By Sainabou Sambou
The Dennakuwo Secretariat was officially inaugurated at a local hotel in Senegambia on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, marking a transformative step toward sustainable waste management and environmental stewardship. The event marked a pivotal moment for the Dennakuwo Circular Economy Network, an initiative launched in 2022 by WasteAid Gambia with support from the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM). The Secretariat’s establishment marks a new era of community-led environmental action and the adoption of circular economy principles in The Gambia.
Ndey Awa Ceesay, the newly appointed Secretary General of the Dennakuwo Secretariat and President of WasteAid Gambia, delivered an impassioned address that resonated deeply with attendees. “We are not only witnessing a ceremony,” Ceesay declared, “but I call it a seed-planting event—a moment where humanity is harmonizing with its environment, a gateway to positive climate change possibilities.”
Ceesay shared her personal journey, from drying moringa leaves in her dining room to founding Nature’s Gift, The Gambia’s first woman-owned sustainable moringa and agricultural products processing company. “I began asking myself: how can we heal ourselves with what we already have?” she reflected. “Through nature, I found healing, purpose, and power—in women, youth, my environment, and my community.”
The term “Dennakuwo,” meaning “what we all equally own” in multiple local languages, including Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, Jola, Serer, and Aku, embodies the initiative’s core philosophy of collective environmental responsibility. Ceesay emphasized this ethos: “Dennakuwo is here to unite women in trade, youth in innovation, elders with wisdom, policymakers with vision, and farmers who hold the earth in their hands and hearts.” She expressed her commitment to action over bureaucracy, saying, “My aspiration is not to sit in an office signing documents but to get on the ground, collaborate, and push forward real solutions.”
Lamin Dibba, a councillor at the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) and Chairman of the Environment and Sanitation Committee, praised WasteAid’s transformative impact. He highlighted their work empowering women gardeners in Bakau through practical training. “They trained women to turn what they used to throw away into compost and high-quality charcoal,” Dibba said. “Women are always innovative—they collect coconut and groundnut shells to create valuable products. WasteAid provided machines to support this work.” He underscored the collective ethos of Dennakuwo, noting, “This title means it’s all of our responsibility. Not one individual, but everyone. We must work together to preserve our environment.”
Lamin Sanyang, WasteAid’s Country Manager, described the launch as a milestone and a handover. “In 2022, we launched the Dennakuwo Circular Economy Network with a bold vision to build a professional, inclusive platform promoting circular economy principles,” he said. “Today, we hand over this initiative to local leadership through the Dennakuwo Secretariat.”
Since its inception, Sanyang has outlined the network’s achievements: supporting over 300 members, launching the “Waste to Use Challenge,” which funded six green businesses, delivering more than 10,000 hours of training in sustainable agriculture and business development, and embedding circular economy principles in local councils. “Community-led solutions are not only practical—they are powerful,” he said. “But lasting change requires collaboration among institutions, civil society, the private sector, and local authorities.”
The Dennakuwo Secretariat’s launch represents a commitment to scaling these efforts, fostering innovation, and ensuring sustainable practices take root across The Gambia. The initiative is poised to drive economic growth and environmental resilience by empowering communities to transform waste into resources. Ceesay concluded, “Dennakuwo is a call to action for all of us to heal our environment and build a sustainable future together.”
The event concluded with a renewed sense of purpose, as stakeholders pledged to collaborate in making The Gambia a model for African circular economy practices.
