FAO driving innovation to make the agriculture and natural resources sector more efficient and sustainable in The Gambia
“Evidence-based data is key to informed decision making” - Mustapha Ceesay, Assistant FAO Representative in-charge of programmes
16 February 2021, Banjul – More than 70 per cent of The Gambia’s population of 2.2 million are dependent on Agriculture and the Natural Resources sector for their sustenance and development. Data for agriculture is essential for planning and evidence-based decision-making. Data can also help farmers better manage their operations.
The Planning Services Unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for agricultural data collection. In recent times, the unit cannot undertake regular and effective agricultural data collection, analysis, and dissemination to inform national development planning because it lacks the necessary tools to collect data. This challenge hinders the transformation of the agricultural sector and sustainable socio-economic growth and development in The Gambia.
In a bid to address the challenges faced by the Planning Services Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture systematically and sustainably, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture to enhance the capacity of its Planning Services Unit to contribute towards the achievement of the mandate of the Ministry. The technical assistance is rendered through a two-year Technical Cooperation Programme which aims to help The Gambia better manage the Agriculture and Natural Resource sector through evidence-based decision-making and planning.
Monday 16 February, FAO presented 13 brand new motorbikes and IT equipment and accessories to the Ministry of Agriculture through Mrs Fatou Jammeh Touray, Deputy Permanent Secretary in charge of Programmes Projects. Mustapha Ceesay, Assistant FAO Representative and head of Programmes, handed over the items on behalf of the FAO Country Representative Ms Moshibudi Rampedi, at a brief ceremony held at the Planning Services Unit in Banjul.
Speaking at the event, Mr Ceesay underlined the importance of the assistance to both The Gambia and FAO, noting that more than 70 per cent of the Gambian population are dependent on the agriculture and natural resources sector for their livelihoods. He explained that timely and accurate data is key to informed decision-making and planning for national development. He said; “This support is in line with FAO’s mandate to help member states to make the Agriculture and Natural Resource sector more efficient, productive and sustainable." Mr. Ceesay expressed optimism that the assistance will enable the Planning Services Unit to deliver on its core mandate of data collection, analysis, dissemination, and utilization for informed decision-making.
In her remarks, Mrs Fatou Jammeh Touray conveyed her Ministry's appreciation and that of the Government of The Gambia to FAO for its “meaningful collaboration” and remarkable and consistent support to The Agriculture and Natural Resource sector since the establishment of their partnership some 43 years ago.
Mr Francis Mendy, Director, Planning Services Unit, described the event as historic, apt and timely. He explained that the unit is gearing up for a National Agricultural Census scheduled for March 2021. This latest FAO intervention through the provision of motorbikes, IT equipment, and accessories will facilitate timely data collection, analysis, and dissemination.
Background
The Government places much emphasis on the Agriculture and Natural Resources sector to improve its performance and to contribute meaningfully to the achievements and targets of the National Development Plan (NDP 2018 – 2021) and other priority Policy Frameworks. The Ministry of Agriculture considers the human resource gap and capacity as the Ministry's biggest challenges. Human resource mapping and capacity development are among the key issues the Government will address.
In a bid to address the Planning Services Unit's needs, the Gambia Government requested technical assistance from FAO through the Ministry of Agriculture.
FAO responded with a 480,000.00 US dollars (GMD24, 480,000.00) Technical Cooperation project titled “Mapping of the Human Resources Capacity Gap and Strengthening Capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture."
The objective of the intervention is to: a) provide improved on-the-job guidance and training of Planning staff in their specialized fields; b) provide equipment and materials to support planning unit at various levels; c) support the rehabilitation of planning Services complex and facilities including communication infrastructure d) support the Piloting of approaches and modalities for improving functional linkages between MOA and the technical units.