Nyariberi Farm to host West African regional youth training on agribusiness

The national youth service scheme has announced the beginning of a potentially fruitful link with the ECOWAS youth and sports development centre based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, as a result of which the ECOWAS/YSDC has pledged to closely work with the NYSS, beginning with a regional youth training programme which kicks off in June at the NYSS Nyaniberi Farm in the Western Region.

To this end, a high powered delegation arrived in the country on Sunday further further consultation with NYSS officials, to observe and inspect facilities and work out measures to ensure that the 30 youths coming from 6 countries around the region get full benefits from the training.

In an interview with journalists at the farm during their tour of inspection, Mr Simon Taru, the head of the delegation and director of the ECOWAS/YSDC, remarked that the decision to bring the training programme to The Gambia was as a result of the strong spirit of youth commitment they saw in The Gambia government, in their quest for national and youth development.

"We have to teach the youths to believe in themselves; to believe firmly that success is possible and can be attained with a strong will and faith in anything they are engaged in", stated Mr Taru.
He also assured the NYSS of his organisation's continued support in ensuring that the targeted goals for young people in the region was fully attained.

For his part, the Deputy Permanent Secretary Department of State for Youth and Sport, Abdoulie Kah, said that unemployment looms as one of the most challenging problems affecting our youths globally, and that as a result The Gambia government recognises the need and has taken upon it to eradicate poverty, illiteracy and empower young people, by collectively engaging and involving them in all developmental efforts.

Mr Musa Mbye, the director of NYSS said that government's desire to ensure the success of the scheme prompted the transfer of Nyaniberi farm to NYSS ownership in 1997. Since this transfer to date, he said, substantial proportion of NYSS funds have been committed to the development of the farm.

He disclosed that the farm had an area of 30 hectares located in Serrekundanding village, Western Region, in the midst of several commercial farms.
"The farm is mandated to train youths in fruit and vegetable production, small ruminants, and beekeeping", Mr Mbye enthused.

Farm components

Mr Mbye further highlighted that the successful management of the horticultural component highly depends on a reliable supply of water, and that for this, a borehole, a 300,000 litre-water tank and a generator had been acquired. He added that in 2003 trust bank limited had provided funds amounting to D250,000 dalasis to work on water distribution, adding that nine stand pipes were also installed, covering an area of about one hectare. And between 2006 and 2007, the scheme provided D150,000 to install a new submersible pump and accessories to have the borehole functioning.

Constraints

He highlighted that some of the main constraints of the farm the fact that the water distribution network limit the farm to cultivating only one hectare, lack of finance to capacitize the integrated components and the lack of farm machinery like tractors and power tillers for the proper tillage of the soil, among others.

Accordingly, 30 youths will be coming from around the region, to attend the youth training programme in agribusiness at the Nyaniberi farm. Participants will be coming from Senegal, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and from The Gambia.