The Church Donates Infrastructure to Support Municipal Food Production in The Gambia

At a handover ceremony celebrated on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the Bakau Women Horticulture Garden in the Kanifing Municipality of The Gambia received a newly constructed 10-store market and a cold storage facility donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Alfred Kyungu, President of the Africa West Area of the Church, cut the ribbon to officially hand over the facility.

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The Bakau Women Horticulture Garden is an essential source of nutritious vegetables for the community. It’s managed by 525 dedicated women who raise their produce on a 10.5-hectare plot. However, prior to the donations, the women faced several challenges, including limited market access, insufficient water storage, and post-harvest losses from lack of water and exposure to heat. Needing a way to address these issues, they turned to the Church for help.

In her address during the handover ceremony, Deputy Lord Mayor Binta Janneh-Jallow recounted the kind invitation she received from the Church to attend the Abuja Nigeria edition of the Church’s annual International Strengthening Families Conference in June 2023. There she met with some of the Church leaders from the Africa West Area and shared with them the challenges and needs of the Bakau Women Horticulture Garden.

The Church of Jesus Christ provided the needed help and constructed a market platform with 10 small stalls and concrete counter tables that provide the women with greater access to the market, enabling them to engage directly with buyers and to expand their market reach. Additionally, the Horticultural Garden received a solar-powered cool container for cold storage of its produce, thus preserving the quality and shelf life of the produce and reducing loss.

The donation was a significant event for the community, and the handover ceremony reflected that as it was attended by many prominent officials, including the Lord Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council, His Worship Talib Ahmed Bensouda; Deputy Lord Mayor Binta Janneh-Jallow; the chief executive officer of the Kanifing Municipal Council; national assembly members; local religious leaders; directors and senior government officials from government ministries and institutions, the country director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Mr. Lamin Dibba; municipal ward councilor for Bakau Old Town, Madam Aja Salieu Njie; the country director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); representatives from the Diplomatic Corps; and many others.

Madame Janneh-Jallow thanked the Church for its humanitarian efforts in addressing their needs and told those in attendance, “Today, we unveil a tangible result — a facility that stands as a testament to what is possible when people and institutions unite for the common good. This cold storage facility is a life-changing tool for the hundreds of women who feed our communities. Our gardeners can now negotiate better prices, supply schools, hotels and institutions, and review high-value markets that were previously inaccessible.”

In his remarks, Elder Kyungu told the gathering, “Our objective was to empower these caretaker women with the tools they need to thrive. In the teachings of our faith, we believe not only in ‘doing good unto all’ (Galatians 6:10), but also in the power of self-reliance. Today’s handover embodies these principles. In this handover, the Church is not just handing over infrastructure. We are pleased to be strengthening a community and empowering 525 women whose dedication to work in managing this garden has sustained families and built resilience in the community.”

At the conclusion, several dignitaries at the event joined in delivering a formal vote of thanks and expressing their heartfelt gratitude to the Church for its donation.