A
senior analyst of the Commonwealth secretariat, Kevon Wilson has said that The
Gambia needs strong investment to help it secure its development objectives.
Addressing
a two-day national export consultative strategy meeting on Tuesday, Mr Wilson
said the country must continue to push forward, prepare key product groups to
enter new market and provide well needed export support services at
institutional levels which will support firms, producers and exporters to
deliver competitive goods and services in highly dynamic international markets
with sophisticated consumer.
“We
cannot overlook the importance of ensuring a sufficient volume of public
investment and foreign direct investment is secured to deliver transformation
of the key export sector and downstream agricultural production that feeds Gambia’s export potentials’’
he said .
He
added that transforming The Gambia from an LDC with inherent characteristics of
vulnerability to external shocks, a narrow resource base with limited economies
scale is a challenge.
“The
project is another step in Gambia’s move towards developing an efficient and
globally competitive export sector,” he added.
Hassan
MB Jallow, chief executive office of the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion
Agency (GIEPA) said the national export strategy belongs to every sector of
government and leadership in the implementation must be owned by the sectors
particularly the priorities.
“I
would also suggest that a wider review of existing sector strategies be
conducted by the team of consultants for enhancement where necessary and
harmonisation of the blueprint we are going to realise.”
The two days consultative programme of the
2013-2017 national export strategy meeting was organised by Gambia Investment
and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) with assistance from the Commonwealth
secretariat to update the erstwhile NES.