By Septimus Senessie in Eastern Kono District
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has commissioned a newly constructed multipurpose Youth Centre in Koidu and a district agricultural office at Bengwema in the outskirts of the town.
While the cost of the agriculture office was not disclosed, the youth centre was valued at Le 280 million with office space, improved ventilated latrine, plastic chairs, a public address system, two desktop computers, an internet modem and a generator to build on the capacity of the ever-growing number of young people in the district.
The agric office is also complete with two desktops, furniture and an internet modem.
The National Program Coordination of IFAD, Mohamed Tyjan Kellar, said that the centre was constructed to attract the attention of young people and get them to embark on agricultural productivity.
“The only way we think we can bring the youth in this district together and teach them about their engagement into agriculture is by providing them with recreational facilities like this one”, Kellah said, adding that youngsters in rural communities were gradually urbanizing because of the absence of such facilities.
He described youth as the “backbone” of the agricultural development of the country while referring to the youth centre as a “resource, orientation and rehabilitation centre” for the youth in the district which “if well utilized for the intended purposes will help to also generate income for them the sustainability of the project”.
Kellah assured that plans were afoot to provide “software packages” for youth to develop their minds and become enterprising in society. He said they also would provide them with collateral free loan facilities through their community banks.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Dr. Sam Sesay praised the efforts of IFAD for actualizing the dream of attaining food security in the country. He outlined a number of projects they had achieved in collaboration with their agricultural development partners since they took up office in 2007 which he said ranged from construction and rehabilitation of feeder roads, agricultural business centres, and the supply of farm implements like tractors and improved variety of seedlings and the development of inland valley swamps among several others aimed at commercialising agriculture.
He said that they had worked hard to move the attention of peasant farmers from “domestic consumption farming practices to commercialised farming practices while increasing food productivity and self sufficiency in the country.”
Dr. Sesay pledged his ministry’s support to empowering youth because “they are the middle manpower for increased agricultural productivity in the country”, and urged them to be focused and enterprising.
The Mayor of Koidu, Saa Emerson Lamina, lauded the efforts of IFAD and described the facilities as a fulfilment of one of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which asks that 10% of the national facilities be given to youth, ranging from infrastructure, education, economic and political empowerment, among others.
He added that the structure would bring youth under an umbrella to discuss issues pertinent to their development.
Earlier the chairman of the occasion, who doubles as the district director of agriculture in Kono, Musa Kandeh, admonished young men and women to be focused, hardworking and peaceful. He said that the leadership of the country was in their hands.
Chairman of the Kono district youth council, Ibrahim Tamba Fanday thanked IFAD for “giving life to the youth of Kono district” by providing them with rehabilitation centre”.
