The
Vice President and Minister for Women Affairs, Isatou Njie Saidy, has said The
Gambia is a peaceful democratic country, and attracts investment in all sectors
of the economy ranging from agriculture, to tourism, construction, fishing and
other sectors.
Gambian
women are enterprising and very hardworking, she added.
The
Vice President’s statement was delivered on her behalf by the executive
director of the Women’s Bureau, Binta Jammeh Sidibeh, at the disbursement of
interest-free loans to 100 Gambian widows.
The
loan was provided by the Women Advancement for Economic and Leadership
Empowerment in Africa (WAELE) The Gambia office under the Women Empowerment
Project.
The
country office would manage the fund in partnership with the Gambian Women
Finance Association (GAWFA), and the Women’s Federation would facilitate for
more women around the country to benefit from the Women Empowerment Programme.
The
Vice President mentioned that Gambian women are engaged in all
income-generating activities, and hold prominent positions in the public and
private sectors of the Gambian economy.
They
are trustworthy and very productive, she said.
However,
she added, they are faced with challenges such as access to finance, which is
one of the most important elements, and access to productive resources to
transform their business ideas and initiatives into reality.
“The
National Women’s Council (NWC) is the highest advisory body to Government on
all matters concerning women and gender.”
The
National Women’s Council acts as a forum for women, while the Women’s Bureau
acts as the secretariat.
The
Bureau’s mandate is to collect and disseminate information, and ensure that
gender is mainstreamed and institutionalised at all levels by way of training,
sensitisation and advocacy.
The
Bureau also assists the NWC in looking for trends and creating ties with other
institutions on the socio-economic and political front, reviewing bills, laws,
programmes, new technologies, policies and giving out pertinent information for
the country’s leading decision-makers.
The
National Coordinator for WAELE and the chairperson for GAWFA, AduLette Sey,
while speaking at the launching ceremony, said GAWFA being one of the partners
of this project has been involved in promoting women’s empowerment through
access to suitable and affordable finance and leadership.
She
added that the association was established in 1987 by individuals and women groups,
with inspiration from the Women World Banking and support from the government.
The
Association was granted license by the Central Bank as the first micro-finance
Institution in the country.
GAWFA
contributes significantly to women’s empowerment through micro-finance, she
added.
With
GAWFA’s vast experience in this sector, and the strong commitment of the
National Women Council in women’s empowerment, it was a step in the right
direction for partnering with the various institutions in providing interest-free
loans to 100 Gambian widows, she said.
“I have no doubt with this holistic programme,
it will achieve the desired results,” she added.
