By Astou Jawara
The Department of Export Promotion and Facilitation (DEPF) under the Gambia Investment and Export Promoting Agency (GIEPA), on Tuesday, 15th February, 2022 started a two-day stakeholders forum at Senegambia Beach Hotel .
Held under the theme,“The Implementation of the National Export Strategy to Drive Export Growth (NES) 2021-2025”, the main aims of the forum are to address the Gambia’s balance of trade (export), and address challenges within the trade entry points.
GIEPA is mandated by law to enhance the business environment, facilitates Public-Private dialogue, develop exports and promote and facilitate business development initiatives through consultative engagements with the private sector.
The forum was expected to guide the Gambia Exporters to offer the prospect of new markets, more sales, better profits, and a greater spread of customers with the advent of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
GIEPA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Ousainou Senghore in his remarks, noted that implementing the NES is a great achievement, urging that the Strategy must be seen as a national document and all sectors outlined should collaborate strongly with the Secretariat, for its successful implementation.
“GIEPA would lead in the implementation of the NES; I again, seek your support for effective, efficient, and timely response to our call as far as the NES is concerned,” the Agency boss intimated to the gathered stakeholders.
Minister of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment, Mr. Seedy Keita, told his audience the Gambia continues to experience trade deficits as imports exceed exports, therefore, the development of the NES is crucial for the country’s exports sector.
“The strategy is expected to improve the country’s trade balance and its ranking in export. Despite the country’s small-scale production, it is envisaged that the strategy will support to diversify the economy that will improve The Gambia’s access to the international markets,” the Trade Minister highlighted.
Mr. Hamat N.K. Bah, Minister of Tourism and Culture, charged its high time that the government work extra hard to be able to get more finance, to enable stakeholders in the sector have access finance as most of the banks are not keen when it comes to access to finance. He stressed it’s time for government to create institutions to support the interest in terms of export and its quality.
Minister Bah said that this year, they (government) are going to discuss how GIEPA would support the sector to have products that are well-presented and could be exported in terms of quality.
Ms. Opeyemi Abebe of the Trade Competitiveness Section (TCS) at the Commonwealth Secretariat, told the forum the Secretariat would support the government of The Gambia to improve the economy and the lives of its people.
Stating they can’t completely close that gap between the import bill and the export return, but she said what they want to see is to reduce the gap at the port so that Gambian export would start to do better in the international market. The Commonwealth official described the tourism sector as a critical partner in the implementation of the NES, as she posited that government and GIEPA need to find partners who are willing to join them to ensure the National Export Strategy is implemented.
The NES 2021-2025 was launched on the 24th of August 2021, and the five-year strategy is geared towards diversifying exports and contribute to achieve the overall objectives of the government’s National Development Plan (NDP), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with prime focus on wealth generation and job creation.
This is the second National Export Strategy prepared with support from the Commonwealth Secretariat and full cooperation from the private and public sectors.
