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Our study aims to establish facts not fictions regarding micro and macro factors affectingthe sustainable growth of small and medium size enterprises that are owned by Gambiansin the Gambia. The life cycle of a business demonstrates how entrepreneurs turn ideas intostartups that go through a survival stage which they later transform into a rapid growthstage until they reach the maturity stage where they can either diversify or start whole newventures. Growing up in the Gambia, we have seen how so many Gambians will start asmall or medium size business and within a short period of time mostly, (one or twoyears) will have their business ventures running at a loss and quit operations. Only ahandful of Gambian entrepreneurs have established SMEs that have gone through all thedifferent stages of a successful business life cycle and stayed in business for over twodecades. On the contrary, the Gambian business environment is seen as a perfectopportunity to exploit for so many non-Gambian entrepreneurs who originate from theneighbouring countries like Senegal, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria. These non-Gambianentrepreneurs usually invest in SMEs and within a few years of their operations, theirventures become highly profitable, attain growth, and sustainably maintain their grip onthe Gambian market. Previous research is filled with general issues that affect thesustainable growth of SMEs in the Gambia and does not distinguish between Gambianand non-Gambians SMEs. There is limited research to show specifically why non-Gambian SMEs are performing better than Gambian SMEs. To make sense of all theseissues, we embarked on this research to find answers that can trigger the beginning ofunderstanding why Gambian-owned SMEs struggle to attain sustainable growth.With the application of qualitative research techniques and well-planned researchapproach, we were able to include some Gambian SMEs industry players in our studiesand collected data that led us to attain some level of understanding why Gambian ownedSMEs struggle to attain sustainable growth. In our findings, we realized that 80% of ourrespondents do not have the required level of skills and knowledge needed for anentrepreneur to succeed in business. This as a result has made necessity-basedentrepreneurship the prevailing approach to business for a large majority of our researchparticipants. In addition, the low level of skills makes it very cumbersome for theseentrepreneurs to withstand other challenges they face in the macro environment, thus theirinability to sustain their ventures.

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Els assentaments de gambians, tal com succeeix amb la majoria dels assentaments d'immigrats, tendeixen a la concentració en zones determinades. Per aquest motiu, aquesta tesi se centra en les comarques de Girona, perquè és on s'hi troba l'índex més alt d'aquesta població de tot l'Estat espanyol i es posa el focus d'atenció als municipis de la demarcació que acullen més gambians, concretament Banyoles, Olot i Salt. De la mateixa manera, aquesta tesi vol introduir específicament el grup ètnic soninké o sarahule, bàsicament perquè a la demarcació de Girona és l'ètnia majoritària. Abans d'ubicar els assentaments, ens endinsem en el context d'origen dels immigrats gambians, posant èmfasi especial en l'escolarització a Gambia i també en les migracions soninké. Un cop analitzem els assentaments, ens aproximem a les trajectòries migratòries gambianes, així com en les estratègies que s'utilizen per portar a terme el projecte migratori, l'accés als canals d'informació sobre l'existència de diferents destins on hi ha oportunitats de treball, etc. Ens aproximem també a la integració dels immigrats gambians a la demarcació de Girona fent una aproximació de la inserció d'aquest col·lectiu en la societat de destí, abordant diferents vessants de la seva integració laboral, espaial, entre d'altres. Una integració que dependrà tant del resultat de la voluntat individual de cada immigrant, com també dels serveis que possibilitin la integració, així com de l'accés als propis mecanismes d'integració que té la nostra societat (accés al treball, a un habitatge, etc.) Molts dels immigrats gambians instal·lats a les comarques gironines tenen i han tingut fills i filles, podent parlar, per tant, d'una "segona generació" de gambians. Es fa una aproximació als fills i filles d'aquest col·lectiu introduint-nos en la socialització d'aquests nens i nenes, en els valors dels pares i mares en relació amb l'educació dels seus fills i filles, als canvis en l'estructura familiar un cop realitzat l'assentament en el país de destí i en les relacions de la familia amb amics i parents del mateix grup ètnic. Es fa una anàlisi de la situació escolar dels tres municipis d'estudi, analitzant la distribució d'alumnat d'origen estranger en aquests municipis, així com les estratègies educatives dels mestres que escolaritzen alumnat d'origen gambià. Es posa èmfasi especial en una estratègia bastant seguida pel col·lectiu gambià, fonamentalment d'ètnia sarahule, que ha estat la d'enviar els fills i filles a Gàmbia per temporades lllargues. / Gambian settlements, like the majority of immigrant settlements tend to be concentrated in certain determined areas. This study is centred on the province of Girona for this very reason, and because it is where the highest number of this group of people are to be found. This focuses special attention on three towns within the Girona province which have large numbers of Gambians, Banyoles, Olot and Salt. At the same time this thesis concerns the Soninke or Sarahole group because it is the largest ethnic group in the province of Girona. After analysing the context of origin of these immigrants (placing special emphasis in the schooling in Gambia), we investigate the migratory strategies of the Gambian immigrants as well as the strategies which they use to undertake their migratory project, such as the social networks which the migrants use, access to information channels about different destinations where there are work opportunities, etc. We also look at the integration of Gambian immigrants in the country of settlement. In short, an approximation is made as to the insertion of this collective into the society of the country of destination, and covering the different aspects of their integration: work, religion and spatial relationships among others. Many of these immigrants have, and have had children, and therefore a "second generation" of Gambians can now be referred to. This thesis focuses special attention on the lives of the children within this collective; investigating their socialisation, the values of their parents in the upbringing of their children, the changes of family structure once settlement has been established in the country of destination, the relationships of the family with friends and parents of the same ethnic group and their schooling in the Girona province. Emphasis is placed on a strategy followed by the Gambian collective, mainly the Sarahole ethnic group, which is that of sending children to Gambia for long periods of time.

Outdoor education is believed to be a new teaching approach and method in the education framework which relates to learning through natural places using direct experience. However, the teaching approach that is mostly used in the Gambian schools is based on the traditional approach of teachings as well as many African countries. As a relatively new teaching technique, outdoor education is gaining recognition from many researchers who are developing a keen interest in it. Thus, the aim of the current thesis is to investigate the perceptions of Gambian Basic and Secondary school teachers about outdoor education. in that regard, six (6) Gambian teachers from different teaching subjects, grades, and regions reported their views about outdoor education. A qualitative approach methodology with the use of semi-structured interview was employed to get teachers perceptions. After the data collection, thematic analysis was used for analyzing the collected data from which three (3) themes emerged to report the participants’ opinions. The participants revealed their basic knowledge and perceptions about outdoor education and presented some characteristics and examples of how the practice outdoor education. They emphasized that they view outdoor education as a teaching approach with the use of outdoors. However, according to them, any teaching activity that involves using the outside the four corners of the classroom or the school premises, is considered outdoor education. They noted that outdoor education can take place in the form of excursions, fieldtrips, classes outside the class under a tree or within the school premises. Besides, although the teachers indicated that the main teaching approach, they use is still the traditional teaching and learning approach, they showed willingness to enrich their classes with use of outdoor education. They further revealed that the main places they conduct outdoor education is the school yard, under a tree, a visit to places of interest, excursions to various historical places or museums and the like. The Gambian teachers acknowledged many potentials of outdoor education to the students including stimulation of multi-senses, increased understanding, improved social relation and cooperation, boosting of their health and wellbeing, developing curiosity, and giving students a sense of freedom and happiness. However, participants also revealed several barriers that suppress them from doing outdoor education effectively. Among the barriers mentioned includes, inadequate funding, lack of support from parents and school administrators, lack of pedagogical training, tight schedule, and limited time. Thus, further research is needed to help testifying the results of the current study and give more insight into the field of outdoor education in the Gambia and Africa at large