Prominent economist, politician, and commentator Dr. Ousman Gajigo has sharply criticized the Minister of Fisheries, Musa Drammeh, for what he describes as a misleading explanation of the dramatic rise in fish prices across The Gambia.
In a detailed analysis, Dr. Gajigo argues that the minister’s attribution of high fuel prices to inadequate landing sites and a lack of cold storage facilities masks deeper government failures that are depleting fish stocks and undermining food security.
Minister Drammeh recently told the press that rising fuel prices, the absence of a modern fish landing port in Banjul, and the lack of cold storage and processing facilities were primarily responsible for elevated fish prices. Dr. Gajigo dismissed these claims as “a demonstrably false narrative,” accusing the minister of being “unserious” and indifferent to the welfare of ordinary Gambians.
Fish remains the primary source of affordable protein for most Gambian households, yet only about one-third of households are considered food secure. The recent surge in prices has placed additional strain on families already grappling with economic hardship. Dr. Gajigo questioned why, after ten years in power, the government has failed to address long-standing infrastructure gaps despite collecting significant revenue from the fisheries sector, as repeatedly highlighted in presidential State of the Nation addresses.
He challenged each of the minister’s explanations point by point. Traditional low-tech fishing boats, which dominate the local fleet, do not require sophisticated landing infrastructure and can beach almost anywhere along the coast. Similar vessels operate successfully in neighboring Senegal and Mauritania. Larger industrial vessels that might require dedicated ports are largely absent in Gambian waters, rendering the landing-site argument unconvincing, according to Dr. Gajigo.
On cold storage and processing, he noted that the vast majority of fish consumed locally is sold fresh. Middlemen and traders in areas like Tanji manage their own basic storage, while fish destined for upcountry markets or Senegal is transported quickly in refrigerated vehicles. Unlike perishable crops, post-harvest fish losses have not been a major issue historically and cannot explain the recent price spike, he said.
Fuel costs, while a legitimate operating expense, also fail to account for the timing and scale of the increases. Dr. Gajigo noted that fish prices began rising sharply before the latest fuel hikes, and that previous fuel increases did not trigger comparable surges.
Instead, Dr. Gajigo identified two government-related factors as the principal drivers of the crisis. The first is the operation of fishmeal and fish oil processing plants, notably Golden Lead in Kombo South. These factories purchase large quantities of fish for export to Southeast Asian markets, with none of the processed product sold domestically. This diverts supply away from local consumers, pushing up prices. The plants have also triggered environmental damage in communities such as Sanyang and Gunjur and encouraged fishermen to target juvenile fish to meet factory demand, accelerating stock depletion.
The second major factor, according to the analysis, is a controversial fishing agreement with Senegal, renewed in 2023 under Minister Drammeh’s watch.
The deal allows any vessel registered in Senegal to fish in Gambian waters without local registration or notification requirements. Given Senegal’s much larger fishing fleet, the agreement effectively grants broad access to Gambian resources, making monitoring and enforcement nearly impossible. Dr. Gajigo warned that this opens the door for foreign vessels to operate through Senegalese registration, guaranteeing overexploitation of Gambian fish stocks.
These policies, he argued, have directly reduced local supply and forced desperate fishermen to harvest immature fish, worsening the industry’s long-term outlook. While better infrastructure would benefit the sector, its absence does not explain the current crisis, Dr. Gajigo maintained. A serious government, he concluded, would have prioritized sustainable management of this vital resource long ago.
