Overview of The Gambia
The Gambia is a unique West African country considered to be the smallest mainland country in the region. It is bordered almost wholly by Senegal and to the West by the Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of approximately two million (as at 2018). The Gambian population demographics shows that the youth (+15-35 years) make up approximately 64% of the population.
According to Finsope 2019, 57% of the population reside in rural areas whilst whilst 43% reside in urban areas, with about 77% of the population having had some form of formal education. Farming in The Gambia is vital with 61% of adults living in households involved in farming. 69% of the population are financially excluded. This group of people do not use any (formal or informal) form of financial services or product. This is due to factors such as unemployment rate, social and economic structure and access to these products.
Project Activities
In The Gambia, German Sparkassenstiftung currently implements a Regional Project in collaboration with its partner the National Association of Co-Operative Credit Unions of The Gambia (NACCUG).
Current Project
1. The "Sustainable transformation of the financial sector by strengthening the credit union sector and promoting equal representation of women and youth in West Africa" project aims to achieve improved financial inclusion of the so far excluded or disadvantaged population groups by better access to financial services and thereby facilitating their participation in economic life and contributing to poverty reduction.
2. German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation on behalf of the Gambian Agency for the Management of Public Works (GAMWORKS) is implementing a project titled “Capacity Building for Window 1 & Window 2 Beneficiaries of the Gambia Pilot Program (GPP)” as part of the project framework “Regional Stabilization and Development Fund in ECOWAS Member States – The Gambia Pilot Program” (GPP). GPP aims at contributing to the stability and sustainable development of The Gambia by creating employment and income opportunities within horticulture, poultry, fish value chains in the Greater Banjul Area, Lower River Region (LRR) and Upper River Region (URR) especially for youth aged (18 to 35).
Completed Projects
Strenghtening the Credit Union Associations in Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia in their organisational capacities
The West-African Regional Project in collaboration with a partner institution, the Ghana Co-operative Credit Union Association (CUA), aims to strengthen the Credit Unions and other microfinance institutions and associations in Ghana by developing their capacity.
The Economic Inculsion of Returnees and Potential Migrants in Ghana and the Gambia
German Sparkassenstiftung in The Gambia implemented the “Economic Inclusion of Returnees and Potential Migrants in Ghana and The Gambia” project from 2021-2023 on behalf of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The project aimed to offer support to returnees and potential migrants to explore existing opportunities by enhancing their relevant business education and financial literacy through business training and coaching. This will improve their access fo financial services and aid in their reintegration in Ghana.
The project objectives were to:
- To equip returnees with basic entrepreneurial skills.
- Offer business coaching to enable them to design their own business proposals.
- Provide access to Credit Unions
