The Blog

With a rich cultural heritage, beautiful sandy beaches, breath-taking sunset, hospitable people, and a pleasant weather, The Gambia - The Smiling Coast of Africa, is undoubtedly one of Africa’s top tourist countries.

Until the outbreak of Covid-19, the country has over the years attracted visitors in numbers from all over the world, especially European countries. This surge in the number of visitors comes with benefits for the economy and subsequently the people. The sector is the highest foreign exchange earner and one of the major employers of Gambians, especially women and young people.

The...

The International Trade Centre, through its European Union-funded Jobs, Skills and Finance programme for women and youth, graduated 600 women and young people in 20 Farmer Business Schools across the country.

When the journey to Europe became the only hope for survival, Kawsu Jaiteh did not mind if that meant taking the irregular route. After much struggle, he made it to Libya through the Mediterranean Sea. Kawsu travelled with only a skill in painting which rendered his hopes for success futile. With so many challenges and unpleasant experiences he made his way back home.

Musa Sarr, commonly known as “MUART” is a 21-year-old Gambian passionate about fine art. His expertise ranges from Mural, Portrait painting, and Graffiti lettering. Musa inherited painting skills from both maternal and paternal grandparents. “I never attended any Art school, l am a self-taught painter,” he puts. Unknowing to him that this could transform into a profit-making venture, Musa started with Carpentry and Welding to sustain a decent livelihood.

Inspired by the natural colors of fabrics, the beauty in nature, and how that can translate into exquisite designs that sit immaculately on the skin, Mariama Ceesay ventured into tailoring and fashion with a hope to enhance beauty embedded in clothing. Her family and community members were her first customers. They would patronize her business and promote it to help expand her customer base.

At 21, Momodou was already convinced that, contrary to popular opinion that one can only make it outside The Gambia, it is very possible to make it in The Gambia. It just takes hard work. It was from that point on that he started working towards becoming a different person in acquiring skills and shaping his future.

[Banjul, 23 June 2022] NACCUG and the International Trade Centre (ITC) wish to inform the public and all prospective TVET mini-grant applicants that applications for the TVET Grant is closing on 24 June 2022.

The TVET Mini-Grant was launched in February 2022 with the objective of supporting 200 graduates from technical and vocational training programmes to establish their own businesses. This initiative has been met with great demand. To date, NACCUG has received more than 400 applications to this support. More than 150 applications have already been approved.

The TVET Mini-Grant is an initiat...

Agriculture remains the leading employer of youth and women in The Gambia, especially in rural areas. The sector, however, is faced with a myriad of challenges. The climate crisis, especially erratic rainfall continues to disrupt the livelihood of smallholder rural farmers. This has reduced crop yield and by extension, the income of rural farmers.

“My biggest motivation has been wanting to do things that people think cannot be done by a woman.” Ellen S. Sambou has the zeal to defy the odds in a male-dominated field. Studying Refrigeration and Air conditioning at GTTI was an undertaking meant to encourage more women to challenge the norm and realize their full potential. “I chose this because it is a field widely dominated by men and women should not be left behind,” she shared. In the beginning, it was not easy for Ellen as the stereotypes kicked in, but her drive to achieve measurable results in this field for a fair workforce kept her moving. Like many students who juggle adult life and higher education, the financial burden almost became unbearable. However, the determined Ellen knew she was meant to overcome every obstacle that was to serve as a deterrent in achieving her vision.