The Solar Project Gambia has its initiation in January 2006. That is the time the first two (2) Solar stoves and one (1) solar cooker (Parabolic mirror) where brought to the Gambia by Elena Steger Kassama. Through several solar presentations at different public places in the Gambia introduced Solar cooking to the people. Interest and feed back where enormous. The newspaper “DAILY OBSERVER” put a report about the project on the front Page of their newspaper. We also had a live phone-in programme on the G.R.T.S Radio during the introduction phase. People made calls from countrywide inquiring and asking questions and necessary answers were given.

While we faced some difficulties in producing solar stoves, we got into contact with

Mr. Rolf Behringer, who is very experienced in training and implementation of solar cooker projects.

Elena Steger, project manager in The Gambia, came to Germany and worked out a business plan and long term strategies for the project. Besides the solar stove production it was decided to set up a solar bakery and later on a solar restaurant. Because of the excellent preconditions the Gambian project was selected to be a project partner of the WISIONS Solar Food Processing project.

In January 2007 the expert Rolf Behringer from the International Solar Energy Society came to Gambia to train 5 craftsmen of the solar stove production unit. Since then we can offer two sizes of solar stoves and a solar dryer.

After the production was implemented the solar bakery was constructed and first products developed and tested. Public solar cooking demonstrations and the sale of solar baked products made the Solar Project Gambia more and more recognized.

The solar food restaurant opened on the 27^th of April 2007.

So far the Solar Project Gambia has three branches:

1. The Workshop
2. The Bakery
3. The Restaurant

We are offering different local menus daily in the solar food restaurant. It really helps to get the attention of the people from the street and the customers. As well we use this opportunity to inform the customers about deforestation and its consequences, by having an information desk with flyers, pictures and reports. The project has the aim to generate income and create employment opportunities and at the same time inform the public about practical steps towards a sustainable future..

We cooperate with a paper recycling project and asked them to produce for us take away paper bags for our customers, instead of using the commonly used plastic bags, that are after found littered all over. The restaurant is powered by a solar system, which serves as a practical demonstration about clean energy strategies.

Public relation activities and marketing

To be known in public it is important to build up a corporate product and effective marketing channels in order to meet the target group. Therefore we have developed the following:

• project logo
• project flyer (distributed at many places in town)
• public demonstrations
• participation during festivals and trade fairs
• sign boards at the main road and in front of the workshop

Networking

At the moment we are having some of our products on exhibition at the Timbooktoo bookshop, where tourists use to buy their guide books and maps etc. And we also sell some products at the Safari Garden Hotel in Bakau.

We are a member of the Association for Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism (ASSET). Asset helps us to get business connections with other enterprises. As for now, we have a good partnership with a project called “Gambia Is Good” (GIG) farmland. We got fresh vegetables from them at a very reasonable price for the restaurants use. They bought a tunnel dryer and a solar stove from us. We have a 3 months bakery programme and training in Pastry with their chief cook, Mr. Ebrima

Jammeh. The training and tutoring is conducted by Elena Kassama, who is a professional baker. The trainee, Ebrima is now able to cook and bake sweet bread, carrot cake, chocolate cake, pizza, chocolate croissant and vegetable terraine with the solar and the parabolic mirror.

Moukhtara Holdings is our main sponsor from The Gambia. It is one of the biggest enterprises here engaged in Printing service, red brick production, manufacturing of plastic and polythene bags, road and river transport services amongst others. Their contribution is to help us in our ambition against deforestation. And they are reducing the cost of a solar stove by donating D 500.00 for every stove sold, which is directly paid to the Solar Project Gambia.

So far the restaurant is working well and the management is taking the whole responsibility, with Abdoul Kassama and Mam Jarra Kassama, working as both managers and staff. We have regular Solar Project Meetings on the first Monday of every month. With the meetings we want to make sure that information is shared within the Solar Project in order to maximise the outcome of a strong team.

We are working on a report for the government which is willing to cooperate. We had a meeting with the minister at the department of Renewable Energy and we visited the technical centre, where tests and research on renewable energy technology is conducted. In order to find prove we went all along the countryside to took pictures of large hectares of lands where deforestation occurs dramatically. We designed a stop Deforestation shield and demonstrate at public places and during events.

“Stop using fire wood for cooking when there is sunshine, use solar cooker instead”.

We hope that the government will recognize this report and support our goals in the struggle against deforestation.

Project Organisation till March 2008

1. To experiment different solar cookers ( ataya cooker, warm box to keep food warm ) etc

2. To find a bigger, reliable and efficient market for our solar food product

3. To find a bigger, reliable and efficient market for our solar workshop products

4. To motivate and invite more people to visit the Solar Project Gambia, Like single persons, school classes, tourists…

5. To gain more and be well known in the country through advertisements like solar presentations and demonstrations, TV, Radio and the newspapers

6. To produce different wood products in the workshop, Dominos, draft board, key holder, tables, chairs, make-up mirrors etc

7. Security for the Restaurant.