The Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy last Saturday set the tone for patronising locally-made goods and services when she formally presided over 5th GCCI trade fair.
She stated that by patronizing Gambian products and services each and every one will be directly and indirectly contributing to wealth creation and poverty reduction in the country.
Because this is absolutely true we encourage the government to keep promoting Made in
The theme for this year’s trade fair is promoting the Made in The Gambia products and services.
The move is geared towards raising public awareness of Gambian-produced goods and services, as well as highlights the need for Gambians to consume Gambian products and services as a matter of choice. Some of these locally produce goods are fresh and sweet and therefore good for health.
We believe that doing so would increase the capacity utilisation of our small scale businesses, and ensure that money earned in The Gambia circulates within the country.
When these happens, more Gambians would be employed and this would raise the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
If we are really serious about empowering our local businesses, then we must patronise them.
By patronizing your local small businesses one is empowering them to grow and compete with other businesses in the sub-region and beyond.
We are encouraging all Gambians to make a conscious effort in patronising local products, while urging the government to promote local production as well.
This is how many developed countries started, by encouraging small businesspeople and entrepreneurs to grow through policies and legislation.
After all, it is in our own best interest to shop from local stores and patronize local service providers.
