She highlighted EU’s backing of the Made in Gambia Initiative, which promotes value addition and fair distribution of tourism benefits. She also stressed the importance of intellectual property rights to protect Gambian artists, and cultural entrepreneurs while turning creativity into economic assets.
On sustainability, Lumana pointed to the role of Green Public Procurement in boosting demand for eco-friendly goods and enhancing climate resilience, and also the EU’s commitment to supporting investment facilitation to attract quality, future-oriented investors.
“The European Union is delighted to walk this path with The Gambia,” she said, emphasising the shared goal of building a competitive, inclusive, and sustainable tourism sector,” she said.
ITC expert, Daouda Niang, emphasised the need for stronger policy alignment across government ministries and sectors to strengthen tourism, noting that the industry does not operate in isolation.
He highlighted that harmonised regulations would boost investor confidence, create jobs, and prevent duplication of efforts, particularly in addressing emerging issues such as regulating Airbnb. “Waste management was cited as a major challenge, often caught between municipal and ministerial responsibilities,” he said.
Niang underscored the need for collective action, and stressed that working together would lead to positive outcomes for both the environment and the tourism sector.
DPS MOTAC, Isatou Drammeh, in her official opening statement, expressed gratitude to the government of The Gambia and EU-funded Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) for Tourism and Creative industries.
Drammeh added that the project is pivotal in supporting the ‘Made in Gambia’ initiative agenda so as to enhance local content and value addition, with a view to ensuring that economic benefits of tourism is achieved.
“This dialogue marks a significant step towards realizing the ambitious goals of our National Tourism Policy and Strategy (2021-2030), and the Recovery Focused National Development Plan (2023-2027), ‘YIRIWAA’, which prioritises a transformed, competitive, and sustainable tourism sector, contributing to overall inclusive growth, job creation and poverty reduction,” she added.
