A five-day sub-regional training workshop on food security assessment, hosted by the Gambia Red Cross Society GRCS, opened on Monday at the Seaview Garden hotel in Kololi.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Honorable Kanja Sanneh, Security of state for Agriculture, said that food security assessment is part of a larger process of food security programmes and serves not only as an assessment of vulnerability level, but also arms the government, and policy makers, with durable policies to address food security in the country and sub-region.

He observed that the training would complement the efforts of our various governments in identifying food security gaps in our countries and suggested various means and methods of handling them when they arise.

“A lack of food security can cause lasting damage to future generations and to the government, but it can also cause physical and psychological harm to the individual. It can cause malnutrition a severe condition that can lead to death”, he said.

He added that president Jammeh’s back to the land call, which is widely demonstrated nationwide by the president himself, is the one way Africans can ensure a sufficient food supply.

He acknowledged the roles played by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in ensuring food availability.

Fatou Mas Jobe, president, Gambia Red Cross Society described the training as valuable and important as it happened at the time when the world is witnessing so much suffering. She called for more preparedness to deal with the challenges.

Other speakers included Mr Lamin William Jammeh, Secretary General GRCS and was chaired by Katim Nget of GRSC.

Participants in the weeklong training were drawn from West and Central Africa.