By Mariam Saine
Mr. Muhammed S. Juwara, a 23-year-old Gambian from Boro Kanda Kasse, Wuli East District, Upper River Region is an ELIT 2017 Alumnus.
The Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Information Technology (ELIT) is designed with special emphasises in the agricultural value chain- production, processing, and marketing of agro-products by young people.
The annual National Youth Summer Camp is organised by the Global Youth Innovation Network Gambia Chapter (GYIN Gambia Chapter) with funding from the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Project (Nema), the Building Resilience Against Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the Sahel (P2RS) and the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP).
One of the core values of ELIT is to transform knowledge and skills into performance-oriented ventures. Therefore, this strategy has not only address the crises of unemployment, it has also bridge the gender gap in the labour market thus address several other social ills such as irregular migration (back-way) and rural urban drift.
Juwara explained that he was introduced to ELIT and GYIN Gambia by Mr. Samuel Mendy, a youth leader who was on a sensitization programme in his village in 2016.
Juwara applied and was selected for the ELIT programme. During the camp, his knowledge and understanding of business management and record keeping had been enhanced and augmented.
He said: “I have learned many things like information technology and leadership, budgeting, business management and also how to use social media like Facebook and WhatsApp. I was able to network with all the participants and share ideas.”
After ELIT 2017, he was into fuel business which was not profitable, and as a result he switched over into poultry production, with financial support from his mother.
The young Juwara, the winner of GYIN Gambia’s Rural Youth Awards 2019 “Best Emerging Business of the Year”, has now constructed a new poultry house. He’s been able to increase the number of his poultry birds from 50 to 100 (one hundred) layer birds.
With a desire to enlarge his rural enterprise, the young Boro Kanda Kasse youth is scouting for supports to expand his business and further increase the number of his chicks, so as to be able to supply his community with eggs and chicken.
The winner of the GYIN’s ‘Best Emerging Business of the Year’ award rounded off with a clarion call, urging the youth folk to take up meaningful initiatives in life, and do away with illegal migration to foreign land for greener pasture.
GYIN Gambia’s Rural Youth Awards provides financial support to deserving agribusiness players to not only grow their business, but serves as an encouragement for them and others to stay in agriculture and contribute to increasing food security and at the same time enjoy the benefits of running their own businesses.
