As part of its corporate social responsibilities, TAF Africa Global dedicates 1% of its total revenue to advance meaningful development and growth in the communities that it serves. The foundation has developed a series of initiatives targeting different members of society particularly the youth which constitutes 66% of the Gambia’s populace, and the differently abled who are mostly ignored by society at large. As a pan African organization, TAF Africa Global sees this as a moral obligation to not only nurture and groom the next generation of African leaders to advance the sustainable development goals, but also to make a difference in the lives of the communities we serve that have given a lot to our organization over the past 29 years.
OBJECTIVES
With the growing need to foster inclusivity, youth empowerment, and rapid socio-politico- economic development, TAF Africa foundation seeks to widen its engagement by supporting local communities and vulnerable groups to impact change in our society and promote social cohesion. TAF foundation seeks to achieve the following:
● Empower and nurture the next generation of leaders and sharpen their leadership potentials.
● Provide a platform that would promote intellectual discourse and breed social cohesion amongst young people.
● Provide support to disadvantaged groups such as the differently abled, the uneducated, and the disenfranchised members of society, and provide the opportunity to be inspired to develop their communities.
● Create an environment to celebrate accomplished Gambians who have not only served with distinction in their respective careers, but have decided to give back to their communities with limited recognition.
● Promote Youth Entrepreneurship by providing significant financial support along with mentorship, training, and networking opportunities for young Gambians who have great ideas and potential, but limited by access to capital or proper guidance.
TAF Africa Foundation has currently developed seven initiatives aimed at accomplishing its objectives.
TAF CONFERENCE (TAFCON)
TAFCON is the biggest annual Conference & Networking event in the Gambia. The event is designed to support Global efforts to foster more inclusiveness and participatory nations in order to build long term sustainable societies to foster Global peace and prosperity, consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) of the United Nations to which Gambia is a signatory.
The first edition of TAFCON started three years ago in December 2015 at the TAF complex, Madiba mall. Over the years, it has grown rapidly attracting international participants. The President of the Republic of the Gambia served as the Guest Speaker at the Official opening ceremony of TAFCON2017. This conference has not only promoted a healthy intergenerational dialogue, but has also fostered a platform for young people to share their thoughts towards the enhancement of National Development. The resolutions and outcomes of the conference is shared to all relevant stakeholders such as the government, this is believed to help the government in the development and implementation of policies for its people.
TAFCON seeks to achieve the following:
● Promote, expose and support local talents
● Promote Intergenerational dialogues on pressing National and Global challenges.
● Present job opportunities for young people, and Gambians from the Diaspora through the networking sessions and job fair.
TAF ENTREPRENEURSHIP NETWORK (CLUB TEN)
Abbreviated as CLUB TEN, this initiative is aimed at creating a conducive environment for young people to thrive in their business ventures as well as creating a platform where the members can meet periodically to exchange ideas and network. At the core of Club Ten meetings, is a speech by a well experienced, and successful entrepreneur who shares his/her journey and lessons learned along the way to help guide and inspire young entrepreneurs. These meetings foster dialogue among the business community and leverage their joint experiences towards the greater good of our society.
The Key objective of the initiative includes:
● Provide a platform for young Gambian entrepreneurs to network, share their ideas and discuss ways their respective ventures can advance meaningful changes in our society.
● Provide an avenue for young entrepreneurs to be inspired, mentored and guided by erudite business leaders in the Gambia in the realization of their business dreams.
● Provide a platform for youth entrepreneurs to build their strengths and work on their weakness in relation to leadership and business skills.
● Encourage the idea of networking and learning from each other rather than hoarding knowledge.
TAF LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (TAFLA)
Recognizing the significance of great leadership at all levels, and the impact it has in the lives of Gambians, TAFLA was created to serve as a training academy for our future leaders. The Academy is meant to prepare and train the next generation of Gambian leaders on diverse issues based on their areas of interest. TAFLA seeks to harness the characteristics essential for creating a mission-based life of impact, and purpose for young people who will be taking up leadership roles in the next five to ten years.
One of the greatest challenges The Gambia faces, is competent leaders in different capacities who lack the requisite competencies, including a culture of accountability and excellence, resulting in poor management across several institutions. This initiative would build the identified cohorts of selected youths and give them a platform to hone their hidden potentials and leadership skills to avert this growing concern.
TAFLA aims to train one thousand (1000) leaders within the next five years. The different leadership sessions would entail a series of activities that would enhance critical and creative thinking and encourage the participants to solve pressing challenges in innovative ways. This initiative would also bring forward individuals that have excelled in their various fields to share the challenges they faced through their life journeys and achievements.
The objective and expected outcome of this program includes:
● Build the next generation of leaders who will transform The Gambia by building a powerful network of young leaders within the next 10 years.
● Unite potential leaders to address our country’s greatest problems, achieve phenomenal social impacts, and improve the country’s leadership trajectory.
● Provide a platform and a substantive voice for young leaders who will serve as a catalyst for change and be in the front-line towards the sustainable growth and development of The Gambia.
TAF TRAINING INSTITUTE
Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is one of the most practical avenues for acquiring readily employable skills to address the human resource capacity gap the country is faced with. The Gambia as a developing country needs competent technicians to fill the gaps in various sectors of our economy. This, over the years has not been given the much needed attention it deserves especially in our education sector and policy making processes with the recent increase in youth unemployment. This dilemma has been stagnant as the population of the Gambia has increased to 2.2 million. In addition, the crumple in youth labor market by 0.3 percent, rapid economic change, youth unemployment (12.89%) alongside underemployment due to skills mismatch is a clear manifestation to endorse skills acquisition (TVET) for poverty reduction, economic recovery and sustainable development. This initiative will provide a platform for individuals aged 16-33 to recognize the need and importance of “blue collar” jobs as a lucrative career path. This would further motivate the young people to have dignity in labor while building the infrastructures of the country. In addition, the training institute would give participants the platform to undergo rigorous internships for three- five months where they will engage in practical activities such as construction, digital marketing, architecture, plumbing etc.
This program seeks to achieve the following:
● Create an environment that would produce and provide a generation who would be conscious of the need and importance for skills acquisition.
● Ensure a curb in youth unemployment by giving access to skilled youths to develop and prepare them for the labor market.
● Ensure the sustainability of local talents and skills development to provide meaningful growth towards the economic sector.
TAF START-UPS
This project came about during the annual TAFCON which is a conference and networking event. It seeks to support and empower dynamic young Gambian entrepreneurs reach their full potential, while encouraging entrepreneurship amongst the unemployed youths. As finance is one of the major constraints for all start-ups, TAF Africa foundation deemed it necessary to organize a pitching competition judged by successful Gambian entrepreneurs who understand the challenges faced by these young entrepreneurs. Thiscompetition is one of the biggest avenues to empower and support local youth businesses and has triggered a willingness by youth entrepreneurs to formally register their businesses and develop standard business practices such as developing a business plan, open a business account, and maintain proper financial records.
The winner of this contest receives One million Gambian dalasis (D1, 000,000.00), first runner-up receives Five Hundred Thousand Dalasis (D500,000) whiles second runner-up receives Two Hundred and Fifty thousand dalasis(D250,000). The remaining finalist all receives a cash prize of Fifty-Thousand dalasis (D50,000). This program also gives these young entrepreneurs the opportunity to get mentorship from top business leaders and attend international entrepreneurship events, this also gives them the exposure they will need to blossom and grow their businesses.
The expected outcomes include:
● Support young start-up entrepreneurs in achieving their vision by giving them much needed financing to grow their business.
● Provision of training, mentorship, and business tools to guide them to become successful
● Expose them to international business markets by providing them with opportunities to attend trade fairs, exhibitions and other avenues that would help them develop their experience and products.
● Broaden their networking skills by availing those opportunities to meet successful business leaders who will be able to support and guide them through the challenges of achieving their goals.
TAF ICON
The objective of the TAF ICON is to shine a light on successful Gambians who have retired and are quietly spending their time in giving back to The Gambia by spearheading initiatives that would positively impact the lives of many Gambians, and are not seeking any publicity along the way. TAF ICON would conduct a semi-annual event where one Icon will be honored and celebrated to not only showcase what the winner has been doing, but to also inspire and encourage the others to follow suit. This will also usher in a variety of role models for young Gambians to emulate. It will in turn enlighten the populace on the need to celebrate and acknowledge each other more and the contributions these individuals have made in our country.
The main objective of this initiative is to:
● Recognize and celebrate individuals who have significantly impacted the lives of Gambians without any recognition at their own time and expense.
● Spotlight Gambians who think beyond themselves and their immediate families, but the country at large to serve as Role Models for the next generation.
● Forster a culture of Gambians celebrating each other.
GAMBIA DISABILITY TRUST FUND
With more than 10% of the Gambian’s populace living with disabilities, TAF Africa Foundation has set aside One million Gambian Dalasis (D1, 000,000.00) to support the differently abled members of society who are engaged in small and medium enterprises. Realizing that most of our sectors are not disability friendly, such as the education, business etc. This initiative would serve as an avenue to help the differently abled grow their individual start-ups, petty trading and some other ventures. This is aimed at swaying the notion the general populace has that people living with disabilities are meant to only be beggars and not fend for themselves. The trust fund promotes self-sustenance when it comes to their basic needs and help change societal prejudice.
Its main objectives are as follows:
● Support people living with disabilities by providing a conducive environment for them to independently earn a decent living.
● Raise the consciousness of Gambians towards the challenges the disabled face in their daily lives while also encouraging the need to include proper planning in infrastructural developments.
