Establishing local production of metal building and construction materials in the Gambia In the Gambia, housing supply is not able to keep up with the population growth, especially in urban areas. Major factors hampering the development of the housing sector are a lack of building and construction materials, landownership issues and problems with housing finance.Applicant Finish Profiles B.V. from the Netherlands is a specialised producer of steel profiles, wall panels and roofing sheets for use in pre-fabricated constructions of houses, offices, warehouses and industrial buildings. Local partner MA Trading from The Gambia is involved in trade of all sorts of construction and building materials, both for the local market and for the export to other ECOWAS countries.Steel profiles and roofing sheets are already being imported to the Gambia, but in order to bring these products at affordable prices, the partners now want to invest in a local manufactory for metal building and construction materials. The partners will establish a joint venture and initially will focus on the local market.The project will be located in one of Gambia's Economic Free Zones, which gives the partners the tax exemption advantage over imported building materials. By seeking cooperation with the Social Security & Housing Corporation and local banks and real estate developers, the partners intend to help and ease the current issues with insufficient housing supply.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The partners will respect the ILO instructions and guidelines. The factory will become ISO 9001 certified. Minimum wages and working hours will be in accordance with the Gambian Labour Act.In addition, the partners realise that providing building materials at affordable prices alone is not sufficient to solve the housing problem in the Gambia. They will therefore seek cooperation with national and international organisations involved in housing issues, like UN Habitat, in order to solve land ownership and financing issues for the poor.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsAt the end of the project the joint venture will be employing 19 people (15 metal workers, 1 designer-engineer, 1 marketing and sales and 2 administrative-financial).Two years after the project an additional 15 metal workers will be hired and an additional designer-engineer or marketing-sales person.The salaries paid will at least be in line with minimum wage levels. On top, all employees will receive health insurance. Furthermore, the joint venture will aim at complying with global good practices.•	Innovation/Transfer of knowledgeThe concept of prefabricated building is new to the Gambia. This project introduces new contemporary production technology and design, structural calculation and planning tools to enable this new kind of building.The designer-engineer and the metal workers will be trained in designing and working with blueprints and advanced machinery, in a way that is currently not known in the Gambia.•	Chain effectsThis project will be the first professional production site of steel and metal building and construction materials in The Gambia. This will affect the construction sector, as more building opportunities will become available at a lower price. By introducing the modular building concept of prefab houses, buildings can be built faster and customised to any demand. This will have positive impact on the construction sector in general.•	EnvironmentThe impact on the environment is neutral. In fact, the prefab houses are better insulated than normal houses and therefore easier to keep cool. This will save on energy costs for air-conditioning.•	Position of womenThe partners will strive to employ 50% women. To establish a local production facility for steel and sheet metal building and construction materials, parts, kits and turnkey buildings, offering 6 different types of profiles and metal sheets and at least one standardised construction package for residential buildings, to the local market.