By Olimatou Coker
The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in collaboration with partners Tuesday launched a one million dalasis project for Gambian women.
The peace-building fund (PBF) project on climate conflict: strengthening community coping mechanisms to mitigate risks of conflict and reduce climate related tensions in The Gambia, is a joint initiative funded by the UN.
It seeks to mitigate and address growing conflict and tensions among rural agricultural communities in NBR, CRR, and URR. The focus is on communities affected by the increasing impacts climate change has on their lives and livelihoods.
The GCCI with support from ITC will be championing the Challenge Fund for Women Entrepreneurs. Officials said the Challenge is aimed at finding, supporting and accelerating early-stage grassroots solutions that will address challenges in access to markets, transportation and distribution, and challenges in agro processing/storage facilities, and promoting climate smart ventures.
Yassin Njie, ITC representative, said a similar project has been launched last year in partnership with the KMC and GCCI. She said the ITC believes that women have a crucial role in ensuring sustainable economic recovery from the pandemic.
“Therefore, ITC will remain committed to building and improving the economic resilience of rural women,” she said.
Baboucarr Saho, acting CEO of GCCI, said: “GCCI will continue to use its institutional capacity, experience, and network to not just prepare women for opportunities but also facilitate those opportunities to reach them.”
His colleague Sarata Conateh hinted a challenge or opportunity for women can lead to a better understanding of the market.
