Africa-Press – Gambia. The Gambia has made a compelling case for global investment in its agricultural sector, as the minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, Demba Sabally, on Wednesday presented the country’s National Agricultural Investment Plan during the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum in Rome, Italy, a flagship event of this year’s World Food Forum and FAO’s 80th anniversary celebrations.
“Investing in agriculture is investing in food and nutrition security, job creation, poverty reduction, and lowering the food import bill,” Sabally told the gathering of global investors.
The minister, who is heading The Gambia’s delegation in Rome, highlighted rice, onion, and poultry as priority commodities for private sector investment under the FAO-led Hand-in-Hand Initiative (HiHI), a mechanism designated to accelerate agricultural transformation through evidence-based targeting, partnerships, and investment matchmaking.
Sabally said the initiative offers an opportunity for The Gambia to “transform its national agrifood system,” emphasising that the government’s vision supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He assured investors that The Gambia provides a conducive business environment backed by political will and investor-friendly regulations.
“A major enabler for a safe investment with high returns is the political will offered to private sector players by President Adama Barrow,” he said, reaffirming government support in land acquisition and non-interference in private operations.
Agriculture, he noted, remains the backbone of the Gambian economy, accounting for 30 percent of GDP, employing nearly half of the working population, and sustaining over 80 percent of rural livelihoods. The National Investment Plan, estimated at US$161 million, targets closing critical production gaps: $126.9 million in rice, $24 million in onion, and $10 million in poultry, with a projected return of 19.1 percent and more than half a million direct and indirect beneficiaries.
With renewed global attention and growing investor confidence, The Gambia’s engagement in Rome is expected to yield stronger partnerships but also lasting progress toward a food-secure and poverty-free future.”
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