Led
by Tiago Trigo de Menezes Leal, Honorary Consul Designate of The Gambia to
Portugal, a delegation of eight potential Portuguese investors on Sunday
arrived in The Gambia on the maiden TAP Air flight from Lisbon.
The
eight-man delegation, comprising of various entrepreneurs and representatives
of companies are looking forward to work and collaborate with The Gambia
Government in different sectors including water resources, agriculture,
construction, tourism amongst other very important sectors, key to the economic
development of the Gambia.
“We are in a crucial point for both economies,
Portugal wants to start working in a closer way with The Gambia. Gambia has a
lot of opportunities here and I guess is a win-win situation for everyone” said
Joao Mateus Rosa, CEO, Flybizz Digital Marketing agency who also doubles as
spokesman of the 8-man delegation.
During
their visit, the delegation met and held discussions with the Vice President of
The Gambia, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Minister
and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Regional integration and Employment
(MOTIE), CEO of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce (GCCI), Director General, Gambia
Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA), the Minister of Environment and
the Minister for Fisheries and Water Resources with whom they had a working
session with as the water sector is a priority investment area for the visiting
team.
Mr,
Mateus also said that the investment possibilities in Gambia are endless,
adding “we have the know-how, we have the ability to create synergies with the
people here. With the knowledge that we have, that we can bring, I guess we can
create good investment possibilities that can derive everything that Gambia
needs, and that Portugal has to offer to investors in Gambia.”
In
January of 2018, the Government of The Gambia launched its blueprint, The
National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2021, which aims to revitalize and transform
the economy for the well-being of all Gambians. Of the eight strategic
priorities through which the vision and overall goal of the NDP will be
realized, the Gambia Government is poised to make the private sector the engine
of growth, transformation and job creation.
The
Gambia’s Honorary Consul Designate to Portugal, currently rendering consular
services to more than 1,500 Gambians living in Portugal, Tiago Trigo de Menezes
Leal, whose late father has served in the same position for 20yrs, says strengthening
the Gambia – Portugal bilateral relationship remains a priority for him as it
was for his father who died in 2018.
Mr.
Leal asserts that he believes in the Gambia’s NDP and as part of his
contribution towards the attainment of the set goals of The National
Development Plan 2018-2021, he plans to bring in more investors to invest in
the Gambia since the Private Sector has been identified as the engine of the
NDP. “What we are starting now will avail investment opportunities for both
Gambian and Portuguese Investors. It will also facilitate finding markets for
Gambian produce in Portugal for export,” he said.
Mr.
Leal also says he is exploring the possibilities to intertwine the chamber of
commerce of the Gambia and that of Portugal to further boost trade relations
between the two countries.
Moses
Benjamin Jallow, Gambia’s Ambassador-at-large for Trade and Investment in
Africa and Asia, who together with Mr. Trigo coordinated the visit of the
investors, said even though Europe doesn’t fall under his countries of
accreditation, he feels it’s only fair that he lends a hand whenever and
wherever, adding that he used to be Gambia’s Ambassador to France with
co-current accreditations to Portugal, thus his link with the group.
Ambassador
Jallow also states that the mobilization of the investors is in response to the
objectives of the National Development Plan. “We are living up to the mandate
of my appointment, trade and investment, this is why we are trying to identify
genuine potential investors to the Gambia. This is also in response to
President Adama Barrow’s vision for the Gambia and I suppose the Gambia stands
to benefit a lot. The timeframe of the NDP is 3 – 4 years but I’m sure closer
to the time we would have achieved the objectives of it.”
The
Portugal-Gambia relation is a very historical one dating centuries ago. Trade
links between the Gambia and Portugal started in 1456, when the first European
traders (The Portuguese) came to The Gambia. The coming of the delegation aims
to further cement the already existing trade links between the two countries.
It is expected that in a couple of weeks, the delegation will return to the
Gambia with Business Proposals to present to the relevant authorities for
consideration.
