The Gambian President Adama Barrow has called on Gambians to insist on designing value-driven projects and programmes that are relevant and yield tangible results to the lives of the people.
He reiterates that the Gambia now has the chance to be proactive and be better organised to utilise its resources more efficiently.
“The world is moving fast, and we must keep moving equally fast,” said President Barrow while presiding over the 57th Independence Anniversary of The Gambia in Banjul on Friday 18th February 2022.
According to him, to free Gambians from economic dependence, the country must invest more freely in the productive sectors, produce as much of what people consume as they need, and eat more homemade products. He also called for the need to expand and patronise local businesses, encourage, and tap on local talents.
On the celebration of National Day, the Gambian president said: “Let us give a wider meaning to our political independence and link it with national unity. Political independence, economic independence, and national unity have a bearing on one another; however, we must recognise that national unity is the foundation for nation-building.”
Barrow called for working towards mechanising and diversifying agriculture, preserving, and processing local produce, saying that this can change people’s lifestyles to depend less on imported goods, especially imported food commodities.
He also challenged his ministries and institutions to transform ideals into workable strategies and infuse them into their next development plan and national policies.
The Gambia gained its independence from Great Britain on the 18th of February 1965. Yet, economic independence remains naive in consideration of total independence ideology.
