By Lamin Cham
On the second day of the meet the people tour, President Barrow on Tuesday presented a cheque for D15M as matching grants to 43 youths, male and female, who are venturing into agriculture in the North Bank Region.
According to State House, the recipients are engaged in maize, rice, cashew, and poultry projects aimed at boosting food security, increasing income, and improving livelihoods across the country in line with government’s policy to encourage agriculture as a viable business venture.
The president also announced that government purchased 180 tractors for farmers which would be distributed at subsidized rates, with the government covering 25% of the cost.
Barrow said this initiative is part of the government’s strategy to strengthen large-scale farming, enhance food security, and reduce the poverty rate in the country.
The tractors will add to another five, that the Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD), in partnership with UNDP, procured alongside groundnut threshing machines.
During the joint meeting at Kerr Ardo, the president also presented a cheque for 21M to 204 women in Lower and Central Baddibu constituencies as part of an initiative which aims ”to make financial resources accessible to women and empower them economically.”
Meanwhile, State House has reported that key elements of President Barrow’s development initiatives include the construction of nearly 4,500 brand-new modern classrooms and refurbishment of more than 2,000 others across the country to increase access to education for all.
It has also been announced that that over 218 communities in the North Bank Region will be electrified as part of the government’s program for universal access to electricity by the end of 2025.
