By Samsideen Ceesay, Information Officer, Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment.
The Directorate of Industry at the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment in collaboration with The Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) on Monday 7th June, 2021 started a five-day regional tour for industrial monitoring and data collection. The first call of the meeting was held at the Kanifing Municipal Council.
The nationwide tour will engage industries and Local Government Authorities to forge collaboration as well as collect timely data. In addition, it intends to collect any relevant information about the industry subsector. It will also introduce comprehensive monitoring and evaluation tools to be able to gauge the progress of industrial spread and progress in the Gambia, as well as promote MSMEs formalization.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Fabba Jammeh, Director of Industry at the Ministry of Trade, said the objective of the meeting is to establish and collect data for industrial purposes. We thought that having the right data, we can track industries, and it will also help us greatly in the policy formulation and decision-making process.
“We want to use municipality as a gateway for industrial development, noting that we want to collaborate with KMC so that we can get accurate data for industrial monitoring within the jurisdiction of the municipality,” Mr. Jammeh said with optimism.
The Lord Mayor of KMC, Talib Ahmed Bensouda pointed out the need to look at the policies to better govern industries in the Gambia, stressing that coordination should be part of a policy decision making and investment for industrial development in the country.
Kajali Jammeh, Deputy CEO, KMC, said that this is a laudable initiative by the Ministry of Trade, adding that the industrial data exercise will strengthen the partnership between KMC and MOTIE. Development is about collaboration and partnership, Kajali Jammeh stated.
Jaja Cham, The Director of Administration at the Kanifing Municipal Council said: “We are committed to be part of this important exercise.”
