The Gambia's Envoy to the Swiss Confederation and Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, His Excellency Professor Muhammadou M.O. Kah, has disclosed that Least Developed Countries (LDCs) need more than money: coordination, transparent information, and results aligned with national priorities.
Professor Kah was speaking at Session 26 session to discuss the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) AURA announcement of the forthcoming EIF AI Publication during the recent 10th WTO Aid for Trade Global Review held on 30th at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The savvy diplomat, who is also representing The Gambia in other international organizations in Geneva, revealed that twenty years after Aid for Trade's launch, the question is no longer how much "we provide, but what it changes."
"Bilateral ODA to LDCs fell 25.8 per cent in 2025, so every dollar must show its result. LDCs need more than money: coordination, transparent information, and results aligned with national priorities," he said.
He added: "For LDCs, the real measure of Aid for Trade is not how much support is provided, but what that support makes possible for our economies and our people."
Professor Kah, who also serves as The Gambia's representative at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international organizations in Geneva, maintained that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming economies, and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) must be able to seize its opportunities, not watch them pass.
As countries welcomed the launch of AURA, the EIF's updated Management Information System under Phase Three, he stated that AURA brings EIF financing, programme implementation, governance and results into one gateway, with a public dashboard that makes progress visible to governments and partners.
He observed that timely and accessible information strengthens national decisions, identifies gaps earlier and improves delivery, noting that transparency must make development cooperation more effective and efficient, not more complicated.
The Gambian envoy further pointed out that digital reporting must reduce the administrative burden on capacity-constrained LDC institutions, not add to it, and that country ownership must remain central to EIF Phase Three, built on multi-year, country-led programmes running to 2031.
"Better information lets governments steer implementation and keep resources aligned with national trade priorities and that reliable evidence serves learning and better decisions as well as reporting, and demonstrates value for money," he said.
Professor Kah also noted that AURA can reinforce the core principles of development effectiveness: country ownership, focus on results, inclusive partnerships and mutual accountability.
He told delegates that governments and funding partners need a shared picture of where investment goes, what is working, and where to act next, and that better evidence builds confidence, and confidence sustains partnerships and attracts additional investment.
As the Doha Programme of Action moves towards its Midterm Review in 2027, he added that monitoring systems such as AURA are how they track progress and hold themselves to account.
With advances in sciences and AI transforming economies, Kah encouraged LDCs to seize its opportunities and not watch it pass, while reminding governments, development partners and institutions to use AURA to strengthen cooperation, learning and informed decisions.
