Gambia - Building Resilience for Inclusive Development and Enterprise Growth

The Building Resilience for Inclusive Development and Growth of Enterprises (BRIDGE) is an institutional support project. This is a grant of UA 1,000,000 (One Million Units of Account) from the resources of the Transition Support Facility Pillar III. The BRIDGE project aims to address these barriers by strengthening institutional frameworks and building the capacity of women and youth entrepreneurs, particularly in climate-smart practices. This will foster a more inclusive and resilient private sector, improve livelihoods, promote gender equality, and support economic growth. Key outputs include improving financial access through the Women Enterprise Fund, aligning export strategies with market demands, and streamlining business services through digital platforms. Capacity-building efforts—such as tailored training, mentorship, and support for rural business associations—will empower over 1,200 entrepreneurs. The project assumes continued government support for gender empowerment and resilience against sociocultural barriers in rural areas. Given the project’s scale with modest budget, the intended impact will focus on building institutional capacity and supporting a defined subgroup of entrepreneurs with strong growth potential. Rather than aiming for broad national-level economic transformation, the Project is designed to deliver targeted, feasible support that can realistically strengthen business development services and enable selected entrepreneurs to scale up and create new jobs. It will be implemented by the existing Central Project Coordinating Unit (CPCU) within MoFEA. The proposed project has three components, namely, (i) Strengthening the Institutional Framework for Private Sector, (ii) Capacity building for women and youth entrepreneurs in rural Gambia, and (iii) Project Management.