As the Gambia Emergency Agricultural Production Project (GEAPP) wraps-up project activities, beneficiary women groups drawn from Sandu, Wuli East, Wuli West and Basse Districts in the Upper River Region recently concluded a two-day intensive sensitisation on the GEAPP’s past activities at the Red Cross Hall in Basse. The sensitisation was meant among other things to remind the beneficiaries of the past activities of the project, but most importantly on how to sustain the project in their different communities.

Speaking to this reporter, Lamin S. Fadera, programme officer of National Youth Association for Food Security (NaYAFS) and coordinator of the training, explained that the participants were drawn from women beneficiary groups within the Upper River Region. He described the training as very important and timely. “It is timely and GEAPP attaches great importance to the training in order to help the beneficiaries properly manage what has been catered for them to ensure food production and livelihood development within the targeted area,” he stated.

Fadera went on to commend the participants for their level of participation during the course of the interactive session.  For his part, Mustapha Sanneh, GEAPP’s focal person in URR reiterated the essence of the training. He said GEAPP has come to help the beneficiaries on the production side, especially rice and millet production.  He recalled that the project started in 2010 and has since then intervened in many areas by providing 70 power tillers, 70 rice threshers, 70 eco seeders, and 70 shine hoes among others to the beneficiaries. He added that the project has impacted positively on the lives of the 249 beneficiaries villages in URR. He concluded by calling on the beneficiaries not to sit and relax but to work hard to sustain the project. Aja Mariama Jaw, on behalf of the participants thanked GEAPP for the training.