By Mariama Jallow
A food processor in Kombo Brikama of the West Coast Region, Madam Haddy Kebbeh -Sowe, has challenged Gambian youth to shun the perilous ‘Back-Way’{irregular migration} to Europe and, instead venture into entrepreneurship, particularly food processing. She added that entrepreneurship has a vast impact on community development.
“Our country is endowed with vast arable land for agriculture. We also have a youthful populace that has the capacity as well as the potential to till the land for food production, hence the young people of this country should also venture into food processing so that we could minimise the rate of unemployment, among young people,” she remarked during an exclusive interview with Mansa Banko Online on Friday, 17 January at the Gambia College Campus in Brikama.
Her message to young people: “Let’s venture into food processing and avoid using the dangerous route to Europe in search for greener pastures. “There’s a conducive environment in the country of which we could grip and propel. I can happily tell you that I need no employment from anybody now, for the fact that my businesses are gaining momentum.”
Mrs. Kebbeh-Sowe, who has been involved in the business of processing different food items and selling them, for a decade, revealed to this medium, business has had great impacts on her life and her family.
Hear her: “With the business, I am paying my children’s school fees, helping myself and my family in general, as I am the elderly in the family now.
“I do process two to three times in a week, depending on my customers’ demands. And I am earning D5,000 to D10,000 in every three days.” Mrs. Kebbeh-Sowe has attended many training programmes on food processing conducted by FASDEP, FAO, Nema, NACOFAG, and also did training in Ghana, Mali and Senegal, as she explained.
Haddy, who owns a shop called ‘Haddy Entrepreneur Food’ in Brikama, disclosed that she has customers in the Gambia, Dubai, United Kingdom, America, among other countries. She said,“My customers who are leaving outside the country normally order my products after processing it”.
Commenting on the challenges they are encountering, the Food Processor cited the lack of storages facilities and market.
She urged the government of President Adama Barrow to help them with proper International market standard and storage facilities where they can market their products after processing it.
The business woman said the food items she normally process are: Wonjo power; Baobab power; chakery; Pepper Sauce, Mbahal; Findi, among many other local foods.
Madam Kebbeh-Sowe used the interview to exhort Gambians to be proud of their home made food products and stop promoting imported food only.
