Staff of various state departments, led by their Secretaries of State have thronged President Jammeh’s farm in Kanilai, in response to his clarion call for people to go back to the land for the attainment of sustainable food self-sufficiency.

Speaking to journalists at the President’s rice field, Kebba Sanyang, Attorney General and Secretary of State for Justice, said: “This is a farm that belongs to every Gambian and many other people have said this over and over again.

We are here to demonstrate our support for the President and to be part of the call to join in and make farming a reality in this country”. 

“Agriculture is really a very important sector in this country,” he said, adding this was not the first time they assisted the President on his farm. “We are showing our loyalty to the Head of State and assist him in this kind of programme.

They are happy to be here and nobody has forced them. They came on their own free will. All what I did was to facilitate the process and I am happy that this was done,” he said.

“You know that the proceeds from the farm is for every Gambian, in the area of health, education, etc. A lot of people are being sponsored from this farm. And a lot more Gambians are benefiting from this farm in many different ways. This is why we are all here to see that the work goes on,” SoS Sanyang noted.

Fatou Lamin Faye, Secretary of State for Basic and Secondary Education, said their presence at the President’s farm was a “moral obligation” as the proceeds from the farm is used to sponsor a lot of students in country.

“The President has the programme to support girls education. I think we should support him more in his endeavours, especially in his foundation. I think he is doing more than enough. I have my own farm and last year all the proceeds from the farm were donated to Jammeh Foundation for Peace. There are some students who dropped out because of lack of funding,” SoS Lamin Faye explained.

Yankuba Touray, Secretary of State for Fisheries and Water Resources, said the President’s support for Gambians cannot be overemphasised. “The farm is for Gambians and not for the President. Whatever is derived from this goes to support poor Gambians through the Jammeh Foundation for Peace. And the Jammeh Foundation for Peace has given a lot of scholarships to people.

Our presence here today is for ourselves. I cannot even express his support for Gambians in words. He has done it and we all have been seeing it and he is still doing it,” SoS Touray told journalists.

He then described the President as a revolutionary and a farmer, considering his family background.

Angela Colley, Secretary of State for Tourism and Culture, amplified that all the proceeds from the farm goes back to the communities. “I have come here with a lot of people from the department and tourism stakeholders, including fruit sellers, hoteliers, among others. Even the Hotel School members and staff are here with me,” she confirmed.