Gambian President Adama Barrow and African Development Bank Group head Dr Akinwumi Adesina pledged on Monday to work together to boost rice production and invest in the country’s vibrant youth and women entrepreneurs.
“The Russian-Ukrainian war presents an opportunity for us to solve the problem of food security. There’s no reason why Africans shouldn’t feed themselves,” President Barrow said, on the first day of Adesina’s two-day official visit to The Gambia. “We should commercialise our rice production to produce enough rice for our people.”
Local production currently meets less than 20% of the demand for rice, which is The Gambia’s staple food. The African Development Bank Group is supporting the country’s efforts to produce 200,000 additional tons of paddy rice by 2028, reducing imports to zero.
In addition to support for women and youth entrepreneurship in a country where around 65% of the population is under the age of 25, Barrow also identified infrastructure, particularly road construction, as a critical area for the African Development Bank’s support.
“We are grateful for the African Development Bank’s support. The African Development Bank is our bank. We are doing a lot as a government, but we need the support of the bank to expand our work,” President Barrow said.
