Speaking on the occasion, Abdoulie Baks Touray, president of AmCham, said the signing ceremony “was a landmark event” giving the fact that Gamtel/Gamcel, just like AmCham, are pioneers in their fields of endeavour.
He said the reason for setting up AmCham in The Gambia was to see how they can network Gambian businesses with those in America for mutual development.
Mr Touray said the just signed partnership agreement between the chamber and the telecommunications companies “is a mutually reinforcing programme and a win-win cooperation for both parties”.
According to AmCham President, in The Gambia, Gamtel/Gamcel are at the cotton edge of technology.
“Gamtel/Gamcel think of what they can do for their country and not what their country can do for them,” Mr Touray said, adding that if Africa is to catch up in terms of development, there is a need to leverage technology.
Sarjo Khan, director of Customer Services at Gamtel/Gamcel, said there are opportunities for both Gamtel/Gamcel and AmCham in the partnership agreement.
He noted that the partnership would lead to technological development for the national telecommunications companies.
While thanking AmCham for choosing Gamtel/Gamcel as their telecommunications partners, Mr Khan said the partnership would offer them both local and international exposure.
Ma Nyima Cham, senior manager at Gamcel Marketing, said the partnership will provide capacity and also help the telecommunications companies to achieve what they could not and thanked AmCham for giving them the opportunity.
Kebba Njie, chief executive officer of AmCham, said the chamber is mindful of Gamtel/Gamcel’s support over the years.
“They are the main drivers of communication in The Gambia and mother of all telecommunications companies in the country, so it is quite crucial for us to form a formidable partnership with them because without reliable communication you cannot do business,” he said.
AmCham has identified 10 enterprises as its top partners to expose such enterprises to foreign partnerships, collaboration, cooperation, training programmes, attachments and visits with their counterparts in the US.