Hon. Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof, Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment, has revealed that one of the things he is currently discussing with his Senegalese counterpart is to have a Joint Special Economic Zone for The Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea Bissau, which will be a unique opportunity.
“It will be unique in the sense that it will be the only zone in ECOWAS that can combine Portuguese, French, and English-speaking people, a characteristic of ECOWAS.
Speaking in an interview at the end of the 2nd Session of the Joint Committee for Commercial Cooperation between the Republic of The Gambia and the Republic of Senegal on Friday, July 19th, Minister Joof disclosed that this was to follow up on a discussion they started three months ago when they visited Diamniadio. He said the discussions with their partners and counterparts in Senegal centered on facilitating trade between the two countries but also on bringing a new dimension in Senegalo-Gambian relations for a joint industrial transformation of the two economies.
He described the above as very important, particularly because both presidents, His Excellencies Barrow and Faye, are convinced that economic transformation is what they need to achieve financial independence, not the other way around. As a result, he said, the two governments and presidents have instructed them to work on industrialization, and they are cooperating along these lines.
Minister Joof expressed appreciation for the great fraternal, warm welcome the Gambian delegation received in Senegal and the exceptional hospitality accorded them by their Senegalese counterparts. “We express our appreciation and gratitude to His Excellency Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, his government, and the people of Senegal on behalf of President Adama Barrow, the government of The Gambia, and her people.
For his part, Dr. Diop assured the Gambian investors, industrial and trade people of Senegal’s openness to investment. According to him, they need to look at how they can increase the exchange of imports from Senegal and exports to Senegal. “We want to go beyond that to make sure that in the future we have what we call Economic Industrial Zones between Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea Bissau, and this means that the Gambian investors who are producing food and mechanical products as items that have been imported can now do that in one economic zone including Gambian, Senegalese and Bissau investors. “I think this is the future that will put our cooperation to the next level of economic scale of industrial development, not just in agriculture and other exchanges,” he said.
He disclosed that the two ministers have designated representatives that will start discussing this and they hope and wish they can go forward during their next meeting in September.
