Gambia: GSCC Starts Youth-Based Matching Grant Training in LRR

The Gambia Startup Chamber of Commerce (GSCC) on Monday, 16 June 2025, launched a three-week entrepreneurship and business development training program for 144 beneficiaries of the second cohort of the Youth-Based Matching Grant under the ROOTS Project.

The beneficiaries were drawn from the North Bank, Lower River, Upper River, West Coast, and Central River Regions. They are divided into three batches, each undergoing a five-day intensive training session.

The ROOTS Project, Resilience of Organizations for Transformative Smallholder Agriculture, is an agricultural initiative funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of The Gambia.

Its core objective is to boost agricultural productivity and improve market access, with the overarching goal of enhancing food security, nutrition, and the resilience of family farms and farmers' organisations.

As part of this initiative, a dedicated Matching Grant (MG) window targeting youth and women aims to improve access to finance and promote inclusive agricultural development.

The capacity development component of the program spans four months, comprising three weeks of in-person training followed by three months of coaching and mentorship. It is designed to ensure that beneficiaries apply the knowledge and skills acquired to strengthen and scale their agri-business ventures.

The Gambia Startup Chamber of Commerce is a trade and business support organisation with a mandate to provide services that foster business development and improve access to finance. It also initiates projects and programs that respond to the pressing needs of startups in The Gambia and across the African sub-region.

GSCC works closely with government ministries, agencies, and development partners to promote trade and industry. It also collaborates with private sector actors to address challenges affecting entrepreneurship and business growth.

Additionally, the chamber plays an active role in policy and legislative engagement, mobilising resources to support the ideas, innovations, and expansion efforts of both members and non-members.

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