By Sainabou Sambou
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE) on Friday, 12th January 2023, convened a press briefing at the Ministry, where it highlighted achievements over the past years, and outlined the strategic plans and initiatives for the year ahead.
In his remarks, the Minister of Trade, Baboucarr.O.Joof announced that a National Employment Forum has been slated to take place early this year, and that it will be a two-day activity where key stakeholders will be invited to discuss the status of employment in the country.
On the achievements, the Minister informed that his Ministry in partnership with ITC launched the She Trades Hub Programme in November 2021, which now made The Gambia to be part of the Global SheTrades Hub communities that continues to support women’s participation in trade. “The Government is currently working with over 90 women-owned businesses under SheTrades initiatives funded by EIF and implemented in collaboration with ITC”. He said that under the She Trades initiative, they were able to build the capacities of women businesses through the provision of equipment and trainings to improve the quality and packaging of their products, as well as for them to effectively manage their businesses. “An additional cohort consisting of 15 fashion companies and 25 food processors were recently selected as She Trades companies making a total of 130 women businesses that are now working with the Ministry,” he added.
Mr Joof also said the Ministry of Trade (Department of Labour) in collaboration with the Judiciary had established industrial tribunals in all regions across the country. He said the chairpersons and the panel members have been appointed and sittings have started and that all the tribunals across the country are operational. The Industrial tribunals will assist in settlement of controversial disputes that the Department could not settle within the specified period through mediation processes.
The Minister told the press that the as part of their mandate they monitor stock and price levels of selected commodities considered essential in the food basket of the population on weekly basis, adding that the report provides important information to both ministry and Economic Council in term of where they are on critical stock level and the market behaviour in terms of prices of the commodities.
“The report also helps us to understand the global commodity market situation both in terms of stock and price movement which assist us to understand to some extent the pressure points for policy intervention”.
He further stated that to enhance and strengthen their resolve for economic transformation, the Ministry is working with World Trade Organisation Enhanced Integrated Framework to leverage on climate financing to expand its intervention beyond the Senegambia Bridge corridor, and that a new project proposal called, ‘Green Industrial Transformation through Special Economic Zones and Agropolis Project’ has been designed.
Minister Joof also mentioned the Trans-Gambia Corridor Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The initiative, he said, will be linked with the port of Banjul (130km downstream), with multimodal connectivity infrastructure/services: inland river transportation port facilities (at Bambatenda/Yellitenda); improved trunk road network: north-bank and south-bank trunk roads & Senegambia bridge; and a regional airstrip, to transform the regional urban growth-centres of Farafenni and Soma, as future metro poles, and economic engines, for employment creation for the youth, and the underemployed.
The goal of the TGC-SEZ is to support GOTG’s medium to long term economic growth and sustainable development strategy; as well as position the Gambia to compete effectively in the wider - Africa continental single marketplace.
“The Trans-Gambia Corridor is a vital economic and strategic link, of the wider Praia - Dakar –Abidjan – Lagos Multimodal Corridor - connecting both the northern and southern parts of Gambia, Senegal and beyond,” he said. He added the that bridge will serve as catalyst, and as leveraging agent, to attract strategic investments that contribute to the economic diversification, and national development agenda, of the Government of The Gambia (GOTG).