The delegation, comprising over 50 young entrepreneurs from across the country, formally presented The Builders Project, a structured economic stimulus and partnership framework aimed at accelerating private sector expansion and transforming The Gambia into a regional hub for entrepreneurship.
Founded in 2025 by 35 Gambian business leaders cutting across healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality, technology, petroleum, construction, and logistics, The Builders Association has quickly emerged as a formidable coalition advocating results-driven collaboration between government and business.
Led by its Chairperson, Dr Ismail Badjie, the delegation described the engagement as a “watershed moment” in redefining government-private sector relations, anchored on clear performance targets, transparency, and mutual accountability.
“The President of the nation is the master architect of our destiny. His National Development Plan is our blueprint. We, The Builders, stand ready to execute that vision,” Dr Badjie told the gathering.
He emphasised that the Association did not come with complaints but with evidence. “We came with proof of concept businesses that work, jobs that exist, and communities that thrive,” he said.
Figures presented to the President highlighted the coalition’s growing economic footprint: more than 1,720 direct jobs created across all five regions, over 5,000 indirect jobs supported through supply chains, and D121 million distributed annually in salaries. The businesses also inject over D10 million into the economy each month and collectively serve more than 200,000 patients annually through healthcare enterprises alone.
On average, each member business employs 36 staff, underscoring what the Association described as “scale with sustainability.”
The Builders Association operates as a non-partisan, open platform, welcoming entrepreneurs, professionals, innovators, women- and youth-led enterprises, and members of the Gambian Diaspora contributing to national development. Its founding ethos center on competence, integrity, and service as core pillars of enterprise.
In its statement, the Association expressed appreciation to President Barrow for encouraging constructive engagement aligned with the National Development Plan, noting that enterprise-led growth remains critical to job creation, innovation, and long-term economic resilience.
“Through collaboration, execution, and accountability, we are committed to building opportunity, strengthening enterprise, and contributing meaningfully to The Gambia’s economic future,” the Association stated.
The presentation signals a growing push to formalise private sector participation in national development moving from consultation to execution.
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