By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
Business activity is declining in the rapidly growing rural settlement of Farafenni, located in the country’s North Bank Region (NBR), with observers attributing this downturn to an increase in taxes on cement imported by land.
The recent tax increase on a bag of cement from D30 to D180 is believed to have caused a decline in business activity. This situation has led to the closure of a newly built truck garage and the lockdown of cement stores in Farafenni.
According to Chefs de Garage and cement traders, recent developments have resulted in significant job losses for truck drivers, laborers, cement dealers, and shipowners. They called on the Government to take urgent action to address the crisis affecting the industry since mid-April.
“It is unfortunate that our truck garage is no longer operating because of the decline in the cement trading between the Gambia and Senegal. At least, when the cement trading was at its height, more than fifty (50) trucks stopped at the garage overnight before they proceeded to other destinations within the country, but this is no longer the case,” said Mbye Mboib, a Chef de Garage (Garage manager).
He added, “The Garage was purposely built for trucks with the view to decongesting the community with trucks that usually parked at every corner of the town. However, a little after we started Governmentgarage, the Government increased tax on each bag of cement, which didn’t go well with many cement traders, leading to the garage’s closure.”
The Garage manager further disclosed that the decline in cement business by road has significantly affected the livelihood of many drivers, apprentices, and laborers in the community, observing that most of those affected are youths who choose to stay in the country rather than embracing the temptations of ‘back-way’ to Europe.
Samba Mbye, another Chef de Garage who spoke to TAT, urges the Gambian Government to compromise with cement traders to protect the livelihoods of thousands who depend on this business. He argues that many other small businesses, including fruit sellers, restaurants, shopkeepers, and petty traders, rely on the steady flow of cement from Senegal to The Gambia by road.
According to him, the management of the truck drivers has embarked on different initiatives to encourage the Government to lift the high taxation on cement. He noted that many youths are now out of work while others have started selling their trucks to shift into other businesses.
He appealed to the Gambia Government to consider the livelihood of thousands of Gambians who have voted for his party, saying knocking them out of business will not augur well for the Government. He also said the Government should be wary of the dangers of knocking youths out of business, as it may lead others to engage in criminal activities or engage in the illegal “backway” to Europe.
Alagie Touray, a prominent cement dealer in Farafenni, said the decline in cement trading has caused untold damages to businesses and people whose lives depend on them. He observed that many cement stores in Farafenni and other settlements within the provinces have closed down due to the high taxation imposed on a bag of cement.
He argued that the situation was created by the Government to kick out small businesses, thus increasing unemployment and poverty. He highlighted that the decision to increase the tax on a bag of cement from D30 to D180 should be revisited and rescinded for the increasing number of Gambians whose livelihoods are currently miserable and unbearable.
“For us, this decision is specifically meant to kick out cement traders out of business. Right now, many traders have closed their shops, and what they are going through due to this decision is unbearable for them and their families,” Touray told TAT.
He suggested, “The Government should create a conducive environment to allow fair trade and competition, but not to close down businesses.”
