By Mamadou Edrisa Njie
Mr. Assan Sanyang, a 28-year-old Gambian and a gardener by profession in Abuko in the Kanifing Municipality, is one of the Alumni of Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Information and Technology (ELIT) 2017 {summer camp} beneficiaries, which was held from 24 July to 1 August 2017 at Jenoi Agricultural Rural Farmers’ Training Centre in Jarra Jenoi, Lower River Region (LRR), almost 180 Kilometres from the Gambian Capital, Banjul.
Sanyang is engaging in vegetable production, including tomato, sweet pepper, hot pepper, bitter tomato, ‘Guiwana’ -pepper, eggplant and water melon.
The young ELIT alumnus is also among the Gambian youth that benefited from the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) Mini Grant Scheme. He was given birds, feeds and drinkers worth D47,000. The Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), European Union (EU) flagship project of the Republic of the Gambia implemented by the International Trade Centre in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) with the objectives to improve skills, create jobs and generate incomes for Gambian youth.
The support, Mr. Sanyang got from the YEP Project has helped him to start his own poultry in the garden. Today, he has six hundred layer birds.
Barely two months after establishing his garden in 2017, Assan learnt about Global Youth Innovation Network Gambia Chapter (GYIN Gambia Chapter) and it’s ELIT National Youth Summer Camp. He knew the program from a friend named Samuel Mendy, a Motivational Speaker and used the opportunity to apply for it. He was successfully selected to participate in the 10 days long national youth summer camp, which was his first experience of such kind.
The young entrepreneur said it was a good experience for him and his business after learning business concepts, such as budgeting, business management, record keeping, customer care and leadership, as well as marketing techniques. The experience enabled him expands in his business, and inspired him to do more in his career.
He acknowledged that GYIN Gambia chapter has exposed him to many opportunities, citing his travel to Burkina Faso for a month-long training programme.
As could be deduced from what he told this medium, his participation at that training in the Francophone nation has enabled him to increase his income, hence he invested it in his garden.
“I also participated in the National Youth Conference and Festival (NaYConF) Entrepreneurship Youth Fair in Basse, 2017,” he recalled.
In 2018/2019, he was also enrolled in GYIN Gambia Youth Mentorship Programme on Enterprise Management- a six-months mentoring programme for rural youths.
Sanyang also expressed delights over the publicity and advertisements on the social media (Facebook) being accorded him by the GYIN Gambia management, thereby promoting him and his business.
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges the young man is facing at the moment is garden equipment’s and the watering of his garden. He lamented the lack of irrigation pipe for his garden, which he divulged, is delaying his progress.
Mr. George Jatta, a 28-year-old gardener and a co-business partner to Assan Sanyang, stressed the need for proper marketing of their farm produce.
“We have some challenges in marketing because we sell our produce to local women vendors, who sometimes, offer their own prices which kill our market,” he lamented, pointing to water shortage as another challenge hindering their scale of production.
Jatta continued: “We want to cover all agricultural areas. We even do sheep fattening as well. We want to go into processing to boost our business.”
He also told the Mansa Banko Online that gardening has transformed their lives, and ultimately, given them the kind of life many young people would like to live. He added that it has also helped them to take care of themselves and their family needs.
While hailing the ELIT National Youth Summer Camp, he enthused that attending the program has encouraged them to strive harder in achieving their dreams.
Mr. Jatta, also in 2018/2019 benefitted from GYIN Gambia’s six months Youth Mentorship Programme on Enterprise Management.
Jatta thanked GYIN Gambian chapter for supporting them, as he called on other youth to join the membership of GYIN Gambia chapter, so as to be productive in the society.
On Social Media
Ever Green- Abuko Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EVER-GREEN-Garden-ABUKO-642479976094027/
