The Belgian Agency for International Cooperation-Enabel in partnership with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 by hosting a Theory of Change Workshop for its EU funded Boosting Gambian Talents Project.
The event held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre Thursday marks the project’s first stakeholder engagement event held in the context of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025, under the theme: “Entrepreneurship & Mobility: shaping partnerships for greater impact and change.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the permanent secretary Ministry of Trade, Abdoulie Jallow, described the ‘Boosting Gambian Talents’ project as an initiative that speaks directly to Gambia’s national priorities for inclusive growth, job creation, entrepreneurship development and sustainable migration governance. PS Jallow averred that the project will further compliment the government’s efforts to convert the entrepreneurial spirit of “our youthful population” into sustainable thriving enterprises and foster private sector-led growth and development. “Our collective efforts under the project, will help the government in creating viable economic opportunities at home, address the root causes of irregular migration and turn what is often perceived as a challenge into a dividend,” he added.
Enrica Pellacani, head of cooperation, European Union Delegation in The Gambia, said the EU is proud to support the Boosting Gambian Talents project as one of three initiatives under its flexible mechanism for migration and forced displacement to support migration governance.
She explained that with this intervention, the EU seeks to foster economic opportunities, inclusion, innovation through entrepreneurship development, enabling job creation as a pathway to sustainable economic development. “We believe that empowering young people with skills, networks, and opportunities is key to addressing the root causes of irregular migration and through this project, we aim to turn mobility into a positive force, one that drives entrepreneurship, strengthens institutions, and builds resilient communities.”
Fatou Kinneh Jobe, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed the government’s sincere appreciation to the EU, Enabel and other national partners in implementing this visionary initiative. According to PS Jobe, the project provides opportunities for knowledge exchange, capacity building, and partnership development that will empower Gambian youth and businesses to thrive in both local and global markets. “This workshop marks a significant step in co-creating a shared vision for the Boosting Gambian Talents project. It invites us to jointly define how our collective efforts can lead to meaningful outcomes that reflect the realities of The Gambia’s entrepreneurial and mobility ecosystems,” she noted.
Rafaella Grecco Tonegutti, Coordinator of the Human Mobility Team of Enabel, stated that this technical workshop will allow stakeholders in the entrepreneurial and mobility ecosystems in The Gambia to collectively build a shared framework that will guide the impactful implementation of the project. “We hope that this connection stays strong and that we will keep celebrating and discussing entrepreneurship and mobility for the coming years,” she said.
