Ninki Nanka Encounters
Ninki Nanka Encounters is a charitable foundation based in The Gambia (Incorporation no.2021/15273) founded in 2020 by Lucy McCombes and Dr. Adama Bah, ITTOG’s Chairman.
For several years prior to this Adama and Lucy have led on exploring the feasibility of the Ninki Nanka Trail through an informal partnership between the Gambia Tourism Board, Leeds Beckett University, the ITTOG (Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia), ASSERT (non-profit Association of Small-Scale Enterprises in Responsible Tourism), Gambia River Excursions and other partners committed to the idea of the trail and responsible tourism. Since early 2019 the development of the trail was more formalised through funding from the International Trade Centre to support communities and other partners to take the development of the Ninki Nanka Trail products/ destination further.
The Ninki Nanka Trail is an exciting new responsible tourism initiative in The Gambia delivered in partnership with the Gambian Tourism Board, ITTOG and other stakeholders. The trail aims to disperse economic benefit to rural areas, diversify Gambia’s tourism product by providing new, authentic community-based and heritage experiences that build on the untapped potential of the River Gambia, and create opportunities for tourism to continue into the ‘Green (shoulder) Season’.
The trail takes an innovative approach to engaging the private sector in tourism development and poverty reduction in accordance with the concept of shared value and the principles of responsible tourism, creating better places to live and therefore better places to visit.