The West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP)–The Gambia has broadened the horizons of 20 journalists on the horticulture value-chain and quality infrastructure system in The Gambia, at a training programme that ran from 2nd and 3rd March, 2022 at Metzy Residence Hotel in Kololi.
Funded by the European Union (EU), the Gambia component of the WACOMP project is increasing the country’s competitiveness through enhanced quality compliance along the onion value chain, by improving the performance, growth and contribution to industry, regional trade and exports of onion and other horticulture value chain.
WACOMP in The Gambia is being implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and United Purpose (UP) in partnership with the Gambia Government.
The journalists, at the end of the training, were able to acquire the basic knowledge of The Gambia’s quality infrastructure, the onion and horticulture value-chains, and were introduced to WACOMP’s planned interventions in increasing the Gambia’s competitiveness.
“The media has a big role to play in the development of the country’s horticulture and quality infrastructure system. Journalists are our valuable partners and the training is timely, as it has better equipped them to effectively report on the sector for positive societal change,” were the words of Mr. Joseph Ndenn, the National Technical Coordinator of WACOMP-Gambia. He had enjoined the participants to increase their focus on these under-reported sectors by producing in-depth human interest stories that would make differences for the value chain actors.
Mr. Ebrima Bah, a reporter at the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), believes the training came at a better time, while acknowledging that it has exposed them (the gathered journalists) to fact-based reporting on horticulture and quality infrastructure.
“Knowing how to report on these subjects”, the journalist from the state broadcaster went on, “has enabled us to produce stories that will have a great impact on the lives and livelihoods of vegetable farmers”.
According to journalist Bah, they now have the adequate capacity to take on value chain actors and policy-makers with a view to adequately addressing the challenges confronting the sector.
