Supporting Clean Beaches and Healthy Enterprise: AHPN Partners with Gambia’s Juice Pressers’ Association
AHPN partnered with The Gambia’s Juice Pressers’ Association to improve hygiene along the country’s beaches through community-led clean up efforts and public signage. The initiative, supported by a small grant, successfully raised awareness and promoted shared responsibility among locals and tourists. The project culminated in an awards ceremony recognising the efforts of 30 juice pressers hosted at the UK High Commission, Gambia.
On 6th May 2025 at the Residence of the UK High Commissioner in Bakau, Gambia - AHPN honoured the work of 30 members of the juice Pressers’ association of the Gambia with certificates and an impressive glass trophy.
For the last year AHPN has partnered the JPA in an initiative to improve hygiene at their places of work. A small grant from AHPN has funded beach cleaning initiatives and vibrant signposting urging tourists and locals alike to keep the beach clean and hygienic for all users.
The initiative stemmed from informal discussions in late 2023 between Juice Pressers and AHPN Chief Executive, Deryck Browne, who had travelled to the Gambia. The Executive Committee of the JPA then took the initiative and invited AHPN to participate in an extended beach clean operation over a weekend. Further online discussions between Banjul and London resulted in a small grant being made to the JPA and the development of a work programme which involved the design and development of beach signage which would usher in a feeling of mutual local responsibility concerning the cleanliness of the beach. The programme was concluded successfully by the JPA and today signage can be seen from Cape Point down to Lemon Creek which urges all beach users to do the right thing and not to litter.
At the event the assembled guests, including the Gambian Tourist Agency, Hotel Managers and the Presidents of various other related Associations, such as Fruit Sellers and Taxi drivers, heard presentations from Deryck Browne of AHPN, H.E. Harriet King the UK High Commissioner, and the Executive Committee of the JPA (President, Mr Sheriff Fofana; Secretary, Mr Abdoulie Dambelly; and Technical Team Head, Mr Ebrima Jallow).
The JPA Executive Committee described the work programme they had successfully completed and urged all key players, including the Tourist Agency and others, to henceforth work together to ensure that beach facilities were improved and they also described their aspiration to market their products beyond the beach to shops, supermarkets and hotels.
“This has been a superb initiative. The JPA has fulfilled all its project obligations successfully and this is why it gives us great pleasure to be here in the beautiful Gambia to distribute these individual certificates of achievement and this wonderful trophy of excellence.”
Deryck Browne from AHPN
The High Commissioner commended the initiative and praised the work of both the Juice Pressers’ Association of the Gambia and AHPN.
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“This has been an extremely fruitful collaboration and shows what can be achieved with sound networking, collaboration and, of course, resources. I hope that the JPA can build on these solid foundations and achieve the goals that they are ambitiously setting, of greater beach facilities and hygiene and also increased development of the local juice pressing industry”
H.E. Harriet King