The launch was held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Hall.
This ambitious programme aims to provide innovative, needs-based BDS, financial access and market access to entrepreneurs and MSMEs, building and strengthening ecosystems and supply chains within the tourism sector across the country, aimed at creating jobs among youth, and women.
The project further seeks to build the capacity of over 200 tourism-related Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), through training and capacity building, technology transfer, and access to resources like finance and markets. Besides, with this inaugural cohorts, 60 MSMEs businesses are selected, who are ready to work with the Ministry to promote tourism development in the country.
Welcoming the gathering, Momodou Ceesay, project director, Project Implementation Unit Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project, while describing the initiative as a millstone event, underscored the importance of the project in the country’s tourism sector.
He spoke about their resolve to work with MSMEs that made this first cohort in the next three years to better strengthen the country’s tourism sector in the next three and half years.
While calling on MSMEs to take ownership of the project, which he added, was funded by the World Bank, Ceesay also challenged all partners to work towards the success of the project.
Hamid Gbawuru Marrah, Team Lead, Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project, MSMEs Accelerator Programme, congratulated the first cohort of MSMEs, acknowledging that it has been a long journey to reach so far.
Franklin Mutahakana, Country Representative, The Gambia- The World Bank Group, described MSMEs as key players in any country’s economy, further expressing appreciation with the development.
He also conveyed a hearty congratulation to the MSMEs that made the first cohort of the project, maintaining that the World Bank Group partnership with The Gambia includes working towards achieving the resilience of private sector-driven job creation as specified in the government’s development strategies including the National Development Plan.
The WB official also spoke highly of the significant role played by the private sector in achieving sustainable growth and development.
The private sector, he added, is an engine for development. However, as he alluded ,without adequate lubrication, the engine cannot run effectively.
He noted that under the project, the government is trying to create an enabling environment for the private sector to flourish.
The accelerator programme, he maintained, is the lubricant to support the development of MSMEs in the country and spoke of his readiness to support the group.
In her launch statement, Cordu L. Jabang-Senghore, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism and Culture of The Gambia, acknowledged that government of The Gambia has recognised the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs), as one of the development priorities for job creation and economic development as indicated in the Recovery Focused National Plan 2023 to 2027.
There have been limited spillovers for tourism focused MSMEs, which faced several constraints that hinder their growth. Moreover, there are other structural or binding constraints that hinder MSMEs such as weak downstream and upstream links, poor network of support services, limited contacts between traditional industries in tourism and technology-enabled business, limited access to financial products and services, as well as an existing regulatory framework that could benefit from enhanced promotion of competitiveness.
Despite these challenges, Tourism PS maintained that tourism in the Gambia presents unexploited potentials to cause significant economic gains through positive spillovers on local MSMEs.
She pointed out that one of those growth opportunities that has already proven successful in countries is through tourism related MSMEs similarly selling goods and services to large businesses in the industry like large hotels, tour operators and other major industry leaders.
She described this Tourism Diversification and Resilience in Gambia Project as one on the right trajectory to take a firm approach to MSMEs solution by leveraging on businesses to expand their capacity in country’s value chain.
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