By Aminata Kuyateh
About 25 Gambian startup founders gained access to $350,000 in Google AI credits at a Founders Meet and Greet held on Friday at Alliance Française along Kairaba Avenue, as actors in the tech space push to close funding and resource gaps.
The session, organised by Startup Grind Banjul in partnership with GambiaTech and Fortizo Technologies, brought together selected entrepreneurs for discussions, networking, and support aimed at expanding the use of artificial intelligence.
Alex David Pratt, Community Coordinator for Startup Grind Banjul and founder of Fortizo Technologies, said the event reflected a shift in how local startups are building solutions.
“We brought together founders who are already building solutions, and most of them are AI-driven,” he said. “AI is emerging very fast among startups in The Gambia.”
He said participants explored ideas across sectors, including entertainment and education. “Some are creating local content using AI, while others are addressing the skills gap,” he said.
Pratt said access to credits would ease pressure on founders. “These platforms are expensive, and credits run out quickly, so this gives them more time to build and test,” he said.
Despite the support, gaps in the entrepreneurship ecosystem remain a concern. Baboucar Coly, project manager at GambiaTech, said access to funding, production, and technical resources continues to limit many startups.
“Many young people have ideas and even businesses, but they cannot access funding because they do not meet requirements like bookkeeping and financial systems,” he said.
He added that the banking sector does not fully support small businesses. “The system is not designed to make it easy for SMEs to access finance,” he said.
Coly said GambiaTech relies on support from international partners, including UNDP, Enabel, GIZ, and ITC, with no direct government funding at present. He noted ongoing engagement with the National Research and Innovation Fund and the Ministry of Digital Economy.
For participants, the credits offer relief from high operating costs. Mohammed Gando Bah, founder of The Daily Dose Plus, said his media platform depends on digital tools.
“Our biggest costs are cloud storage and subscription services,” he said. “This support is solving real problems for us.”
He said his team is working on AI tools to improve production. “We want systems that can edit videos, create thumbnails, and publish content with less human input,” he said.
Gando Bah said the impact could be immediate if the tools are used well. “It will improve both the quantity and quality of what we produce,” he said, adding that time remains a challenge.
He called on entrepreneurs to make use of such opportunities. “We have to build solutions for ourselves. Nobody else will fix our problems,” he said.
Organisers said the initiative is part of wider efforts to strengthen collaboration and support startup growth, with plans for future programmes including mentorship and innovation support.
