“The
Republic of The Gambia is losing a lot of money, because of its instability and
administrative chaos,” said retired professor Carlos Medina, President for CMR
Consultancy Ltd of Sweden, Ireland, U.K. and Spain in an exclusive interview
with IPA News.
Mr
Medina, a Spaniard-Swedish former member of the Swedish Parliament and
appointed Public Auditor by the Southern Counties of Sweden, is an international
business consultant for several European multinationals of construction,
energy, fishery and agro-industrial projects.
IPA
News: “Is Gambia losing money?”
Prof.
Medina: Yes, I am sure and I can prove it.
The military government of Mr Jammeh was not interested in developing
The Gambia at all. My association and I were in Banjul in 2008 looking for some
feature to develop in industrial projects. We found great potential in agro
products to industrialize and develop for export to Europe, and even other
strong potentials in form, for example, kinetic forces to feed big electric
plants to attract foreign industrial investors.
IPA
News: But, you mentioned “losing” money.
Prof.
Medina: Yes, they are losing money when no Gambian Government has appointed a
Director of Foreign Aid to gather financial help, for example from Euro Aid,
Danish Danida, Swedish SIDA, U.K. Aid, etc. They have neither sent
representative to even important international conferences attended for many
other African countries, as Senegal, Congo, Namibia, etc. Of course, all other
African countries are happy that The Gambia does not present their own projects
and never appoint a specialized ambassador.
IPA
News: Should a specialized ambassador create conditions to get international aid
for development projects in The Gambia?
Prof.
Medina: No by himself, but with our assistance he/she should be able. All aid
institutions demand a lot of knowledge, expertise and professional capacity.
You must be trusted, well known before you introduce projects. It takes years.
IPA
News: That is! It is question of introducing development projects, and money
gets to The Gambia.
Prof.
Medina: No, no! You must first study different natural resources in order to
define. With the new Government, what is to prioritize. It could be possible
that the urgent matters for The Gambia, is just now health prevention, or
housing building.
Ipa
News: Could prof. Medina help, if is question of improving health services, as
example?
Prof.
Medina: Of course, I am graduate in Public administration of Health in Sweden,
and I know what to do, how to negotiate such a project to Aid institutions and
how to get that very controlled money in
benefits of Gambians.
Ipa
News: Let us joke a little, should prof. Medina accept to be The Gambia
ambassador for International Aid?
Prof.
Medina: (Laughing) Of course I should do it! But let us be realistic, I have
not yet deserved the Gambian nationality, so, I should be very happy to serve
the democratic government of His Excellence Mr Adama Barrow in this matters.
