Fatim Badgie, former minister of Information and partners has launched its e-commerce marketplace dubbed YOBAAL, Creative E-Commerce Marketplace, an e-commerce website that vows to provide access to Gambia’s most authentic creative products and services along with reliable and easy payment methods.
The official launching of the platform was held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre recently, where officials disclosed that the e-commerce platform was created for the creative industry as an outlet to market and sell their products and services to buyers within and around the world.
, Fatim Badgie, that revealed that YOBAAL is the first creative’s e-commerce (shopping) website in the country with a state-of-the-art user-friendly design integrated with shipping and payment methods, noting that with YOBAAL.com customers can make shopping easily from buyers of bespoke and quality African-made products from anywhere they are in the world.
She disclosed that YOBAAL.com was developed by Ace Communications Executive, that features creative products in Fashion and Design, Fashion Accessories, Arts and Handicrafts, Heritage and Culture, Music, Performing Arts, and Literature, noting that the platform will grant online buyers an easy opportunity to shop for their desired items with just a quick browse through available categories.
“A click on your favorite products, and an easy checkout process with online payment and doorstep delivery that make shopping easier. Yobaal was developed from a special need to grant creators an alternative means to sell their products without the need to invest or struggle to secure a physical store,” Fatim Badgie revealed.
She added: “Through such a platform, Gambia can continue to build on becoming a creative economy as this channel promotes employment and sustainable revenue streams. Over the past twelve months, YOBAAL with the support of ACP-EU has screened and registered several businesses primarily featuring and promoting thirty (30) creative businesses for a start in the above categories.”
She continued to reveal that through the support of the partners a studio was built to capture product photoshoots and to create content such as compelling product images and product descriptions about local (Gambian) businesses online for the first time, noting that it allows the businesses to access buyers, especially off-season as well as allow users to book for cultural adventures, site seeing, booking of creative services and music for upcoming events and travel with less hassle.
“Yobaal is not open to ready-made western products, Yobaal is designed for authentic Gambian/African creators only,” the former Minister of Information submitted.
She calls on all brands and creative businesses to join the Yobaal team and help promote Gambia’s creative e-commerce platform, while also calling on buyers within and outside the Gambia to support what is effectively an authentic lifeline to many talented local Gambian creators looking to take their business to the next level.