The
Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Agriculture and Employer’s Association
(GCCI) has continued to enhance business ties and opportunities between The
Gambia and India, through an India-Gambia Business Forum that delved on the
theme: Doing Business with India.
The
business forum, held at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on Friday 14 October, was
organised by the GCCI in collaboration with
India trade ministry, Embassy of India in Dakar and the Office of the
Honorary Consul General of India in The
Gambia.
The
potentially-packed business forum, which aimed at creating major business
linkage and access to business opportunities, discussed trade, industrial
development in The Gambia, the growing business sector and trade opportunities
in India, information on the lines of credit for government and private sector,
capacity building and vocational training with GCCI and GTTI, tourist and
business visa information and regulations for Gambians, as well as the way
forward to realising set targets.
India,
a South-Asian country of about 1.3 billion people, has transformed from a poor
and low-income nation in 1950 to becoming today one of the leading nations in the world with vast industries
manufacturing and exporting textiles and clothes, pharmaceuticals, jewelleries,
stationery, chemicals, electronics and other engineering products.
Giving
a brief background of India and its growth and development over the years,
India Ambassador designate to The Gambia Rajeev Kumar said India gives priority
to education, making it a key factor to growth, as well as how the country has
made ease of doing business in India an attractive incentive for investors,
with roads, railways, ports and other infrastructural development put in place
for the country to continue to grow exponentially.
“In
India electricity is ensured through a determined policy dubbed Power-for-All
(PFA),” the Ambassador said.
Mr
Kumar applauded the good and fruitful relations that have been existing between
the two countries over the years.
He
said that presently India is a host to about 17% of Gambian exports to South
Asia.
Ambassador
Kumar commended the Gambia government for creating an environment conducive for
business to operate in The Gambia, which permitted the increasing number of
Indian-owned businesses in the country.
With
huge potential for business establishment in various sectors such as tourism,
agriculture, manufacturing and skills development, The Gambia offers immense
investment opportunities for investors to tap from.
The
India-Gambia Business Forum, “with the objective of increasing business
relationship across various sectors is a very laudable initiative towards
bringing business together from the two countries as part of our continued
efforts to widen and deepen our trade investment ties”, Trade Minister Abdou
Jobe, who delivered the keynote address at the occasion, said.
He
encouraged both Gambia and India investors to take advantage of the business
opportunities existing in both nations.
He
commended the India business operators in the country, saying their investment
in The Gambia has contributed a lot to the economic growth in the country, as
well as created employment for many Gambians.
“The
Gambia Government is very open to facilitating and strengthening our existing
bilateral relationship,” he said.
Minister
Jobe encouraged investors to take advantage of the various schemes of support
existing in The Gambia and India, saying: “Significant amount of monies have
been put aside by the India government to support the health sector, which
investors can benefit from.
“The
India Government has also waived visa fees for countries, including The
Gambia,” he said. “We are also benefiting a lot from India under the duty free
tariff schemes. People should also know about the incentives in place by the
Gambia Government for business to benefit from.”
Minister
Jobe said his ministry is doing all it could to let investors and the general
business community be aware of the incentives, and many policies and schemes by
the Gambia government and GIEPA to encourage investment and support the
business community invest and create jobs in the country.
Health
Minister Omar Sey also delivered a statement on the occasion, emphasising how
both nations’ investors could utilise opportunities in the health sector for
investment.
In
his remarks on the occasion, GCCI CEO Alieu Secka said for the GCCI and the
Office of the Honorary Indian Consul to the Gambia, and by extension the
Embassy in Dakar, their partnership had been based on several successful
engagements for the development and advancement of the two private sectors.
“Today
we have an increasing Indian Community doing business in the cashew, energy,
construction and electronic retail sectors. Similarly, more Gambian exports are
being sent to India amounting to some $36.2m whilst we imported $89.7m in
2014,” he said.
We
have also jointly supported small enterprises in The Gambia in the Information
Technology industry to participate in expos and fairs in India, supported by
the Government of India. Likewise, the private sector has joined several
government missions to India, including the last India Africa summit.”
Mr
Secka re-affirmed the GCCI’s support to improving doing business with India,
particularly through key projects such as partnering to host the first-ever
Agro-processing Incubation Center in Sukuta, purpose-built.
Some
indigenous Gambian businesses that have benefited from the India-Gambia
business ties had the opportunity of sharing their experiences at the forum.
Suggestions
such as establishing a Gambian-India Business Council were made by CEOs and
business representatives, including Abdoulie Baks Touray of Sahel Invest, at
the forum.
In
her closing remarks, Trade Ministry permanent secretary Naffie Barry emphasised
the importance of creating the Gambia-India Business Council to ensure the
beginning of an enhanced trade growth and development trajectory for both
Gambia and India.
