About 30 National Assembly members were recently sensitized at a two-day training session on the achievements, challenges and the impact of the Gambia Emergency Agricultural Production Project (GEAPP) on the beneficiaries. The ceremony was held at the Baobab Holiday Resort and Hotel in Bijilo.

The forum was meant to expose National Assembly members on the activities of GEAPP, which replaced the Africa Emergency Locust Project that ended two years ago. Delivering his welcome remarks, the coordinator of GEAPP, Sheikh Tijan Sosseh, expressed delight at the response of the National Assembly members in the forum, affirming that the purpose of the forum was to brief them on the challenges, impacts and other activities that have been carried out by GEAPP.

According to him, the Project Coordination Unit of GEAPP deemed it fit to organise such forum for NAMs, as they are the policy makers.

Sosseh went to explain that the European Commission through the World Bank provided the government of The Gambia with a grant of Euro 5.3 million to implement GEAPP. He said GEAPP is a grant particularly aimed at improving access to agricultural input and equipment for targeted farmers within the 10 most vulnerable districts; namely, Foni Bondali, Foni Kansala, Foni Bintang, Jarra West, Lower Saloum, Upper Saloum, Wuli West, Wuli East, Sandu, Niamina East and Niani.

He further disclosed to the NAMs that GEAPP is an 18-month project with three components, and that it was approved on the 5th of January 2010 and it became effective on the 3rd of March 2010, adding that an extension was required due to disbursement delays. He however said that it is phasing out on the 29th of February 2012.

Explaining the three components of the project, GEAPP coordinator saidComponent A deals with the provision of agricultural input and machinery; component B, the rehabilitation of seeds multiplication and post-harvest storage infrastructure and the final part, which is component C, deals with the support for project coordination, monitoring and evaluation.

Also speaking at the opening session, the European Union charge de Affairs, Mme Agnes Guillaud, said that the EU funded GEAPP and the School Feeding Programme in the urban areas in partnership with the Work Bank and the World Food Programme.

She stressed that all the countries and organisations around the world have to respond rapidly and in a coherent manner to the challenges created by this crisis. Inthe case of The Gambia, she said, all the actions carried on were based on a World Bank, FAO & WFP assessment.

She asserted that the EU decided to work with the World Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture, for the implementation of the Gambia Emergency Agricultural Production Project worth 5.3 million Euros, which is about 210 million Gambian Dalasi allocated to The Gambia.

For his part, the World Bank representative in The Gambia, Alieu Badara Joof, told the NAMs that GEAPP came as a result of a situation of a soaring food crisis for intervention measures and that it was important at that time to address those issues which came as a result of the global crisis on fuel, food and financial or commonly called the three Fs. He said it was good that the EU came to the aid of this country during the crisis.

Joof observed that GEAPP has registered a lot of achievements in terms of agricultural input, and in terms of yield at hectare level. He explained that after all these successes, the challenges now are, how can they consolidate the achievements and successes of the GEAPP and expand so that they can have nationwide coverage.He said food security for this country can’t be gained where intervention is limited only to nine or ten districts.

Talking about the significanceof the forum, Joof said the National Assembly members have a very important role to play as the decision makers responsible for the appropriation of the budget. He said government in terms of its commitment has doubled its contribution to agriculture from three percent to six percent. According to him, the World Bank is aware of the need for food security, and therefore, the Bank has come up with a project that will consolidate on the gains of GEAPP, called the West African Agricultural Production Project (WAAPP). This project, he disclosed will have a life span of over five years and a second phase which will rise to 10 years.

According to him, the project will be focusing on tidal irrigation, seed multiplication and seed certification and that the World Bank will also come up with a value added project called the ‘Commercial Agriculture Project’. He finally pointed out that the policy makers have a stake in all these projects being implemented, in ensuring that the projects are well targeted and reach the beneficiaries.