A one-day workshop on Market Analysis and Development (MA&D), Socio-Economic Evaluation on Impact and Field Training on Community Forestry and Enterprise Development Planning (EDP) ended recently at the Wellingara Horticultural Camp in Western Region

The main objectives of the workshop were to improve the understanding of participants on MA&D based on Community Forestry products and also to introduce them to the Community Forestry Management (CFM).

Declaring the workshop open on behalf of the Director of Forestry, Mr. Jatto Ceesay, the head of Participatory Forestry Management Unit, Mr. Kebba N. Sonko, thanked all the stakeholders of his department at the workshop.

He described the one-day workshop as another turning point for his department and its collaborators for participating in another information sharing. According to Mr. Sonko, the Forestry department over the past years has been involved in another programmes of Enterprise Development for our communities which he believes has taken his department a long way in achieving the objectives of community forestry CF programme.

For his part, the national consultant on extension services and training (NACO) at Forestry Department, Mr. Kanimang Camara, said market analysis and development (MA&D) is a process that systematically considers social and environmental concerns while also taking account of technological, commercial and financial aspects of small enterprise development.

Mr. Camara said MA&D involves local people throughout the process, from identification and planning of forest enterprises to the sustainable management of same.

He told the participants that the one-day workshop was designed to build the capacity of the FD and village entrepreneurs on the level of Community Forest Management CFM and Enterprise Development Plans EDP. This, he said, is based on the newly developed CF implementing guidelines in order to familiarise themselves with the documents and to enable them to apply the formulated planning strategies in their routine village work.

The one-day workshop was attended by stakeholders in the development of the forestry across the country.

It was graced by the Deputy Permanent Secretary, technical, of forestry and environment, Mr. Abdoulie Danso, Hon Mattar Kujabi representing the NAM select sub- committee on Natural Resources and Chief of Kombo East District Alhagie Basiru Jarju.