Supporting the green transition and growth of Yaxare

Starting, sustaining, and growing a business is challenging. For Yaxare, the high cost and the unreliability of The Gambia’s electricity supply constantly disrupted their production cycles.

‘We used to spend a lot on electricity due to the heavy machines,’ said Yaxare manager Kaddijatou Jallow.

Transporting their products to suppliers and acquiring raw materials for production also presented significant costs.

‘We buy our raw materials from Faraba, a town miles away from Banjul,’ Kaddijatou said. ‘You can imagine the amount of money we spend on transportation alone.’

However, thanks to support from the European Union-funded Jobs, Skills, and Finance (JSF) programme, jointly implemented by the International Trade Centre and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), things are changing for Yaxare.

A grant from the programme provided solar power, a tricycle for transportation, a borehole, and fencing of a one-hectare garden.

‘We believe this will significantly support the growth process of the business,’ Kaddijatou said. ‘The support will help us cut costs, produce more products and deliver on time.’

‘The solar power will enable us to use clean energy at zero cost, and the tricycle will make delivery less expensive,’ she added.

Kaddijatou explained that the company wants to grow its own raw materials but lacked a borehole and resources to fence the land it owns. ‘The borehole and the fencing will allow us to start growing our raw materials on our land. This will hugely cut our costs and enable us to employ more women to work on the farm.’

Currently, with a team of eight dedicated individuals, Yaxare aspires to expand its production team, creating opportunities for further growth and development.

Kaddijatou strongly believes that patience, self-belief, perseverance and supports like the JSF grant is the secret behind the company`s success.