Subject of Mockery turns to Source of Inspiration

GYINer Amie Colley

As young entrepreneur breaking records in her community

By Mariam Saine

Meet Amie Colley, a young entrepreneur from Somita Village, West Coast Region (WCR) has told Mansa Banko that market vendors especially women in her community used to make mockery of her for being an educated young woman and at the same competing with them at the market as a vegetable vendor. 

Mrs. Colley is an active member of the Global Youth Innovation Network Gambia Chapter (GYIN Gambia Chapter)- www.gyingambia.gm 

Today, according to her, with the help of her food processing trainings, she is serving as a role model and source of inspiration to them as most of them are now learning from her skills.

She is the proprietress of Amie’s Food Processing and Commercialization. Her brand includes pepper sause, Kaba Jam, Papaya Jam, Mango Jam, Tomato Paste, Gari, Garlic Syrup, Bitter cola and Ginger syrup, etc.

Further narrating her story, Ms Colley said: “Before I started my fulltime business as a food processor and a vegetable producer, I used to sell mangoes at the Brikama Market. I would then use the sales of the mangoes to further buy some vegetables and other condiments at the Brikama market to resell them at the Somita Market.”

At the Somita market, she explained that the market women bent on calling her different names to discourage her from pursuing her dreams.  She was able to raise some amount of money through her petty business to support herself and other family needs.

Ms. Colley, in 2016 was supported by the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema) to participate in a six (6) months Food Processing Training course in at the Songhai Centre in Benin together with other 9 young Gambians.

After spending two (2) years in business, Ms Colley is currently pursuing a higher Diploma in Agriculture at the Gambia College. She was also contracted as a garden supervisor at the Nema Project sponsored gardens in Foni Brefet.

She has a garden in Somita where she also produces garden egg, cassava and bitter tomatoes.

For her processing business, she uses a blender at home to process the fruits and vegetables for sale, which she packaged and labeled to attract more customers.

Ms Colley enthused that the processing skills has enabled her to have edge over her competitors, as those people who used to provoke her are now coming to learn her skills.

Currently, her main challenge is having a processing house and adequate water supply so as to expand her business.