By Mariam Saine
As part of its ongoing regional visit to Senegalese entrepreneurial sectors, the visiting members of the Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) Gambia Chapter along with the five Gambian Rural Youth Champions, on 30 May, 2019 had meeting with the Senegalese Young Entrepreneurs (JEADER- www.jeader.club ) in Dakar.
The two parties discussed potential areas of collaboration so as to come up with a professional network to explore agribusiness opportunities available for young entrepreneurs in the sister countries.
The meeting also looked into possibilities of engendering a “Senegambia Partnership initiative” that would promote regional integration, facilitate twining training programmes for both parties, and further provide market linkages for the young entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the meeting, the GYIN Gambia Executive Director, Mr. Mamadou Edrisa Njie expressed appreciation to their Senegalese host for the warm welcome extended to the Gambian delegation since the first day of the visit, courtesy of the Director General of WA YAbi Distribution, Madam Yama Ndiaye.
He informed the gathering that the regional visit is purposely meant to expose the young Gambian entrepreneurs to learn from Senegalese sectors and to form professional network.
Njie disclosed GYIN Gambia’s interest in building a partnership with JEADER in order to facilitate incubation programmes for young Gambian entrepreneurs to be able to package, label and export their products.
He indicated also that the International Trade Center/Youth Empowerment Project (ITC/YEP), the funding body of that particular visit, “is interested in witnessing a partnership agreement” between GYIN Gambia and Senegalese young entrepreneurs in their endeavor to explore market opportunities for young entrepreneurs, and by extension, addressing their plights.
The Executive Director outlined GYIN Gambia’s areas of focus and its current annual programmes ranging from Rural Youth Awards (RYA), Entrepreneurship Leadership, Information and Technology (ELIT) National Youth Summer Camp to Youth Mentorship Programme on Enterprise Management.
Njie gave the rationale behind the formation of GYIN Gambia Chapter and the achievements registered by the body since its inception, over a decade ago
In her remarks, the Founder and erstwhile President of JEADER, Absa Seck welcomed the Gambian team and expressed her interest in having a Memorandum of Understanding with GYIN Gambia, in their common desire for a single “Senegambia integration network”.
According to her, JEADER is a network of Senegalese young entrepreneurs which inculcates the spirit of entrepreneurship and agribusiness in the mindsets of young people-from childhood age to adulthood.
Madam Seck said they groom young people to adopt the culture of venturing into commercial agriculture by ‘growing what they eat’ and eating what they grow’. She added that the initiative has been captured in one of their programmes dubbed ‘Junior Entrepreneurs’. As could be deduced from her exposition, through this programme they prepare “very smart students” in school to choose a career for themselves.
The main programmes of JEADER include ‘Jigeen Neen’ meaning ‘Women supporting women initiative; ‘Citizen’- an online platform to address the plights of young entrepreneurs by providing solutions to their needs; and ‘Caravan’- organising road shows to spread their messages across the regions, etc.
She noted that most of their work is based on voluntarism as they are mainly carried in the work by passion.
As part of their activities, the founder of JEADER said they are running a mentorship programme for young women, and that they are also working on the convening of a Summer Camp for their young people.
Seck is optimistic that the proposed MOU between GYIN Gambia and her organisation would build a stronger network for the mutual benefits of both parties.
Mr. Thierno Souleymane Agne, a strawberry producer, in his speech at the meeting, said ‘Baidundee’ meaning ‘Grow what you eat’ is his own initiative geared towards encouraging consumption of locally-grown farm produce.
He spoke on the importance of inking an MOU between the sister organisations so as to promote a Senegambia product.
Other speakers at the meeting included GYIN Gambia’s Financial Controller, Madam Mariam Saine, the current President of JEADER, Madam Fanta Jallow and one Mr. Dodou Ndiaye.
