The Gambia’s Forté Innovations is empowering organisations through innovative data systems, with a relentless focus on accuracy, security, and actionable insights.
Founded by Malang Touray and Alieu Ceesay in 2017, Forté Innovations aims to catalyse data-driven success for clients in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
The startup’s areas of expertise include digital transformation, data collection, monitoring and evaluation, administrative information systems, web application development and custom software design and development.
“We’ve worked across West Africa in multiple industries – agriculture, criminal justice, education, human rights, investment, maritime, natural resources, taxation, and tourism,” Touray said. “Our vision is an Africa which leverages data-powered decisions to deepen public and private development.”
The Forté Innovations founders all had first-hand experience of how hard it was to access reliable data in The Gambia.
“Whether it was due to a lack of data collection, institutions being unwilling to share, or it was simply unavailable – the struggles were apparent, particularly from a private sector standpoint,” said Ceesay. “Our venture coincided with a significant political shift in The Gambia, transitioning from a 22-year dictatorship to a democracy. This marked a moment where it seemed possible to revitalise our country, contingent upon our leadership making decisions based on empirical evidence and quality data.”
While the initial motivation was a societal need, then, it became evident that numerous institutions required the team’s assistance in enhancing the timeliness and overall quality of the data they collected, whether administratively or through surveys.
“Many of these entities were accustomed to international consultants swooping in, implementing something, and leaving them to manage it, despite a glaring capacity gap. As locals, the fact we were on the ground became crucial to the success of the solutions we implemented,” said Touray.
Forté’s inaugural achievement was the creation of the Fisheries Information System for the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources. This comprehensive system, which encompassed licensing, surveys, and administrative data collection, was financed by the FAO – a UN organisation.
“This system marked a pivotal moment and served as a game-changer for us,” said Ceesay.
“Over the past six years, we have collaborated with the majority of The Gambia’s primary regulatory bodies, as well as undertaking projects in the private sector, both in-country and across the region. For example, in the agriculture sector, we offer critical solutions for beneficiary registrations in nearly all agricultural projects, input distribution, grant management, and more.”
All this while being fully self-funded.
“While we have expanded our presence across various sectors, the journey remains challenging. But we are optimistic that Forté Innovations can add a huge amount of value to Africa’s development. Accurate, timely and interactive data can lift the continent out of its current challenges,” said Touray.
Forté’s primary focus is within the West African sub-region, a geographical area well within its reach without the need for excessive expansion.
“In the words of the esteemed author Jim Collins, we adhere to the principle of the “20-mile march.” Our approach is deliberate, avoiding overextension, ensuring that we can address the significant challenge of data in our part of the world without risking premature setbacks,” Ceesay said.
