By Haruna Kuyateh
Lamin Jobe, the proprietor of Afri Agro Action Company and a beneficiary of the Gambia Inclusive and Resilient Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (GIRAV) has said the initiative is transforming groundnut processing and promoting value addition in rural communities.
He says the GIRAV Project is also creating employment opportunities for women and youth.
The project, implemented by the Government of The Gambia with support from the World Bank through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Livestock, provides matching grants aimed at mobilizing private investment along priority agricultural value chains.
Speaking during media visit to Kerr Jarga Jobe in Jokadou, North Bank Region, Lamin says the support has contributed to the processing of groundnut into oil and strengthened local agro-processing activities.
He notes that the initiative has created jobs for women and young people in Kerr Jarga and surrounding communities, helping to improve livelihoods through agricultural enterprise development.
Jobe explained that his facility, established in 2025 as an Agricultural Technology and Innovation Centre (ATIC), was designed to train women, youth, persons with disabilities, and school dropouts in various skills, including horticulture, livestock production, climate-smart agriculture, irrigation systems, entrepreneurship, agro-tourism, and financial literacy.
He expressed appreciation to GIRAV for introducing the matching grant scheme, saying it has enhanced private sector participation in food production and agricultural value addition.
Jobe also announced plans to establish a technology hub in the North Bank Region to promote research, learning, and innovation. He said the centre would host students for study tours and excursions aimed at exposing them to practical agricultural and technological skills.
He says the overall goal is to promote an inclusive, people-centred, sustainable and climate-conscious development model that supports rural transformation.