First Person: Passion to feed a healthier Gambia.

At only 24 years of age, Alhadgie Faal has built a successful small business, by turning family land in Kanuma, which is in Gambia's North Bank region, into a sizable plot, where he grows fruit and vegetables to sell to restaurants and hotels.

He started his company after receiving training from a UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) programme [DD1] , focused on supporting women and youth, particularly in rural areas.

'Before I started this business, I was a carpenter, but agriculture was always my passion. Without agriculture we can't feed the nation, and I had a dream to supply The Gambia with healthy produce.

About four years ago, my stepfather told me that free UN training in agriculture, horticulture, and food processing was available. He applied for me, and I was accepted.

Gambian fruit and vegetable garden run by Alhadgie Faal and his brother.

UN News/ Conor Lennon

Planting the seeds of a business

I was really happy, because we are a farming family with little money, and I would not have been able to afford fees and transport. But all of these expenses were included in the offer, so I was able to go to the college.

The training was extremely useful. We learned about agronomics, how to manage crops, when to plant, and how to select the right site.

Gambian fruit and vegetable entrepreneur, Alhadgie Faal

UNCDF in The Gambia

Mr. Faal's training, a three month course on horticulture vegetable production at Gambia Horticultural Enterprise (GHE), was provided as part of the Jobs, Skills and Finance (JSF) programme for Women and Youth in The Gambia, the flagship programme of the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), in collaboration with International Trade Center (ITC), and EUR 15 million of funding from the European Development Fund.

JSF addresses persistent challenges in The Gambia which include lack of job opportunities for youth and women, low levels of financial inclusion and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Climate adaptation activities are delivered using the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility, designed by UNCDF over 10 years ago.

The objective of JSF is to provide support to local training providers, and to improve the quality, and accessibility of vocational training schemes offered to youth and women, which are linked to the Cash for Work (CfW) opportunities, and key sectors at the local level. Local training institutions are contracted, based on a competitive funding model, to provide training in different skill areas...