The young people of West Coast Region (WCR) recently
unveiled an agricultural coordinating body for the
attainment of Vision 2016 at a meeting held at the
Governor's office in Brikama.
According to officials, the coordinating committee was
established as a response to President Yahya Jammeh's
Vision 2016 rice and food self-sufficiency initiative, in which
the young people would also contribute their quota to the
achievement of the initiative.
Speaking at the meeting, the executive secretary of the
coordinating committee, Albino Gomez, said the
establishment of the body was to answer to President
Jammeh's call for Gambians to start 'eating what we grow
and grow what we eat' and become food self-sufficient
while urging the young people of the region to act together
towards the common development target.
The WCR youth and sports coordinator, Mahmud Jawla,
pointed out that the young people of the region want to
show to the nation that when President Jammeh makes a
declaration, they are always ready to be the first to respond.
The youth leader of APRC in the region, Bafoday Touray,
said the initiative is out to bring all the young people of the
region under one umbrella for the promotion and
development of agricultural production.
The formation of the coordinating committee, he said, would
provide a strong force for a youth-led development of the
region, particularly on agriculture.
He advised the young people to unite as one people to effect
change and development.
A member of the coordinating committee, Lamin Jammeh,
said since the wake of the July 22nd Revolution, President
Jammeh had been advocating for not only Gambians but for
the entire African continent to go back to the land and use
agriculture to liberate themselves from the long decades of
importation of rice and other food products.
Yusupha Bojang and Modou Janneh, both media
practitioners, described the initiative as worthy, saying it
would help to unite the young people of the region.