Dr. Touray was speaking during the launching of the National Export Strategy (NES) 2021-2025 roadmap held at a local hotel in Senegambia yesterday.
The launching was organised by the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) in partnership with the coordinating secretariat of National Export Strategy (NES).
This is the second National Export Strategy (NES) roadmap which focuses on supporting the Gambia’s export ready and export potential firms to enter regional and global value chain, particularly in value addition, horticulture and agro-processing, groundnut, cashew, fisheries, light manufacturing and services, particularly tourism, to bring further benefits to the country.
VP Touray further said that NES’ specific goals and expected targets are to build a stronger, more responsible, robust and resilient economy.
“The other goals and expected target is to diversify export markets; to move the economy up the value chain through higher value-generating export activities; to improve the brand image of The Gambia in the international markets and to showcase The Gambia as quality exporter strategic product amongst others,” she noted
Vice President Touray, however, said that the new NES is envisaged as a critical roadmap to guide The Gambia towards export growth and diversification, recalibrating the economy away from its dependence on low value-added commodity trade and helping Gambian businesses to enter global value chains.
Seedy Keita, the minister for Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, said his ministry will take lessons learned from the previous failed strategic plan to ensure this new strategic objective is executed. He also said that he has engaged stakeholders to make sure execution is at the forefront.
He added that NES is a national exposed strategy, which when implemented will transform the lives of Gambians and give necessary impetus which the country long deserves. He said the NES is in line with polices of the Gambian government.
The chief executive officer of GIEPA, Ousainou Senghore, said the development of the second National Export Strategic 2021-2025 for the Gambia is an important milestone for GIEPA as an agency with an export development, investment promotion and enterprise development mandate. He noted that the development of the National Export Strategy (NES) is a necessity to guide GIEPA in its drive to realise the export development aspirations of the Gambia, as enshrined in the National Development Plan 2018-2021.
