By Fatou Dahaba
Yonna Group, a leading and reputable name in The Gambia’s business landscape, held a celebratory event on Monday, January 1, 2025, at the International Conference Center. The gathering was dedicated to honoring the exceptional achievements and contributions of its outstanding staff members, who have played a vital role in the organization’s success.
The group comprises six dynamic subsidiaries, each specializing in different sectors to serve the community better and foster economic growth. These include: Yonna Islamic Microfinance – Providing accessible financial solutions that align with Islamic principles; Yonna Forex Bureau – Facilitating currency exchange services to support both local and international transactions; Yonna Islamic Insurance – Offering Sharia-compliant insurance products to safeguard against unforeseen events; Yonna Wallet – Delivering a convenient mobile payment platform for users to manage their finances swiftly and securely, Yonna Enterprise – Engaging in various business ventures to stimulate local entrepreneurship, and Yonna Agric-Business – Focusing on agricultural development and innovation to promote food security and sustainability.
At Yonna, every January 1 is celebrated as Yonna Day, a gathering that unites stakeholders to honor the significant achievements and contributions of the institution’s staff.
The ceremony was graced by the board of directors, senior management of Yonna guests, and staff from across the country.
This year’s award seeks to capture the milestones achieved and to celebrate outstanding staff members who made great personal achievements and immensely contributed to the company’s advancement.
It is widely recognized that employee recognition positively affects staff retention. It helps employees feel valued, motivating them to maintain their outstanding work. In light of this, the Yonna Group has dedicated a day to honoring its hardworking staff and recognizing their crucial roles in bringing the company to its current success.
The company employs about 600 Gambians, mostly young people, and has branches nationwide in all Yonna subsidiaries.
Muhammed Manjang, chairman of the Board of Directors, underscores the importance of the gathering, noting that it is to celebrate staff hard work, spirit, and dedication.
He said the business is proudly a Gambian, and their mission is to see it thrive and be successful.
He said that today, we gathered to recognize our shared achievements and renew their commitment and vision for the future.
Mr Manjang constantly implored staff to treat all individuals who walk through their doors with respect and dignity and honor their core values: honesty, dedication, and commitment to improving against all odds.
He added that to remain at the forefront of Gambian business, they must keep innovation at the heart of everything they do and embrace new technologies to enhance their financial establishment. He encouraged young people to be ambitious and dream big.
Momodou Barrow, the General Manager of Yonna Group, reiterated the company’s vision of providing services and creating employment for the country’s youngsters.
He said the staff award aims to motivate employees to work harder and align their goals with those of the company.
Yankuba Mambureh, Managing Director of Yonna Islamic Microfinance, said Yonna has different subsidiaries, each with a focus area and over 200 branches in the country that provide services to customers within their reach.
Dilating on customer service, he said customers are the bosses and should be treated with utmost respect whenever they work because, without customers, they do not have a business or a job.
” It’s important that we do our best for customers. This market is competitive or saturated, but good customer service will stand out, and customers would want to return,” MD Mambureh said.
Dominic Gome, Group Head of Finance and Strategy, said the group’s target for 2025 is to evolve, collaborate, and harness its strengths and opportunities. He said this can only be achieved by coming together and understanding what each subsidiary is doing within the group.
He assured the management that Yonna’s wallet, which he supervises, will contribute to the group’s bottom line come next year. He said they are expected to harness the potential of working together by leveraging each other’s strengths.
Sanna Ceesay, a Friend of CEO Sheriffo Touray, appeals to Mr. Touray to invest in his staff by paying tuition fees for those who want to pursue their education but lack the means to do so.
He implored the National Assembly to create an enabling environment for businesses to grow and pass legislation empowering investors.
Recognizing and celebrating staff excellence, three senior staff members from the Yonna group were awarded a Hajj ticket to perform the Hajj later this year, which the Yonna group would sponsor.
The awards categories were the outstanding staff award, which goes to Mr Malick Gibba with a cash prize of D50 000, and the iPhone 16PRO Max.
For attendance, discipline, and customer service awards, each awardee went home with D15,000.
Babucarr Nyang received the D20,000 appreciating Supervisor award. Three male and female staff members received D10,000 in dress code awards, and commitment awardees also received D10,000.
Rock stars and staff appreciation awardees each received D5,000. Fatou Cham received the most valuable staff award, a cash prize of D25,000.
The long-serving staff goes to Fatou Jaiteh, and the loyalty award goes to Tumani Jawla, each D15,000.
The Beyond Grateful award goes to Jackling Mendy with D10,000, the Forever with Us award to Abdpurahman Jallow with D10,000, and the Marketer of the Year award to Aja Camara with D5,000.
The institutional award went to SSHFC, Mashal Security, the Department of Treasury, And the National Nutrition Agency.
The departmental award goes to the IT, business development, and human resources departments.
Team Kitabu clinched the brand ambassador award. Other outstanding staff were awarded Geznars from Dubai, while the other set were each given an iPhone 16PRO Max as a special award.
