The minister of Trade, Employment, and Regional Integration has said that the Gambia national development blueprint clearly identifies the private sector as the engine of growth.

Minister Kebba Touray was speaking Tuesday while declaring open a four-day entrepreneurship business training course organised by the US Embassy in Banjul in collaboration with American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) at the UK-US Business Centre at Relax Sahel in Bijilo. He stated that the training will feed into the continuous efforts of the Gambia government aimed at improving the local entrepreneurial skills and capacities of Gambians especially the young and dynamic members.

Minister Touray also remarked that such training should be geared towards addressing the increasingly rapid advancement in both technology and doing business and the need to quickly absorb and adapt new concepts and tools in order to remain competitive.

He continued: “Youths constitute a high proportion of our population which is a strong indicator for the need to train and equip them with the needed skills and confidence that will enable them excel in their future endeavours especially as the heads of start-ups.”

The Trade minister expressed appreciation to AmCham for coming up with the training and urged the private sector participants to take advantage of the training. He informed the participants that the training will inculcate entrepreneurial culture towards enhancing the growth of the private sector.

“Since it is the mandate of my Ministry to ensure the promotion of trade, industry and regional integration as well as facilitate the creation of employment, this training is therefore a laudable initiative that is most welcome as a valuable contribution to the efforts on the ground by government and partner institutions,” he added.

Minster Touray also explained that the theories to be divulged upon during this training period will be localised through the 'business game simulations' which will ensure the absorption of the concepts. He concluded by renewing his office’s commitment to a longstanding and fruitful partnership between his Ministry and the American Chamber.

Speaking earlier, Abdoulie Touray, president of AmCham, thanked the participants for attending the training.He expressed gratitude to the US Embassy for the support, and GIEPA for being a co-sponsor of the training. He added that AmCham is committed to alleviating poverty, which is possible through entrepreneurship.