A Review of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem of The Gambia

Abstract

Over the years, entrepreneurship programmes have gained momentum and expanded in The Gambia focusing on the national development priorities (MoFEA, 2018). The introduction of these programmes that are supporting youth and women entrepreneurship development has been seen in many sectors of the economy. However, a review of the entrepreneurship ecosystem shows an un-coordinated and limited synergy amongst the different actors of the ecosystem as well as the programmes being implemented (MoHERST & OACPS, 2022). This has resulted to a low entrepreneurial output of the programmes within the economy Conscious of this situation, this paper seeks to review the current entrepreneurship ecosystem in The Gambia with a view to propose viable options of ensuring closer linkages between the actors and the programmes being delivered. It reviews the policy drive, actors of the ecosystem, current programmes, support structures in place, coordination mechanisms, and the types of available funding for entrepreneurship in The Gambia (Sowe, S., 2024). The paper concluded by identifying the gaps within the entrepreneurship ecosystem and proposed recommendations aimed at ensuring an effective and efficient entrepreneurship ecosystem in The Gambia (MoHERST & OACPS, 2022).