Prominent economist and opposition figure Dr. Ousman Gajigo has sharply criticized the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment’s recent agreement with Pakistan to supply rice and other agricultural products, calling the announcement a major sign of failure rather than an achievement.
Dr. Gajigo argued that presenting greater rice imports as progress reflects “a certain level of incompetence.” He linked the deal to the high cost of living facing average Gambians, driven largely by rising prices of basic food items, most of which are imported. Over the past decade, he noted, imports have accounted for about 80 percent of The Gambia’s total trade with the rest of the world.
This persistent imbalance, Gajigo said, contributes to continuous currency depreciation and worsens inflation, since most consumer goods are brought in from abroad. While some goods must be imported, rice is different. As the country’s staple food consumed in every household, and with available land and suitable agro-climatic conditions, self-sufficiency in rice is both achievable and essential for food security, he stressed.
Continued reliance on imported rice exposes The Gambia to external risks, including climate shocks and socio-economic disruptions in exporting countries. “This exposure is not inevitable—it stems from deliberate choices made by leaders who either do not care to solve the problem or are incapable of doing so due to incompetence,” Gajigo said.
Local rice production would generate significant employment, particularly for youth, because agriculture is labor-intensive. Milling and related agro-processing would create industrial jobs and supply by-products useful to other sectors, supporting economic diversification and transformation, he added.
Gajigo pointed out that the Adama Barrow administration has been in power for ten years yet the country still imports 90 percent of the rice it consumes. “In other words, the administration has made zero progress toward rice cultivation specifically, or food security for the average Gambian more broadly,” he said. Announcing another major round of rice imports from Asia, in this context, amounts to “nothing but an admission of failure.”
Achieving rice self-sufficiency is feasible within a single term of any competent government, Gajigo said, and warned that there is no excuse for continued heavy importation of the staple.
