Nadjaf Al Ashraf (also spelled Nadjaf Al Achraf or Najaf Al Ashraf) is a village in Sinthiang Koundara commune,

Bonconto Arrondissement Bonconto Arrondissement is an arrondissement of the Vélingara Department in the Kolda Region of Senegal. It is also spelled Bonkonto. Subdivisions The arrondissement is divided administratively into rural communities and in turn into villages ...

Vélingara Department Vélingara is a city and urban commune situated in the Kolda Region of Senegal. It is located slightly north of the large 48 km Vélingara crater though the structure's impact origin is still unconfirmed.S. Wade, M. Barbieri, J. Lichtenegger (2 ...

, 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, French language, French: ''Fleuve Gambie'', Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Rio Gâmbia'') is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward ...

. The village was named after the holy Shi'a city of

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

(full name: Al-Najaf al-Ashraf; ) 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

, founder of the NGO

Mozdahir Mozdahir (also known as the ''Mozdahir International Institute''; French name: Institut Mozdahir International, IMI or ''Institut international de Mozdahir'') is an international non-governmental organization based in Dakar, Senegal. Overview It ...

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.

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''.

References

Populated places in Kolda region {{Senegal-geo-stub

History

See also

References