Thomas De Beule, Commercial Director and head of Bilateral Section Nigeria & The Gambia at Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Belgium, Luxembourg, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (CBL-ACP), made this disclosure in a recent interview.
He observed that with Gambia being a small country, is it quite easy to get connected with the right people only ‘if one takes his time and looks at existing opportunities.’
Thomas De Beule was appointed recently as head of Bilateral Section Nigeria & The Gambia at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Belgium, Luxembourg, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (CBL-ACP).
With this development, The Gambia is now under his watch as head of Bilateral Section for Nigeria & The Gambia at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Belgium, Luxembourg, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (CBL-ACP).
"So, myself I have Nigeria and also recently The Gambia is under my portfolio and in each country, we have a local CBL-ACP representative."
In this vein, he disclosed that they have representative in Nigeria and also in The Gambia, adding that this is an opportunity to reach out to members especially in bolstering strong and robust network.
Having been in existence for more than 60 years, he said the Belgian Chamber of Commerce has forged good collaboration with the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all the trade agencies in Belgium.
"So, we are always promoting the different countries under our portfolio," he added.
On his recent trip to Nigeria, Thomas De Beule commented that since his focus on the country took effect more than a year ago, he observed that the country has done quite a lot.
"We have started organizing an annual business forum on Nigeria. This year, is actually going to be the third edition and there we have the full support of Embassy of Nigeria in Brussels and also the support of the Embassy of Belgium in Abuja," he stated.
De Beule further explained that they also organised different receptions in Nigeria itself to promote the summit ahead of an invitation extended to him by end of February to attend a mega energy summit in Nigeria, where he will be speaking likewise the ambassador of Belgium in Abuja.
There again, he said, they will be organising a high-level reception for VVIP and other delegates, adding that they will also invite the Ministries of Trade and Aviation of Nigeria.
He also informed that they had a very good collaboration with all the Belgian embassies abroad, further expressing optimism to replicate similar initiative in The Gambia, which is also added to his portfolio.
He said his partners in The Gambia include traditional partners, though the process goes through the Embassy of The Gambia in Brussels, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade and looking at the private sector they had The Gambia Chamber of Commerce, The Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) and other business organisations and private Gambian companies as well.
"So, it’s always a great pleasure to work with them and to see how we can foster more business and trade between Belgium and The Gambia."
The Belgian business executive also spoke about the country’s energy sector and ways to diversify it using other alternatives like renewable energy, something he said has to be anchored on a win-win situation.
That, he believes, is the way forward and be able to fully maximise their potentials and sensitisze companies especially in view of the country’s erratic energy supply.
The Belgian investor also cited other options like renewable energy and even biomass, where they’ve companies in Belgium that can offer solutions.
He, equally, commended NAWEC for their work with support from partners like World Bank, saying the company has come a long way.
To that end, he revealed that through the network of their chamber, any Belgian company that is looking to interact with a government body on energy and water, are in a good position to create that platform and engage on behalf of their companies.
On his recent appointment as head of Bilateral Section of Nigeria & The Gambia at Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Belgium, De Beule hinted that there are a lot of opportunities these countries could explore from this initiative, as through the initiative they will invite Gambian business stakeholders to Belgium.
"We are always happy to receive business delegation in Brussels whether it’s from government or private sector."
On the issue of membership, De Beule maintained that Gambian companies can be members of the network by visiting their website and filling a form.
