By: Dawda Baldeh
Influential Female Entrepreneurs in Gambia’s Capital, Banjul, have called on the country’s youths to acquire skills for them to gain economic freedom amidst unemployment as not everyone can be employed by the government. They were recently speaking to young people recruited by the Banjul City Council under the Youths Voluntarism Project to undergo various skills training programs within and outside the country.
Maimuna Jahateh, the Founder of ‘Maiyamuna Skin & Hair Care,’ acknowledged that the country has a lot of talented young people who only lack mentoring and motivation to realize their potential. In 2017, she started her Skin & Hair Dressing program after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology in India. Fast-forward, ‘Maiyamuna Skin & Hair Care’ is now a household name inspiring many young people, especially females, to venture into skin and hair dressing programs.
The influential skin and hairdresser narrated that she abandoned her full-time employment to focus on her business, which is earning her more income today. “Entrepreneurship gives you freedom, and success is doing what you love,” she said, urging young people to embrace continuous learning to upgrade themselves to continue competing in the fast-growing market. “Don’t be afraid that many people are doing what you are doing; you can be different by doing things differently, and that will make you stand out,” she added.
Ida Saine, the founder of ‘Ida’s Idea,’ whose achievement cannot be substituted for anything in the Gambian business industry, emphasized the significance of skills in nation-building. With over three decades of doing business, Ida Saine was among the first Gambian women to sell African-made clothes in Europe. Her long-term dream of opening a professional fashion design school in the Gambia came to reality in 2018. Today, Ida Saine Conteh trains youths, especially girls, to have a profession using the skills through Ida’s Tailoring and Fashion School.
“Skill is very important, and if you learn it well, you cannot be unemployed,” she said, adding that Gambian youths should be encouraged to learn skills. They all share their personal stories to inspire and motivate the youths in pursuit of new opportunities such as skills training.
