By Sirrah Touray
Following months of coaching, training and mentorship to enable them meet quality standards for their products and services to be purchased by lead firms such as hotels, tour operators and other major industry players, the second cohort of Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) under sub component (1b) of the Tourism Diversification and Resilience Project implemented by IBF International in partnership with RCM Gambia will graduate on Monday with a number of businesses to receive matching grants for up to $50,000 to help their businesses become more resilient and be integrated into the tourism value chain.
Funded by the World Bank, the project aims to build the capacity of over 200 tourism related MSMEs to boost Gambia’s tourism sector productivity, sustainability, resilience, and inclusive growth. The programme employs multiple approaches, including training, coaching, mentorship, peer learning, investment readiness preparation, and access to a grant matching scheme.This graduation will also witness the official launch of the third cohort.
Speaking ahead of the event, team leader, MSME Accelerator and Inclusive Participation, Hamid Marah, reiterated the TDRGP’s commitment to fostering a resilient and diversified tourism economy in The Gambia. He explained that the programme centers on a direct approach deploying experienced business development managers working with the MSME’s to guide and provide them with the tools and skills to grow their businesses and sustain it. “This approach has proven to be quite fruitful and the testimonials from the MSMEs is that beyond the grants, they were able to significantly transform their businesses,” Marah said.
Further demonstrating the programme’s effectiveness, Marah noted that over 60 lead firm contracts have been awarded to a number of beneficiary MSME’s exemplifying the project’s transformative power.
”So this graduation allows us to officially recognise the hard work and success of our second cohort,” Hamid added.
David Jeng, business development manager, Yukuté Accelerator Programme highlighted the significant role the project plays in bolstering the country’s micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector. The project currently supports and trains 160 MSMEs across two cohorts, with 55 in the first and 61 in the second.
Mr Jeng said these businesses receive comprehensive training in crucial areas such as legal and regulatory frameworks, financial management, market access, food safety, quality marketing, and other essential business development skills. He emphasised that these are direct responses to the challenges faced by the MSMEs. “We are training these MSMEs to build their capacity, to guide them and support them to be able to implement certain key strategies and get them investment ready to be able to access the market and grow,” Jeng averred.
He added the programme provides a vital ecosystem for self improvement and networking, especially for young Gambians. Jeng believes many youths leave the country not due to a lack of belief, but rather the absence of a supportive environment, a gap this project aims to fill by connecting them with knowledgeable experts in various fields.
