Barrow Begins 2026 Meet the People Tour with Visit to Ndungu Kebbeh Cold Storage Facility

By CTV Africa

President Adama Barrow on Thursday began his 19-day nationwide Meet the People Tour, starting with a visit to the ROOTS-supported cold storage facility in Ndungu Kebbeh, Lower Niumi, where farmers are expected to benefit from improved storage and market access for their produce.

The visit formed part of the first day of the President’s annual nationwide tour, which runs from October 1 to 19 and will include 21 general meetings, 24 project-site visits and seven inauguration and handover ceremonies across the country.

At Ndungu Kebbeh, the President inspected a modern 60-tonne cold storage facility developed under the Resilience of Organizations for Transformative Smallholder Agriculture Project (ROOTS). The facility is designed to help farmers preserve vegetables after harvest and reduce losses associated with inadequate storage and limited access to markets.

The ROOTS Project says the facility is expected to strengthen storage and marketing opportunities for farmers in Lower Niumi. During an earlier inspection of the project, Agriculture Minister Dr Demba Sabally said the cold store would significantly reduce post-harvest losses, while also noting that the National Food Security Cooperation would purchase onions produced by the community.

For vegetable growers in Ndungu Kebbeh and surrounding communities, the facility represents an important intervention in addressing one of the longstanding challenges facing smallholder farmers: keeping produce fresh long enough to reach better-paying markets.

Women and young people are among the principal beneficiaries targeted under ROOTS. The project was established to increase agricultural productivity and improve farmers’ access to markets, with particular attention to women and youth involved in the rice and vegetable value chains.

ROOTS currently operates across 39 districts and targets approximately 40,000 households, or about 320,000 people. The project identifies smallholder farmers, rural women, youth and micro-entrepreneurs among its key beneficiaries.

The Ndungu Kebbeh facility is therefore part of a broader government and ROOTS effort to strengthen agricultural value chains beyond production, by investing in infrastructure that supports storage, marketing and food security.

The President’s visit also comes as the administration continues to highlight agricultural development among its priorities during the nationwide tour. The 2026 Meet the People Tour is taking place just weeks before the December presidential election, with the programme combining community engagements with visits to government development projects across the country.

From Ndungu Kebbeh, President Barrow is scheduled to continue the tour across the country, meeting communities and visiting various development projects before concluding the nationwide programme on October 19.