The Gambia College, in collaboration with the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust  recently launched a new curriculm on equine husbandry for agriculture students of the college at a ceremony held at the college's auditorium.

Speaking at the launching, Dr Alieu Badara Senghore, Principal of the Gambia College, described the curriculm as a new endeavour to provide demand driven programmes for its students.

He asserted that the current governing council of the college on assuming the helm of affairs, made it a priority to rejuvenate the college into a training centre of excellence. "To attain this,"  Principal Senghore said, "one needs a highly competent and motivated staff to deliver relevant training programmes in a learning centered and friendly environment."

Mr Senghore further reiterated that the  college's council, over the years has challenged its adminintration to work towards developing, designing and implementing relevant training programmes for the private sector, NGO's and other organisations.

Mr Senghore said that fourteen students have already registered to pursue their certificates on the new curriculm programme and will be given six-hundred Dalasis each at the end of every month as stipend.

He described the new curriculm as timely  and said it will help to elevate the capacity of  agriculture students. According to Mr Senghore, the college had a similar project  with the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Canada, which was funded by the Canadian International Agency (CIDA).

"livestock production is also very important to the Gambia, and its contribution to the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is thought to be about 24%" he explained.  According to him, cattle is the main live stock reared by farmers, mostly for pristege ,  food, and income when the need arises.

Mr Senghore further stressed that horses and donkeys play an integral part in the agricultural production system.

Mr Senghore then concluded by thanking the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust for their laudable efforts and added that the programme is welcomed by his administration.

For her part, Heather Armstrong, leader of the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, said that their primary aim is to increase the work of horses and donkeys in The Gambia.  However, she urged people to treat these animals in an intimate manner as they contribute to the agricultural production.

Ms Armstrong asserted that The Gambia  Horse and Donkey Trust also aims at  providing experts in the equine husbandry throuhgout the country.

She called on Gambian students to embrace the programme in the interest of agricultural development.

In marking the programme launched, Dr Amadou Sowe, permanent secretary, Department of State for Agriculture deputising for  Hon. Kanja Sanneh, SoS for Agriculture,  thanked The Gambia Horse  and Donkey Trust for coming up with the relevant and timely programme. Mr Sowe emphasised that agricultural education and training  (AET) covers the whole spectrum of agriculture and development.

He asserted that all the different activities involving the learning and transfering of skills and knowledge in agriculture and rural development, formal or pre-services, non-formal, in-service and farmer training are all forms of agricultural aducation and training.

" To meet the continuing demands and aspirations of these audiences, Dr Sowe said, Agricultural Education and Training (AET)  needs to address some urgent issues principal among,  which includes policy framework within which all forms of AET would operate in."

Mr Sowe then assured of his department of state's full support to the programme.

This was folloewd by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between The Gambia College and the Gambia horse and Tonkey Trust.

The ceremony was chaired by Mr Alpha A. Khan, chairman of The Gambia College's council. Mr Ebrima Cham head of the college's School of Agriculture in his vote of thanks urged the students to live up to expectation.