By: Nyima Sillah
The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in collaboration with partners has launched a D1 million project for Gambian women’s welfare dubbed challenge-fund that seeks to mitigate and address growing conflict and tensions among rural agricultural communities in NBR, CRR, and URR.
The launch of the project took place at the Kerr Jula House in Bijilo.
The UN-peace building project aims to strengthening community coping mechanisms to mitigate risks of conflict and reduce climate related tension in The Gambia. It also aims at finding, supporting and accelerating early-stage grassroots solutions that will address the following challenges in access to markets, transportation and distribution, agro processing/storage facilities, promoting climate smart ventures.
The challenge-fund will help to create an opportunity for women to bring forward innovative and locally owned solutions that tackle challenges to women entrepreneurs amplified by COVID-19 whilst attempting to also improve growth finance of impactful business models including those owned and managed by women.
Speaking at the ceremony, Yassin Njie, ITC representative said her office remains committed to building and improving the economic resilience of rural women.
Meanwhile, Baboucarr Saho, acting CEO of GCCI said: “GCCI will continue to use its institutional capacity, experience, network to not just prepare women for opportunities but also facilitate the opportunities to reach out to them,” he said.
Sarata Conateh from GCCI, explained that a challenge or opportunity for women can lead to a better understanding of the market.
She said that it can lead to engagement and give clear feedback on how they can help them further a model that will assist women that is the use of an initiative and urged them to use the advantage of the opportunity and always be responsive.