By Sarjo Jarju
The winner of the 3rd edition of Rural Youth Awards 2019, Mr. Burama Dampha, has received groundnut decorticating machine for the furtherance of his purposeful activities in agriculture.
The coveted youth award, which has various categories, is the brainchild of Gambia Chapter of the Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN); and Dampha was the victor for the “Best Processing and Value Addition Business of the Year 2019” category.
Dampha received the groundnut decorticating machine, as first disbursement from his award cash prize, on Tuesday, 16th July, 2019, at a handing over gathering held at Latrikunda Sabiji, where the groundnut cracker was fabricated.
The Business Development Officer, Building Resilience for Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the Sahel (P2RS), Mr. Banky Njie, handed over the device to Dampha in the presence of the Executive Director of GYIN Gambia, Mr. Mamadou Edrisa Njie, the two GLEN interns at GYIN Gambia, namely Ms. Rebeka Anna Szél and Ms. Deborah Rammrath, and some members of GYIN Gambia (GYINers).
Speaking at the venue, P2RS Business Development Officer Njie congratulated the winner on receiving the award and encouraged him to work hard to serve as a champion in his community.
Talking about the selection process, he recalled that it was a “hard selection” and difficult choice to make by the committee, in choosing 10 winners out of 30 nominations.
But in Njie’s view, all the nominees for the awards were winners. His justification;
Because they were all able to “showcase their talents and potential as young entrepreneurs”.
The Business Development Officer, however, made it clear that, after receiving the first award payment, the awardees would be “monitored and assessed” to see whether they are able make milestone in order to receive the next payment of the award prize.
He advised the winner to utilize the machine wisely, in providing services and processing, in a bid to meet his business objectives.
The man at the helm of GYIN Gambia, Mamadou Edrisa Njie, thanked the P2RS Project for co-funding the Rural Youth Awards, 2019.
As could be deduced from Executive Director Njie’s explanation, the annual Rural Youth Award recognizes and celebrates the successes of rural youth in entrepreneurship and agribusiness. The financial support GYIN provided to the deserving agribusiness players not only help them to grow their businesses, 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, as indicated by the GYIN Gambia boss.
The journalist-cum-social justice activist lamented that young people, especially the rural youth, lack the capital, the networks, the training and the support to take their small businesses to national and/or regional scale. “All they need is a ‘helping hand’, some luck – someone to believe in them and take a chance on them,” the Executive Director suggested.
Njie informed his audience that it was following the success of the previous awards and the Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Information Technology (ELIT 2018) National Youth Summer Camp, that his organisation had the confidence to organize another Rural Youth Award geared towards creating rural enterprises.
“We awarded winners with D35,000.00 each, for them to grow their businesses – concentrating on Value Addition – a focus area for the P2RS project.
“The inclusion of rural youth in decision-making and celebrating their success is a priority for GYIN Gambia, thus P2RS Project has been supportive in creating rural enterprises,” the ceremony audience heard.
With funding from the P2RS project, the Executive Director said they at GYIN Gambia believed that it’s absolutely necessary to recognize the efforts of young rural entrepreneurs, especially in agribusiness and entrepreneurship, to further motivate the youth and ensure their continual fight to end poverty and improve rural household livelihoods. Njie also encouraged the winner to be hardworking and steadfast in his work so as to inspire the younger ones.
As per Njie’s explanation, GYIN Gambia’s partnership with projects, especially the P2RS project, has not only broadened rural young entrepreneurship but it’s built the self-assurance and self-esteem of many rural youths. That it has also inspired them to become entrepreneurs.
In concluding his statement, Executive Director Njie pointed out that the results achieved by the rural youth award winners had, again, given GYIN Gambia the confidence to organize the 3rd Edition of the Rural Youth Awards. He avowed that the winners of the first and second editions have now created jobs for themselves through their own ventures, while others have scaled up their businesses.
“Rural youth are generally known to be low income earners, however, recognition of successful youth in agribusiness and entrepreneurship could serve as a model for the majority of others who are yet to enter into start-up ventures and open up doors for access to finance,” stated GYIN Gambia Chapter’s chief.
Receiving the machine in a visibly happy and smiling mood, Burama Dampha, a native of Basse Kabakama, hailed the P2RS Project for co-funding the Rural Youth Award in supporting the young people, while also saluting GYIN Gambia for coming up with the Rural Youth Award to address the plights of young people through awarding of cash prizes.
As the proprietor of BD Enterprise which mills millet, coos and process groundnut in his village, Dampha said he would use the machine to crack large quantity of groundnuts per day, as he is already working on fixing price for each bag.
The award winner informed the gathering that he started his business in 2016 with the vision to be the leading and most preferred milling service provider in Kabakama, Upper River Region. He has employed five (5) young people in his business, according to him.
It could be recalled that at this year’s Rural Youth Award held on the 27th April, 2019, Burama Dampha was among the ten (10) selected Rural Winners of different categories with a cash prize entitlement of D35,000.00 each.
