By Abubacarr

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How David Jeng has inspired 10,000 entrepreneurs in over 20 African countries

By Oluchi Chibuzor

For a fact, entrepreneurs are crucial to economic growth, in any country. They are sources of countless ideas that touch on everyday lives.

However, many aspiring entrepreneurs across Africa, have found it difficult to bring their ideas to reality due to the challenges faced by startups on the continent, and this prompted Gambian entrepreneur and international business consultant, David Jeng to rise to the occasion — a decision that ultimately transformed his career and many Africans entrepreneurial journey.

For David Jeng, entrepreneurs are the unsung heroes of Africa’s economic landscape, shepherding the dreams and aspirations of millions of young Africans.

In the course of his career, David Jeng has supported and inspired more than 10,000 entrepreneurs across over 20 African countries — The Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, USA, Caribbean, and many others.

Jeng who specialises in training, business development, policy formulation, investment facilitation, access to finance, the digital economy, and business incubation, has supported and trained other entrepreneurs in Zambia, South Sudan, Uganda, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Cameroon, Mauritius, DRC, Gabon, Benin, Niger.

Running a small business in Africa is no easy feat. Entrepreneurs often wear multiple hats: managing sales, customer service, marketing, and operations — all while trying to stay afloat in a competitive market, and as such David Jeng has stood in the gap as a beacon of hope for many of these aspiring entrepreneurs

Determined to find a solution, David, a founder of Bliss Executives, a management consultancy firm dedicated to supporting the growth and competitiveness of small enterprises across Africa, has continuously helped entrepreneurs in different areas to develop their talent and access clients while creating opportunities for them to maximise their potential.

When David Jeng served as the business support coordinator at Startup Incubator Gambia, where he played a key role in developing and guiding early-stage ventures, he stressed on the need for entrepreneurs to be armed with the relevant practical skills required to establish sustainable businesses and enterprises.

One of the major challenges identified by David Jeng was the issue of lack of access to the capital required to translate ideas into successful businesses. He argues that this gap in access to finance has become a major obstacle to the rapid development of entrepreneurship in African continent over the years.

Looking back on his journey, David Jeng has led and contributed to numerous WIPO programs, including acting as lead consultant for the IP+ Accelerator Programme for SMEs in The Gambia and delivering training and mentorship under the IP Agribusiness Programme for Women Entrepreneurs in Africa.

So far, these entrepreneurs who have been supported and inspired by David Jeng across various African countries, are driving innvoation and change across various sectors. These individuals are leveraging technology and creativity to address local challenges, creating solutions that resonate with their immediate communities. He has been instrumental in devising and implementing strategies in entrepreneurship, innovation, and intellectual property that yield measurable results.

These young entrepreneurs are not just building businesses, they are forging the future, embodying the spirit of nation-building with a passion for problem-solving and innovation for African continent.

According to Jeng, entrepreneurs across African countries are doing very well for the economy and when they are better empowered, they empower the economy as well.

On his advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, Jeng called for innovative solutions to help transform how African entrepreneurs manage their operations.

Jeng admonished: “You need to build with a concise long-term vision, not just for quick and immediate wins, also leverage technology and data to scale and most importantly, surround yourself with the right network and partners who will help you grow and elevate your brand.”

On the part of the government, Jeng insisted that government must continually provide the enabling environment for entrepreneurs to thrive, stressing that entrepreneurs are not just problem solvers, but also job creators and drivers of economic growth.