By Olimatou Coker
A town hall meeting was organised recently and discussed entrepreneurship and innovation in The Gambia.
Organised by the Institute for Integrated Transition (IFIT) in partnership with Gambia Transition Brain Trust, (GTBT) it ended at a local hotel under the theme Assessing and Reforming of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Developing Countries.
Adrian Magendzo, who is a senior specialist at the science, technology and innovation division of the Inter-America Developing Bank in Washington DC, gives a presentation on developed countries and the economic trench of The Gambia.
Magendzo said the meeting focused on the social and economic issues affecting the local or regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. He said he had a two-day working visit in The Gambia to meeting institutions that are focused on entrepreneurial ecosystem.
In his presentation, he said productivity is key to growth and named technology, efficiency and climate as vital parts of it.
Ms Juka Jabang, the chairperson of GTBT, said the meeting assessed the strength, weaknesses and challenges that set the entrepreneurial universe.
She said it also explored ways of not just reforming but transforming the entrepreneurial architecture of The Gambia.
She said the GTBT’s main function “is to conduct analytical and advising work around issues and themes that are central to the country’s transition…”
“Our brain trust represent a unique local space for generating creative and alternative policy ideas to promote the economic political, social, institutional and legal transformation necessary to ensure The Gambia has a successful transition into a democratic and inclusive society,” she said.
Abdoulie Touray, chairperson, economic transformation and
entrepreneurship thematic group of the GTBT, said the GTBT is working to help realise the country’s development aspirations, particularly on entrepreneurship.
“Entrepreneurship is important in several ways,” he said, “but more important is the fact that entrepreneurs add values to goods and services.”
IFIT launched the GTBT, an independent platform of Gambian social, business and political leaders seeking to ensure a successful democratic transition in the country.
