#Headlines

Int’l Trade Centre, Trade Ministry launch SheTrades Gambia Hub

Nov 26, 2021, 10:14 AM

Press release: (Banjul, 24 November 2021)–The Governmentof The Gambia through the Ministry of Trade, Industry Regional Integration and Employment (MOTIE) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) launched the SheTrades Gambia Hub to support women-led businesseswith international competitiveness and market access.

The SheTrades Hub offers a platform for women-owned businesses to benefit from a wide range of opportunities to expand their business and participate in trade through networking, learning opportunities, trade fairs and other business events.

The launch reception, hosted by the United Kingdom High Commission in The Gambia,provided a platform to bring together different partners, including SheTrades entrepreneurs in fashion and agribusiness, value-chain enablers, market partners, the Gender Champions, government stakeholders and development partners. The reception and networking event also provided an opportunity for the entrepreneurs to showcase their products.

The SheTrades Hub is hosted by MOTIE and allows the Government to further institutionalize the support services for women entrepreneurs, aligning them to local contexts for increased ownership and sustainable long-term impact.

Speaking about the importance of the SheTrades Hub, H.E. Isatou Touray, Vice President of The Gambia stressed the government’s continued commitment in support of women economic empowerment:“Women-owned businesses need support to build their productive capacities and improve the quality of their products in other to connect to the markets. The SheTrades Gambia Hub is a critical initiative to tap the opportunities and activate the potential for women in business.”

The SheTrades Gambia Hub builds on the successful implementation of a three-year country project that benefitted Gambian women economically, particularly in the agricultural, textiles and clothing value chains.

Funded by the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)and ITC, the project so far has improved the capacity of fivebusiness support organisations, facilitated more than $3 million in investments and business transactions, and trained more than 1,000 women-owned businesses and women entrepreneursfor better competitiveness.

Speaking at the reception, The British High Commissioner to The Gambia, H.E. David Belgrove, emphasized the importance of partnerships to bolster the international competitiveness of Gambian women-owned businesses. “There are many dynamic entrepreneurs in The Gambia, as we see this evening, women are leading many of these innovative enterprises. We now need to promote and encourage international contacts and partnerships to see these businesses reach their full potential,” he added.

The initiative is backed by the Global SheTrades programme, in particular SheTrades Commonwealth that provides technical expertise and policy guidance. It also triggered a number of new initiatives, projects and partnerships. For instance, the COVID-19 recovery through digitalization and market access for women horticulture producers supports the establishment of a digital value chain platform linking horticultural producers, buyers, and other value chain actors.

Read Other Articles In Headlines
structures along highways
Gov’t implements zero tolerance policy for unauthorised structures along highways
Sep 6, 2023, 11:41 AM

The Gambia Government has observed with serious concern the lack of adherence to the traffic regulations and the law governing building construction and permits for the erection of structures. This reckless disregard and willful violation of The Gambia Motor Traffic and Physical Planning Acts and Regulations, seriously obstructs vehicular activity and endangers the lives of motorists, pedestrians, and the public.

Dr Desta Tiruneh
Gambia has shortage of medical specialists Says WHO Rep
Jul 20, 2022, 11:08 AM

The country representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that The Gambia is experiencing shortage of medical specialists with a doctor to population ratio of 1 to 10,000 as opposed to the WHO recommended standard with a percentage of 22.8% which is the minimum standard.

Jonathan meets 15 Gambian party leaders
Jonathan meets 15 Gambian party leaders in Abuja
Feb 25, 2021, 2:04 PM

Former President, H.E. Goodluck Jonathan, is hosting a three-day brainstorming session with leaders of the 15 main political parties from Gambia, as part of efforts to build a consensus around writing a new constitution for the country.

EFSTH v2
EFSTH inaugurates multi-million dalasi Cardiology unit
Feb 24, 2023, 12:33 PM

Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) last Tuesday inaugurated a new state-of-the-art Cardiology Unit at a colourful ceremony held at the children’s hospital in Banjul.