The training was conducted by the Spanish Government to enhance the knowledge of staff on entrepreneurial skills, as well as to complement Government efforts on the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) which targets women establishing accessible and affordable credit to start or expand businesses for wealth and employment creation.
Honorable Minister for Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Fatou S. Kinteh described her ministry as the youngest with huge responsibility to empower women and children.
She stated thatTHE WEF is a funded project by The Gambia Government as part of the National Development Plan (NDP) to reach 10,000 women by 2021.
The objective of the project is to create a micro finance Bank to overcome the challenges of giving women high interest loans by Banks that indebt them more into poverty and to see to it that women are empowered economically in all walks of life.
Madam Kinteh urged participants to make follow up trainings with women in their localities, as well as mentor and coach them to make sure loans given to them benefit and uplift their economic status.
She further lauded Government’s commitment to triple their efforts to promote gender equality and empowerment and the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (SDG 5). She commended the Spanish Government for their support and partnership.
Permanent Secretary, Ndey Marie Njie described capacity building as crucial for the ministry’s objective especially on financial literacy and entrepreneurship further commending the Spanish Government initiating such a laudable and effective training and partnership with the Ministry of Gender.
Anna, Canadian Government representative thanked her government for developing the programme as well as giving such an opportunity to the Ministry to complement their efforts in the success of the WEF project.
Mariyann Jabang, Director of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment tasked Regional Gender Officers to continue to empower women and support them to engage in innovate business ventures and transfer the skills to enhance women for economic stability.
