The Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, Dr. Demba Sabally, today continued his nationwide monitoring tour of agricultural projects with visits to the Gambia Songhai Initiative (GSI) Training Centre in Chamen, North Bank Region, and other project intervention sites. The tour aims to assess implementation progress, ensure the quality delivery of investments, and strengthen Government support to farmers and agricultural institutions.
On Day 2, the Chairperson of the National Assembly Select Committee on Agriculture, Hon. Omar Darboe, and the Vice Chairperson, Hon. Amie Colley, joined the Minister’s delegation.
At the Gambia Songhai Initiative (GSI) Centre, the delegation inspected the ROOTS Project-funded classroom block, comprising two classrooms, a computer laboratory, a library, and a staff room. The team also visited the boys’ and girls’ dormitories currently under construction with support from the ROOTS Project.
The supervising consultant informed the delegation that the construction contract spans eight months and has now entered its seventh month, expressing confidence that the contractor will complete the works within the agreed timeframe. The contractor also assured the Minister that the project would be delivered on schedule.
The Honourable Minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of the construction works and commended the fact that both the contractor and the supervising consultant are young Gambian professionals. He encouraged them to continue demonstrating excellence and professionalism while reminding contractors that timely project delivery is non-negotiable.
“Government will no longer accept business as usual. Contractors who fail to deliver projects on time will face the contractual penalties,” the Minister emphasized.
The Minister also congratulated the students of the Songhai Initiative Centre for choosing careers in agriculture, noting that the ROOTS Project is investing not only in modern infrastructure but also in the future of Gambian youth through education, information technology, and entrepreneurship. He welcomed the Centre’s collaboration with tertiary institutions in providing internship opportunities for students from The Gambia College and the University of The Gambia.
The ROOTS Project continues to invest in youth empowerment by rewarding the best Songhai graduates with start-up capital while facilitating one-year placements to support women farmers in ROOTS-supported vegetable gardens. These placements enable graduates to gain practical experience while contributing to agricultural development.
Speaking during the visit, Hon. Omar Darboe, Chairperson of the National Assembly Select Committee on Agriculture, expressed satisfaction with the progress and quality of the investments. Hon. Amie Colley, Vice Chairperson of the Committee and a graduate of Songhai Benin, encouraged the students to remain committed to their studies and make the most of the opportunities available to them.
The delegation later visited the Small Ruminant Productivity Enhancement Project (SRPEP) sheep fattening centre, where the Minister called on the contractor to accelerate the pace of work and announced that a monitoring team would return at the end of the month to assess progress.
The tour continued with visits to intervention sites under the Gambia Inclusive and Resilient Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (GIRAV), the Gambia Agriculture and Food Security Project (GAFSP), the Small Ruminant Productivity Enhancement Project (SRPEP), and the Resilience of Rural Value Chains Project (RRVCTP), reaffirming the Government’s commitment to improving agricultural infrastructure, promoting youth employment, strengthening agricultural value chains, and enhancing food security across The Gambia.