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Published by: The Fatu Network
Gambian entrepreneur Bintou Sarah Dibbasey is using locally grown produce to build a women-led food business focused on value addition, job creation and reducing dependence on imported products.
Dibbasey is the founder of Sarah’s Bakery and Kitchen, widely known as SBK, which started as a small food business and has since expanded into catering, bakery products, office meals and agro-food processing.
Through Healthy Snacks by SBK, the company processes mangoes, pineapples, apples and mixed fruits into dried snacks. It is also developing locally processed spices, including ginger, onion, black pepper and mixed spice blends.
“I wanted to show that we don’t have to keep importing what we can process ourselves, right here, from what our own farmers grow,” Dibbasey said.
Her approach is centred on creating greater value from Gambian agricultural produce while offering healthier food alternatives and opening new economic opportunities.
SBK currently employs about six women, giving the business a growing role in creating income and employment alongside its commercial activities.
Dibbasey has also strengthened her technical knowledge through training in China in food preservation and post-harvest management, gaining exposure to drying, storage, packaging and other preservation techniques.
More recently, she was selected for the Yokuté Accelerator Programme, a World Bank-backed initiative supporting tourism-related businesses in The Gambia.
Beyond her work with SBK, Dibbasey is the founder of SheMatters Gambia, an organisation that raises awareness about gender-based violence, harmful practices and early child marriage.
Through school and community outreach, including in up-country communities, as well as social media storytelling, SheMatters works to bring greater attention to issues that are often left undiscussed. Dibbasey is also developing an animated series aimed at teaching children about body safety, with plans to distribute it free to schools.
With SBK now operating from a larger space, Dibbasey is working to expand its processing capacity and improve packaging, with the aim of supplying more supermarkets, hotels and businesses with Gambian-made dried fruits and spices.
Her broader vision is to demonstrate that local produce can be processed locally, turned into quality products and used to create opportunities for Gambian women and youth.
