Ana Jaiteh: The Quintessential Entrepreneur
Friday 28th July 2006

By Ceesaynding Jallow

One thing that endears Ana Jaiteh to many is her ability to achieve so much at a too short a time.

At just 32, Ana Jaiteh, the lady behind Cissy Body and Beauty Shop in downtown Manjai Kunda, has become something of a national celebrity and a role model to young women in The Gambia and beyond.

Thanks to her dynamism, hard slug and of course good fortune, Mrs Jaiteh has achieved what many women of her age only dreamt of achieving in their lifetime.

Today, she owns a chain of businesses in the country, married to a handsome, caring, helpful and chivalrous husband, and above all, she lives in a comfortable apartment in town.

In a chat with our reporter at her Manjai Kunda-based state-of-the-art cosmetic shop, Mrs Jaiteh said she felt great and satisfied that she was able to make a breakthrough in a profession that was before now dominated by non-Gambians.

“ Some years ago, many Gambians shied away from doing certain businesses like running a make-up shop but with hard work, today, I thank God”, Mrs Jaiteh gleefully told our reporter.

She added: “Since I was a little girl, I have always had the burning desire to contribute in anyway possible towards national development, because I believe women should be role models.”

According to the grand daughter of the late trend-setting business mogul Musu Kebba Drammeh, many of her customers are impressed with items or goods sold at her shop and she thanks them for what she called their unwavering patronage.

“We sell all types of beauty products and I give special treatment to my customers,” the industrious entrepreneur added.