Entrepreneurship training programme for trainers - MAC Skilling
The MAC Skilling project launches the online training plan "Training programme for trainers in entrepreneurship" aimed at teachers and trainers, professionals and project managers and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Registrations open until Monday 13 April 2026. The training will begin on Tuesday 14 April and will end on Tuesday 26 May.
The participants of this training will have preferential access the open innovation program with Macaronesian companies.
Train participants to understand, apply and transmit the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and innovation, developing both the technical skills and the mentality necessary to identify opportunities, design viable business models and lead entrepreneurial projects in digital and collaborative environments, with special emphasis on the ability to teach and accompany others in their entrepreneurial process.
Online training through the Moodle platform, combining live sessions in English with simultaneous interpretation and autonomous work.
Teachers and trainers: Teachers in VET, Universities, Entrepreneurship, etc. Who want to incorporate active methodologies, and contents innovative entrepreneurship and open innovation in their training.
Professionals and project managers that seek to mentor and accompany open innovation projects.
Entrepreneurial ecosystem: incubator managers, local development technicians, economic promotion agents, etc., who want to learn practical tools to accompany open innovation projects.
Module 1: Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Education.
Module 2: Psychology in Entrepreneurship – Mentality and Resilience.
Module 3: Open Innovation and Entrepreneur Ecosystem.
Module 4: Digitalization and Business Strategies.
Module 5: Business Models, Differentiation and Innovation.
Module 6: Bootcamp and Final Pitch.
Learn more with our dosier here.
Participants in this training will have preferential access to the open innovation program with companies from Macaronesia.
Agriculture: The biggest job creation opportunity in The Gambia
With a keen interest in the government's determination to create 150,000 jobs in five years, the agricultural sector is one of the largest sectors identified as the fastest and most likely to create jobs in The Gambia.
In an exclusive interview with Abdoulie M. Touray (also known as Baks Touray), the chairman of the National Technical Employment Committee (NETC) stated that the 150,000 jobs that will be created in five years is realistic, while revealing that "the biggest opportunity we have is in agriculture, not in subsistence agriculture, but in seeing agriculture as a business."
Seeing agriculture as a business, he explained: It has three dimensions including mechanization, irrigation system and value chain approach. This is analyzing production and productivity, processing, preservation, storage and marketing, that's what's required.
Meanwhile, he said that the country is, in general, blessed with the Gambia River and that it is necessary to change the dynamics not depending only on rain for continuous productivity, noting according to the information: Gambia has more than 440,000 hectares of arable land that is not cultivated. And according to statistics, 1 hectare of arable agricultural land can employ 10 people if it is not mechanized, and if it is mechanized, it will employ 5 people. Arithmetically, take the 10% 440,000 hectares will give 4,000 hectares and multiply by 5 jobs if it is watered automatically, we are talking about 20,000 jobs and so on.
Defending the possibility of creating even more 150,000 jobs, the NETC president went on to say that, with the government's current economic tour, he cited Muhammed Sanyang-owned G Farm, a visible example, saying the farm started with 500 chickens and becomes a poultry farm. Currently, "it has 120,000 hens, produces 100,000 eggs every month and now diversifies towards livestock production, while everything that is done on the farm is fully automated. Can you imagine the impact if this can be replicated in different districts or regions of the country?" he added, citing more examples of the Raddles farm, which produces a variety of products; Mauro farm is dedicated to the cultivation of rice with rice of much higher quality than imported, and Swami India with its abundant plantation of bananas.
The Gambia has many possibilities and opportunities: "It's just about creating the environment and getting people to seize the opportunity, especially those who don't work," he said.
On finance, he said the missing link in the country that entrepreneurs always complain about is access to finance.
In Gambia, there are several banks available, but they are all commercial banks. To accelerate development, we need investment banks, development banks, specialized banks, leasing companies, capital banks, etc. Although financial banking is in development, but still at the micro level. With finance, investment and development banks, entrepreneurs will be able to access financing while the interest rate will also fall," he explained how development in the country could be accelerated.
However, it focused on the working-age population, the employment status of the working population, the labour force participation rate (LFPR) and the unemployment rate.
The working-age population, he explained according to the GBOS, "is defined as the population of 15 years or older, and is composed of 48.2% of men and a 51.8% of women, living mainly in urban areas (61.5 per cent)%). The state of the working-age population in the labour force is that, on average, four out of ten working-age people are active in the labour market (43.6%), whether working or unemployed. Population outside the labour force (56.4%) is composed only of persons studying (23,4%), subsistence farmers (9,4%) or people in other situations such as elderly, disabled, discouraged jobseekers (23.6%).
As is usually observed, he noted according to the GBOS survey: The labor force participation rate (LFPR) is higher for men (47.9%) that for women (39.6%) in each age group. The profile by age group shows that young people enter the labour market later due to longer education. Participation peaks at maximum exercise ages (35-59 years), around 60 percent, and then declines at retirement age. As for the place of residence, the LFRP is much higher in urban than rural areas (62.6% and 37.4% According to him, the survey indicated that the "unemployment rate stands at 7.6%".
SOURCE: Agriculture: The Biggest Opportunity for Job Creation in The Gambia -
Most demanded professions in the ICT sector
The report of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector, prepared within the framework of the MAC Skilling project, was presented during the recent assembly held by the participating entities, as part of the actions aimed at improving the employability and competitiveness of the productive fabric.
During the session, the main results of the study were presented, which analyses the current situation of the ICT sector, its recent evolution and the challenges it faces, with special attention to the relationship between the labour market, training and professional skills.
The report highlights the strategic role of the ICT sector as a driver of innovation and digitalisation, highlighting its cross-cutting impact on the economy as a whole and its ability to generate skilled employment. The sustained demand for specialised profiles was also underlined, especially in areas linked to technological development and emerging technologies.
One of the key aspects addressed during the presentation was the identification of the gaps between the training offer and the real needs of companies, both in technical skills and transversal skills. In this regard, the report highlights the importance of strengthening practical experience, continuous learning and collaboration between the training system and the business fabric.
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