Nadjaf Al Ashraf (also spelled Nadjaf Al Achraf or Najaf Al Ashraf) is a village in
Sinthiang Koundara commune,
Bonconto Arrondissement,
Vélingara Department, Senegal. It is located on the banks of the
Koulountou River, a tributary of the
Gambia River
The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra) is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable f ...
.
The village was named after the holy Shi'a city of
Najaf
Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...
(full name: Al-Najaf al-Ashraf; ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف) in southern Iraq. It was founded by local Shi'i religious leader
Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara
Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara is a Senegalese-Mauritanian Shia religious leader who is known for his work on international development in West Africa. He is one of the primary Shia religious figures in Senegal and West Africa.
Early life and family ...
.
History
Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara
Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara is a Senegalese-Mauritanian Shia religious leader who is known for his work on international development in West Africa. He is one of the primary Shia religious figures in Senegal and West Africa.
Early life and family ...
, founder of the NGO
Mozdahir
Mozdahir (also known as the ''Mozdahir International Institute''; French name: Institut Mozdahir International or IMI) is an international non-governmental organization based in Dakar, Senegal.
Overview
It has branches in different African countr ...
International Institute, founded the village as a social development project for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. 400 impoverished families were moved to the area to help curb the flow of domestic migration to cities as well as international migration, and a banana plantation was opened there.
Today, there are hundreds of hectares of banana plantations in Nadjaf Al Ashraf.
Mozdahir
Mozdahir (also known as the ''Mozdahir International Institute''; French name: Institut Mozdahir International or IMI) is an international non-governmental organization based in Dakar, Senegal.
Overview
It has branches in different African countr ...
manages the plantations and ensures that the farmers can earn living wages.
NAJAF ALASHRAF - Pour l’écoulement de leur production de bananes : Un guide religieux finance une route
''Le Quotidien''.
See also
*Darou Hidjiratou
Darou Hidjiratou (also spelled Darou Hijratou or Darou Idjiratou) is a village and zone in Bonconto Commune, Bonconto Arrondissement, Vélingara Department of Kolda Region in south Senegal. As a major center of Shia Islam in Senegal, it is home ...
*Fair trade
Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...
References
Populated places in Kolda Region
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