NADA Act repealed

The National Agricultural Development Agency (NADA) Act 2006, was last Thursday 20th November 2008 repealed by members of the National Assembly.

The repeal and subsequent dissolution of the board of directors of the Agency came after the SoS for Energy, Ousman Jammeh, tabled the repeal document on behalf of the SoS for Agriculture, President Yahya Jammeh before the law makers at the extraordinary meeting convened by the speaker of the House, Fatoumata Jahumpa-Ceesay.

This was in accordance with the powers conferred on the president under Section 101 of the 1997 constitution. The establishment of the National Agricultural Development Agency (NADA) has resulted in the drastic reduction of the number of personnel required to reach out to farmers.

This has adversely affected the extension services delivery system.  The new structure will allow those adversely affected by job loss to be eventually re-integrated into the system. “The creation of NADA is at variance with the private sector-led growth and development policies and strategies,” SoS Jammeh told the law makers.

He revealed that the law structure will considerably enhance the generation, moblisation, effective and efficient utilization of human, financial and material resources for self sustainability and gradual expansion and empowerment of farmers for improved delivery of extension services, as well as the establishment and development of linkages with the rest of the economy.

This, he said, will enable the efficient and effective implementation of sector wide policies and enhancement of national capacity to save  and earn foreign exchange through increased agricultural productivity.

The Gambia law makers endorsed the repeal, but were quick to point out that the repealed Act was enacted out of good intentions, love and interest of the Gambian people, especially farmers. The speaker thanked SoS Oumans Jammeh for presenting the repeal Act on behalf of the SoS for Agriculture. She cited President Jammeh as a visionary leader who has the interest of farmers at heart.