By Fatou Krubally
The Women’s Enterprise Fund has an outstanding loan balance of D23.84 million from loans disbursed since 2021, Gender, Children and Social Welfare Minister Fatou Kinteh told the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Kinteh said the Fund had disbursed D95.05 million in revolving loans between 2021 and September 2026, of which D71.20 million had been recovered.
She disclosed the figures while responding to Question 203/2026 from Banjul North National Assembly Member Modou Lamin B. Bah, who sought information on the fund’s outstanding loans and measures being taken to improve repayment and ensure its sustainability.
The minister said the D23.84 million represented loans that remained outstanding from beneficiaries.
She said her ministry had introduced several measures to strengthen loan recovery, including engagement with the Central Bank of The Gambia and commercial banks to reduce transaction costs associated with repayments.
The Ministry has also requested the establishment of transit accounts with at least two commercial banks to provide beneficiaries with more convenient repayment channels and reduce transaction costs.
Kinteh said two loan recovery officers and an enterprise development clerk had been recruited to strengthen follow-up on outstanding loans, assist beneficiaries with repayment arrangements and maintain updated repayment records.
She said the fund would continue operating on a revolving basis, with recovered funds reinvested to finance new beneficiaries.
The Ministry is also working to digitalise loan and repayment records through software developed with support from the World Bank.
According to Kinteh, the system is expected to improve the tracking of loan disbursements, repayments, arrears and overall portfolio performance.
Responding to concerns over loan defaults, Kinteh said the fund operated largely through group lending arrangements, under which members supported or guaranteed one another.
She said the Ministry was working with members of groups with outstanding payments to facilitate loan recovery.
The minister said beneficiary groups remained operational, with regional staff, including fund managers and recovery officers, maintaining contact with beneficiaries through coaching, mentoring and repayment follow-up.
Kinteh also disclosed that the Ministry planned to review the Women’s Enterprise Fund Act to accommodate individual loans for women.
She said some beneficiaries were graduating from group-lending arrangements and seeking access to individual financing.
The minister added that their immediate priority was to recover the outstanding loan balance while strengthening loan administration, monitoring and recovery mechanisms to ensure the fund continued supporting women on a revolving basis.