A Gambian entrepreneur in the Youth Connekt Summit: the story of Modou NS Njie

Modou NS Njie is a Gambian entrepreneur and founder of FarmFresh. Through FarmFresh he wants to make natural organic foods available to everyone. Earlier this year, he was sponsored by YEP to join the Gambian delegation and participate in the Youth Connekt Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. YEP talked to Modou to hear about his experience at the Youth Connekt, where he gave a pitch of FarmFresh.

The Youth Connekt is a Summit on youth technology entrepreneurship in Africa organized by UNCTAD, the United Nations Development Programme and the Rwandan government. The summit, themed "Realizing Africa's Youth Potential", brought together more than 2,500 delegates, including Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group and special advisor to UNCTAD for youth entrepreneurship and small business.

Modou NS Njie wanted to participate in the Youth Connekt to find the right connections to grow his business. He considered it an opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs and to find potential clients and investors.
In fact, Modou made good friends and important professional connections. He said that it was very useful to showcase his business ideas and network with a wide audience. Not only did he meet with fellow entrepreneurs from across Africa, but also Alibaba’s Group founder Jack Ma. “It was inspiring to see and hear from him as he built his wealth via e-commerce which is my goal” said Modou about the breakfast meeting with Ma that he attended.

Youth Connekt was a big success to African entrepreneurs overall. Jack Ma pledged $ 10million to support African youths, especially on ICT trainings. Tony Cole, CEO of Sahara Group Nigeria, also pledged $ 75,000 as funding for Youth Connekt entrepreneurs. Moreover, the Gambia team is now in talks about the possibility of organizing a Youth Connekt Summit in the country.

Modou considered that the experience was very positive. For his business, he received a lot of feedback, and contacts for possible partnerships in the future. On top of this, Modou also made good friends and boosted his confidence in pitching. When asked about EMPRETECOS and the future of entrepreneurship in The Gambia, he advised: “EMPRETECOS must be willing to seek opportunities whenever the opportunity arises as well as network with fellow entrepreneurs”

If you want to know more about EMPRETEC Entrepreneurship Trainings and become an EMPRETECO yourself, take a look at this YEP Opportunity. Deadline for applications is this FRIDAY.

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