OFFICIAL LAUNCHING OF THE WOMEN ENTERPRISE FUND ORGANISED BY MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIRS IN THE GAMBIA

Vice president Isatou Touray launched a 3 million Euros Women Enterprise Fund recently. The project is under the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Children and Social Welfare. The fund is a 3-million euro investment which aims to assist women entrepreneurs grow their existing businesses and enable them to mature to a state where they can pursue opportunities in domestic and global markets. The goals of this fund are to reduce poverty, promote national development and empower women. In her keynote address, The Vice President, Her Excellency Dr Isatou Touray, revealed that the money was provided by the EU and that in January The Gambia Government put in five million dalasis into the fund and an additional one million dalasis to meet the annual operating cost. “The Women Enterprise Fund is a semi-autonomous government agency in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Children and Social Welfare to provide accessible and affordable credit to support women in expanding their business, for wealth and employment creation,” she noted. She said it is a step towards helping Gambian women achieve the Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality and women empowerment. Vice president Touray added that no meaningful development can take place if the women, who form the majority of the population, lag behind. The European Union is also committing three million euros to complement support for the government for the period of 24 months running from 2019 to 2021”, she said. “The 3 million euro fund will target rural women and the vulnerable living in the country. My ministry’s aims and objectives are to help the women enterprises to be upgraded and make their living conditions better,” she asserted. “It is planned that the fund will develop entrepreneurship skills for more than 10,000 women and girls by 2021. The EU representative underscored the EU’s commitment towards the project and said the EU is concerned about the social injustices women are suffering. The Minister of Women’s Affairs, Children and Social Welfare, Fatou Kinteh, said that women form the majority of the poor in The Gambia which derails their economic development.