By Mariam Williams
The Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) in partnership with Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), together with Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), recently launched what is dubbed, ‘KMC Mayor’s D1,000,000 (One million dalasis) Challenge Tekki Fii-Andandorr‘ Initiative for Gambian youths in entrepreneurship.
The initiative aims is to support young (KM) entrepreneurs with innovative business solutions to tackle COVID-19 challenges in the Gambia.
The Lord Mayor of KMC Mr. Talib Ahmed Bensouda, described youths as the powerhouse of innovation, explaining that the KMC Mayor’s Challenge initiative is a very timely challenge. He exhorted the youths to come up with great ideas on how to solve some of the current challenges, reasoning that because they believe these challenges are here to stay for a while as “COVID-19 is a reality”.
The KMC boss told the launch ceremony they are very concerned about youth initiatives; that they like to support youth businesses and they also believe in youths and know that they could leave up to this challenge.
Madam Fatou Mbenga Jallow, Project Coordinator of YEP, reminded that the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way of life of humanity and brought unprecedented challenges for all facets of society. The critical measures taken to protect the population, she indicated, have also resulted in many challenges, particularly for small businesses through supply chain disruptions, production challenges, loss of markets and other disruptions.
She explained that while health remains the number one priority, there is also a dire need to find solutions to the socio-economic challenges they are facing as well as prepare for post-COVID-19 recovery, which requires partnerships and collaboration; “thus the reason we, at ITC, GCCI and KMC, are here today to launch the KMC Mayor’s D1M challenge-Andandoor Tekki Fii initiative”.
The YEP Project Coordinator stated that Andandoor is an entrepreneurship support programme by the ITC under the EU-funded YEP, which is based on 3 stage maturity model and involves all key actors in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Madam Mbenga Jallow futher stated that, Tekki Fii (Make it in the Gambia) is an initiative of the government of The Gambia supported by the European Union (EU) with the objective to significantly scale-up economic and social opportunities available for young Gambians. The program is implemented by ITC/YEP, GIZ, Enabel and IMVF.
However, she made it clear that this Mayor’s Challenge fund is piloted in the Kanifing Municipality, adding KM is the second largest in terms of economic size with a large number of small businesses.
She, however, pointed out that subject to the outcome of the pilot, ITC, GCCI and all the partners might scale the solutions but also replicate the challenge fund in other regions of the country.
In addition to what she enunciated, she said they are optimistic that the youths would take advantage of this challenge and develop innovative solutions to three key challenges identified by the KMC.
As deduced from her explanation, for one to be eligible, the person should be a youth between the ages of 15-35 years; and the business of the person must be registered.
The YEP official thanked Mayor Bensouda and his team for the professional and effective engagement during the process leading to the launching, and the GCCI for coming on board as the lead partner in this initiative as part of Tekki Fii program. And, also the EU for not only making it possible but also supporting a large number of other support measures to tackle challenges caused by COVID-19.
The Board Director of GCCI, Madam Oumie Sise Sallah, said the majority of such a significant part of the economy is made up of MSEs, adding that this Challenge could not have been more fittingly focused on such an important and significantly role in the community-and that’s the youths. She used the opportunity to enjoin the youthfolk to explore on this Challenge.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Isatou Faal, Peer Manager of KMC, outlined that youths are the cream of the nation, the leaders in the making and one of the most important pillars in the society.
As a Council, she avowed, they would not relent in creating a conducive environment for the youths to explore their knowledge, talents and skills to the fullest.
Faal went on to reassure that they would not ignore them (youth) and “will invite them on board to escort us on this development journey”.
The KMC Peer Manager asserted that they would not only escort them, “but we will work hand in hand with them to achieve the wildest dreams of every young Gambian”.
