By MariatouNgum
The Principal Trade Economist at the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE), has posited that empowering women-led businesses is not solely a matter of equity, but a strategic requirement that unlocks untapped pools of talent, creativity, and economic potential.
Mr Kemo Janka recently made these remarks during the opening of a day’s workshop and networking event on public procurement for security agencies and women-led businesses, held at the Boabab Hotel.
The event was organised by the SheTrades Hub, under the Ministry of Trade, in partnership with International Trade Centre (ITC) with the aim to discuss how to further the rules, process and procedures of public procurement for women’s access to security agencies and procurement services.
Mr Janka said this significant networking event is meant to bring together two vital components of the economic landscape - women-led businesses and esteemed security agencies. He went on to explain that the combination of these two forces, represents a powerful catalyst for progress, as they seek to not only broaden opportunities for women entrepreneurs but also to fortify the security sector through innovative collaborations.
The Principal Trade Economist emphasised the need to strengthen collaboration among ministries, development partners, and business support organisations, in order to maximise gains from public procurement.
Fatou Mbenga Jallow, SheTrades Regional Coordinator and Senior Technical Adviser at the ITC, underscored the importance of the convergence. She noted that they have been doing a lot of work when it comes to advocacy on how to ensure women participate in public procurement.
Giving a briefing on SheTrades, Kutubo Jarju, Senior Trade Economist at MoTIE said it is an economic empowerment initiative aimed to boost women economic participation through trade. “SheTrades started in The Gambia in 2019 and when the project phased out in 2021, as part of the sustainability mechanism of the project, the Ministry in partnership with ITC launched the SheTrades Hub, a programme that is aimed to empower women economic participation”.
He said the activities undertaken by SheTrades Hub included capacity building for women entrepreneurs to make sure that they participate in the global economy with high quality products and policy advocacy in procurement to ensure that women have good share when it comes to public procurement.
