Finance
and economic affairs, fisheries and security took precedence at the Barrow
administration’s fourth cabinet meeting yesterday, Wednesday.
Led
by President Adama Barrow, the meeting reviewed progress on the four priority
areas from its last meeting a fortnight ago, namely communication, energy,
infrastructure, agriculture and education.
At
yesterday’s meeting, Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Amadou Sanneh spoke
to his colleagues about the global challenges discussed at the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund Spring meetings in Washington earlier in the year,
and their implications for The Gambia.
They covered such issues as inflation, debt and unemployment.
Minister
Sanneh also briefed his colleagues on the US$15 million support available to
improve livestock rearing, energy and the promotion of healthcare service from
the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). He said this was part of the new IDB
strategy to help member countries address their challenges.
The
Minister explained that the African Development Bank (AfDB) was also using a
similar strategy to support African countries, focusing on five critical areas,
all of which resonated with The Gambia’s development needs. They are: electricity, food security,
industrialisation, regional integration and improving people’s quality of life.
The Cabinet also discussed several agreements
presented by the Finance Minister. They
related to financing for integrated financial management information system
(IFMIS) and the results for education achievement and development projects; the
Airport improvement project phase II.
