19/02/2026
🇬🇲 WBAG at The 3rd National Dialogue – 61st Independence Anniversary 🇬🇲
On Monday, 16th February 2026, the Women’s Business Advocacy Group (WBAG) was proudly represented at The Gambia’s National Dialogue held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center as part of The Gambia’s 61st Independence celebrations.
Our Technical Adviser, Emily Sarr, delivered a powerful 3-minute reflection on the national theme:
“Harnessing The Gambia’s Human Capital and Infrastructural Resources for an Inclusive Leap to Prosperity.”
In a hall filled with over 300 national stakeholders, WBAG reaffirmed a simple but transformative truth:
👉🏽 The Gambia’s greatest wealth is its people — and inclusion is the pathway to prosperity.
🔹 Key Highlights from WBAG’s Reflection:
• Women are central to national productivity. Across markets and value chains, women entrepreneurs are generating income, creating jobs, and sustaining households — yet many remain underrepresented in higher-value opportunities.
• Public procurement is a strategic economic lever. It is not merely administrative — it shapes markets, directs public investment, and determines who participates in structured growth.
• The GPPA Act 2022 (Section 33 – Domestic Preference) provides a foundation for local participation, and continued dialogue around structured inclusion benchmarks represents a constructive next step toward deepening equitable access.
• WBAG proudly contributed to shaping the draft Gender Responsive Public Procurement Policy, now being advanced through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare — a major milestone toward institutionalizing inclusion within national systems.
• Inclusion does not lower standards. During COVID, women-led businesses formed consortia, met procurement requirements, and delivered efficiently — proving that access unlocks performance.
• WBAG’s advocacy aligns directly with the national development framework under YIRWA (2023–2027), reinforcing structured affirmative measures as tools for empowerment and sustainable growth.
🤝 Strong Partnerships Driving Impact
WBAG continues to work collaboratively with:
• International Trade Centre
• United Nations Development Programme
• Gambia Public Procurement Authority
• Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment
• Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency
• Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (our institutional host during this formative phase)
Together, we are strengthening supplier diversity, enterprise readiness, and inclusive procurement systems that expand opportunity for women-owned businesses.
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As we mark 61 years of independence, WBAG remains committed to ensuring that inclusion is not symbolic but structural.
An inclusive leap to prosperity must be deliberate, measurable, and sustained.
💡 When women participate fully, markets deepen.
💡 When access expands, competition strengthens.
💡 When systems are inclusive, nations grow.
WBAG!! Advancing Inclusive Markets. Strengthening National Prosperity. 🇬🇲
