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Aug 2014 : 14:01:17
|
IFAD President here at Jammeh's invitation
The Point: Published on Thursday, August 21, 2014
 IFAD President Dr. Kanayo Nwanze arrived in Banjul Wednesday, and announced that he is visiting the country at the invitation of the Gambian authorities.
Speaking to reporters shortly after arriving in the country, at the Cocoa Ocean Hotel, Dr Nwanze said his visit is in response to an invitation by President Yahya Jammeh.
He expressed delight in being able to visit The Gambia “for the first time”, adding that it is an opportunity to interact with the Gambian authorities, and learn more about the country’s present development plans, particularly in the area of agriculture.
Dr. Nwanze announced that he would meet with the private sector, and encourage them to invest in agriculture.
According to IFAD President, part of his mission is to visit some projects supported by IFAD in the country.
He said his message to Gambians is: “if you want to achieve inclusive sustainable development, you have to invest in the rural areas, because the rural areas are central to overall national development”.
He added that since The Gambia imports 50 percent of its food, “if you want to grow your economy, and you want to create opportunities for small producers - who make up the majority of the farmers in this country - to have access to inputs, make access to land and access to financial services possible”.
“We also want to give our support to the President in his Vision 2016, which aims to ensure that The Gambia is self-sufficient in rice production, and to also lend our support to the national agricultural investment plan,” he declared.
Dr. Nwanze pointed out that IFAD has been supporting and working with The Gambia since 1982, and that “it was proper to insist on the centrality of agriculture, when The Gambia is an agriculture-based economy”.
He said this would be the message, and that along these lines there are other issues that they would like to cover in his brief mission, including “to confirm IFAD’s long-term commitment in associating itself with the development agenda of The Gambia”.
Dr Nwanze and members of his team were received, when they arrived at Banjul international airport, by a high-powered government delegation comprising the ministers of Finance and Agriculture, as well as other senior government officials.
Source: The Point
Related Topic:
We welcome IFAD President's visit to The Gambia
FREE THE 17 MBAYEN WOMEN FARMERS
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
Posted - 22 Aug 2014 : 15:17:40
|
Vision 2016 ambitious, but achievable - IFAD President
By Abdoulie Nyockeh
The Point: Published on Friday, August 22, 2014
The visiting IFAD President has said at a meeting with Gambian ministers that Vision 2016 to end the importation of rice in this country “is an ambitious one, but is achievable”.
He noted that given the level of commitment from the Gambia leader, IFAD would give the needed support to complement his efforts to end rice importation in The Gambia.
IFAD President Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze Thursday held a meeting with Gambian ministers at the Lazio Atlantic Hotel in Banjul.
IFAD the International Fund for Agricultural Development is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency based in Rome – regarded as the UN’s food and agriculture hub.
The IFAD President also told the meeting that investing in rural women in agriculture will bring about the transformation of rural farming communities.
There is no doubt that investment in rural women guarantees household food and nutrition security, and could transform the rural economy and the nation at large, he added.
Dr. Nwanze also informed the meeting that he “had a very interesting meeting” with the UN country team, and also held meetings with the private sector actors and farmers’ organisations.
He said he would urge the final adoption and approval of the private sector policy framework and implementation plans by the Gambian cabinet.
The IFAD President expressed his delight in “the strong cooperation and collaboration that exists between IFAD and the government”.
“I am delighted by the significant increase in budget allocation for agriculture, as you mentioned, from three percent in 2011 to almost 8 percent”, Dr. Nwanze noted, but pointed out that the AU-recommended allocation of 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture is yet to be attained, especially when one considers the government’s priority focus on agriculture entailed in the Vision 2016 initiative.
Since 1982, IFAD has financed 10 programmes and projects in The Gambia with a total value of US$197.7 million, of which IFAD had contributed $73.9 million, directly benefiting 149,200 households.
Two of the IFAD supported projects in the country are closing this year. However, they look to the NEMA, which just started last year, as a major platform in contributing to the national agricultural investment plan of The Gambia, Dr. Nwanze told the meeting.
He called for strong institutions, consistency in policy and for the enabling environment to promote private sector participation in agriculture, and for a massive investment in rural infrastructure.
IFAD is supporting the ministry of Agriculture to popularize an agricultural sector monitoring and evaluation framework, according to Dr. Nwanze.
Source: The Point |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
 |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
Posted - 22 Aug 2014 : 15:27:37
|
IFAD boss pledges support for Gambia’s anti-hunger drive
By Bekai Njie
The Daily Observer: Published on Friday, August 22, 2014
The president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD has pledged support to the ‘Vision 2016’, the newest agenda introduced by the government of The Gambia to attain self-sufficiency in rice production in the next two years. He described the initiative as ambitious and achievable.
Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze made the pledge Thursday at separate meetings with the vice president and Women’s Affairs minister, H.E Aja Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy at State House; and that of the Cabinet ministers, Alkalolou and other stakeholders at a local hotel in Banjul.
Nwanze, who is in the country for a two-day visit, acknowledged the role of the Ministry of Agriculture in the crusade, assuring that IFAD will do all it takes to strengthen the said Ministry for the attainment of Vision 2016 food self-sufficiency.
Meeting with veep
“I am here to strengthen working relationship with government of The Gambia towards the achievement of food security and to interact with farmers,” Nwanze told the State House press corps shortly after meeting VP Njie-Saidy.
He added that during his two-day stay in the country, he would also discuss with authorities the possible gaps that IFAD can fill in the country’s drive towards attaining Vision 2016. “Agriculture is not only meant to produce food but also to bring new jobs and social services,” he said.
The IFAD boss maintained that the international food agency ensures essential investment on rural people around the world in view of the fact that countries largely depend on the rural people to attain national food security.
“The Vision 2016 is an ambitious one, but of course it can be achieved. We have the leadership behind it, a strong conviction and support for agriculture particularly the smallholder and rural women. But it also calls for strengthening of institutions, consistency in policies, an enabling environment for the private sector and massive investment on rural infrastructure,” he said.
He expressed delight at the level of cooperation that exists between government of the Gambia and IFAD, thanking the former for inviting IFAD’s independent office to undertake its first ever evaluation programme for the Fund in The Gambia.
“This, I believe will be an important investment, for it will provide the opportunity for scaling up and pave ways for prospect and future partnerships particularly in the area of policy dialogue,” he said.
Dr. Nwanze pointed out that by next year the evaluation will provide guidance on IFAD’s future investment decision and partnership with the government. He further expressed delight on what he called the ‘significant increase’ in the budget allocation for agriculture in the Gambia moving from 3% in 2011 to 8% now.
“We will also ask for your support in ensuring that project implementation frameworks are respected in order to ensure that partnerships particularly in decision making is highly participatory. When I was preparing for my visit to the Gambia, I was pleased to note that since 1998, we have provided support for 10 programmes of which two are closing this year,” he pointed out.
The NEMA project, he explained, has just started and that IFAD is looking at it as a major platform in contributing to the National Agricultural Investment Plan of the Gambia.
He however cautioned that it is not enough for farmers to produce more and better if they cannot sell what they produce. This, he said, is where the whole value chain approach calls for a transformation of the agricultural sector beyond increases in productivity, but also to ensure that along the value chain, the opportunities are provided for youth and the entire population to engage in food production.
The minister of Agriculture, Solomon Owens at the meeting, acknowledged the commitment demonstrated by IFAD in supporting the development of the agriculture sector in The Gambia.
He pointed out that the visit of the IFAD president is aimed at enhancing and strengthening partnership to transform the Gambia’s subsistence agriculture into economically successful and sustainable agro-enterprises.
“It is therefore deemed fitting that IFAD investments in this country are focused on smallholder agriculture that prioritises rural women and youth seeking to improve their income levels, increase food security and create employment opportunities for sustainable development,” he said.
Minister Owens dilated on the history of IFAD-Gambia partnership, saying it has been existing for over 30 years now. During this period, he indicated, IFAD has supported 10 multi-million dollar projects in rural Gambia, starting with the co-finance Jahally Pacharr smallholder irrigation project for a total financing of US$73.9 million. He disclosed that over 149,200 rural households directly benefited from those projects.
Owens further disclosed that IFAD’s recent strategic project intervention also focuses on the strengthening of farmer and community-based organisations to enhance institutional and human empowerment for sustainability of project interventions, while exploiting existing opportunities in response to the changing socio-economic conditions of the country.
The minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Kebba Touray, who chaired the occasion, expressed similar sentiments.
Nwanze is expected to embark on a field trip to the Lower River Region and West Coast Region.
Source: Daily Observer |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
IFAD President here at Jammeh’s invitation
