Country: Gambia
Themes: Strengthening the Business Enabling Environment, Expanding Access to Competitive Contestable Markets, Promoting technology adoption to raise productivity
Cross Cutting Themes: Gender, Climate, Digital
Anticipated Impact Areas: Quality Jobs, Private Investment, Climate
The Challenge
Most of the local tourism providers in the Gambia are not yet digitalized beyond a limited use of digital tools for promotion. The Government of The Gambia recognizes the potential that digitization can bring in terms of greater inclusion, gender equity, and improving data for greening in the tourism sector. Hence, it is keen to pilot digitization in tourism value chain to help catalyze innovation and complement the ongoing World Bank's Tourism Lending Operation.
Mission
A C-JET funded grant is supporting Gambia's Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MoTC) to (1) provide knowledge and Technical Assistance for evidence-based policymaking to MoTC and other stakeholders of the tourism market by developing National Digital Tourism Strategy; and (2) to build capacities in both private and public actors on sustainable approach to tourism development through knowledge dissemination. Over 30 target policymakers and regulators in the tourism sector were trained to enable them to make well-informed decisions conducive to safe, inclusive, and sustainable digital markets. The project also conducted a gender assessment with the objective to understand women’s participation in the tourism sector in the Gambia; assess the underlying barriers to women’s participation and better economic outcomes in tourism; and provide targeted recommendations. The recommendations have been shared with the PIU to be incorporated into the implementation. Overall, the project follows the approach and indicators suggested by C-JET to strengthen the business environment, promote technology adoption by firms, and support entrepreneurship and SME growth.
