On Stage: Some Inspiring women entrepreneurs from The Gambia
#WomenInBusiness #CreativeAfrica #GambiaRising #SheCreates #EmpoweredWomen
Women entrepreneurs in “The Smiling Coast of Africa” or The Gambia are redefining what it means to be enterprising in one of Africa’s smallest yet most dynamic economies. From bustling markets to innovative studios and fertile farmlands, Gambian women are leading ventures that blend creativity, resilience & community spirit. They are not only building businesses but also empowering others – turning entrepreneurship into a tool for transformation.
Across the country, women are venturing into diverse sectors such as agriculture, food processing, fashion, and creative industries, often using locally available resources and sustainable practices. Many start small – selling produce, handmade crafts, or garments, but grow steadily through determination, training programs, and access to microfinance. Initiatives that offer skills development, financial literacy, and mentorship have played a key role in helping these women strengthen their enterprises and adapt to market needs.
How Gambian Women are Cultivating Change through Enterprise
A defining feature of Gambian women entrepreneurs is their sense of collective empowerment. Through women’s associations and informal cooperatives, they pool funds, exchange knowledge, and support one another in navigating challenges like limited access to capital and market exposure. These community-based networks have become a lifeline, fostering solidarity and shared growth.
By embracing innovation and collaboration, the women of The Gambia are not just contributing to economic development – they are reshaping social norms, inspiring young women, and proving that entrepreneurship can be a powerful path to empowerment and equality. Their stories stand as shining examples of courage, creativity & commitment to progress.
Let now turn the light on some inspiring women entrepreneurs of The Gambia.
- Mariama Sarge, Co-founder, MESE Energy Solutions
To track the story of Mariama Sarge, she is a solar technician and entrepreneur from The Gambia, who invented a Multifunctional Solar-Powered Cart designed to empower women street vendors & provide them with a cleaner, greener business option.
The invention, developed with her company MESE Energy Solutions (co-founded with Mosan Joof), offers several practical features like – Refrigeration for perishable goods; Charging ports for electronic devices; Blender and other equipment to support sales and Clean energy source as an alternative to traditional, less environmentally friendly methods used by street vendors.
Actually, she made history with this innovation by becoming the first female inventor to register a utility model in The Gambia. She received tailored training and mentorship on intellectual property (IP) from the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which helped her protect her invention and business. The carts address a local need for sustainable business tools, and MESE Energy Solutions has secured funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – to produce more units and make them available for vendors to rent.
Excelling in the male-dominated renewable energy sector in The Gambia, she has made significant contributions to improving the lives of many Gambians.
https://www.instagram.com/mariamasarge
- Elsie A Williams, Founder of Elsie’s Women Empowerment Farm
In The Gambia, the first women-owned farm to produce organic cotton, with a strategy to empower other women in agriculture is Elsie A Wiliams’ Women Empowerment Farm, launched in 2019.
She identified a growing demand for organic cotton in the international market. Their mission is to revitalize cotton production in The Gambia, empowering women economically, and promoting organic farming practices. The farm employs mostly women, and has remained resilient through challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, Elsie’s Women Empowerment Farm is the first women-owned farm producing organic cotton in the Gambia. She works together with the Young Female Farmers Association to boost women’s role in agriculture in the country. She aims to establish a local value chain for cotton production, including producing cotton oil, and eventually woven fabrics and clothes, with the goal of creating more jobs and self-sufficiency.
As an active member of the Young Female Farmers Association, she works towards boosting women’s roles across the agricultural sector. Backed by her work, she is a prominent figure in agricultural entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment in The Gambia, actively working with organizations like the International Trade Centre (ITC) SheTrades project and the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) – to develop her business skills and expand her operations.
- Claudette Sarr-Krook, Founder of Care for Natural Foundation
Claudette Sarr-Krook is a Dutch immigrant in The Gambia who set up the Care for Natural Foundation. She also started a centre for burn treatment for children on a small farm in Mariamakunda. The treatment involves applying freshly sliced open leaves of aloe vera that are placed on the burn.
To elaborate, this is a successful dairy products business that has grown from a home kitchen operation to supplying supermarkets, hotels, and restaurants, with a focus on employing women who face difficulty accessing the job market.
https://gm.linkedin.com/in/claudette-sarr-krook-040ab636?original_
https://www.stichting-carefornatural.org/en
- Ida Cham, Founder of Yabouy Home Cooking
Ida Cham is the Founder of Yabouy Home Cooking, which she set up in 2008. She has spent the last 20 years working in the tourism industry and now offers Gambian cooking courses at her home in Brufut. She is backed by a unique tourism experience that offers travellers a hands-on experience of Gambian culture and cuisine. She also established the Yabouy Charity in 2013 – to support women in her community.
She was born in The Gambia in 1964, a year before the country gained independence from Great Britain. She graduated from West London College, UK in Hotel, Tourism and Catering Management. She returned home to The Gambia in 1989, and started working too. It was later that she launched her own company – Yabouy Home Cooking.
Since 2013 she has also been commissioned by The Gambia Tourism Board to conduct training programmes on Gambian cooking with the community-based tourism businesses in The Gambia.
https://www.facebook.com/ida.cham.52
https://gm.linkedin.com/in/ida-cham-njai-yabouy-226597125?
https://www.instagram.com/chaamidaa
https://gambianhomecooking.com
- Ida Saine Conteh, Founder of Ida’s Idea
Founder of Ida’s Idea, Ida Saine Conteh’s achievement is very prominent and unique in the Gambian business industry. With over three decades of doing business, she actually created history. She was among the first Gambian women, to sell African-made clothes in Europe.
It was in 2018 that her long-termed dream of opening a professional fashion design school in The Gambia became a reality. Today, she trains youths, especially girls, to have a profession using the skills through Ida’s Tailoring and fashion school.
Over decades, she has indeed contributed immensely to the fashion sector of The Gambia. Another achievement is that she was once the Vice President of the Gambia fashion association.
https://www.instagram.com/idas_ideas_fashion_institute/?hl=en
- Aji Daffeh, Founder of the Aji Daffeh Brand
Aji Daffeh is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of the Aji Daffeh Brand, a Gambian clothing fashion, since 1996. The brand has expanded beyond fashion to include interiors and transportation services, all reflecting a philosophy of – “Perfection is in the details”.
Formerly named L’Excellence, the Aji Daffeh brand has transcended creative boundaries. Taking fashion as a business when many dare not to such profession, AJi Daffeh has inspired many young women through her achievement. Her designs have been worn by many public figures including, The Gambia’s first family. Apart expanding her business, it is clearly evident that she uses her work to champion women and youths empowerment.
Beyond business, her leadership shines through her philanthropy – empowering women, youth, and championing the fight against cancer with African Women Against Cancer (AWAC).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/agi-aminata-daffeh-01832042/?originalSubdomain=sn
Shree Lahiri
Avtar Madan
Himanshu
