Training of MSMEs in the tourism sector on digital technologies and innovation in The Gambia
Description of project
The Digital Skills Training for MSMEs in the Tourism Sector in The Gambia project was designed to boost the digital capacity of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), particularly women-owned businesses, operating in the tourism sector.
Given tourism’s significant contribution to The Gambia’s GDP and employment, and the sector’s increasing reliance on digital technologies post-COVID-19, the project aimed to enhance the online presence and digital capabilities of local MSMEs. This was to enable them to better access global tourism markets, improve competitiveness, and facilitate integration into digital platforms for e-commerce.
The World Bank, funded by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), supported this initiative under the broader umbrella of the Tourism Diversification and Resilience Project (TDR). The capacity-building intervention targeted 30 selected women-owned MSMEs, focusing on strengthening their skills in digital marketing, online sales, and digital platform engagement.
Services provided
- Conducted stakeholder mapping and finalized the training program design.
- Assessed the needs of 30 women-owned MSMEs and developed a customized digital training curriculum.
- Delivered practical training sessions on digital marketing, platform onboarding, and e-commerce strategies.
- Organized business forums and matchmaking events linking MSMEs with digital buyers and platforms.
- Managed monitoring and evaluation, collected lessons learned, and produced a final handover package with materials and success stories. Identification of operational, environmental, and construction-related risks (where applicable) and formulation of mitigation strategies.
