- Secy Colley

The Secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Employment, Abdou Colley, has observed that The Gambia has maintained a liberal trade regime since the introduction of the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) in 1985, adding that this economic posture has been even consolidated since the country became a member of the World Trade Organisation in October 1996, assuming full responsibility of all its obligations under this treaty.

Secy Colley made these remarks on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of a one-day validation workshop of the final report of the Gambia Diagnostic Trade Integrated Study (DTIS) of the Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance. “These measures, among others, have led to gradual but progressive reduction in tariffs and complete elimination of export licenses and quota, as government believes that trade liberalisation would lead to more efficient resource use,” he said.

According to him the Integrated Framework (IF) programme emphasizes the importance of national ownership which, he opined, is key to ensuring the long-term sustainability of trade policy and capacity development efforts.

“The Diagnostic Trade Integration Study that you have validated today has assessed the overall competitiveness of the Gambian economy, identified sectors of greatest export and growth potentials, outlines constraints to trade, and presents an action matrix,” he noted.

He also said that the premise of Integrated Framework is that initial integration into the global economy is essential for economic growth and poverty reduction.

He appealed to development partners to include IF in their priority interventions for The Gambia, asserting that the government of The Gambia considers IF as an important component of its development programme.

Secy Colly also revealed that an IF secretariat would soon be established within the Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment to assist coordinate Integrated Framework.

For her part, Mrs. Helene Cave, EC Charge d’ Affaires, outlined the reasons why the European Commission has been appointed as the lead donor  of the programme in The Gambia. “Our role consists mostly to assist government in finding donors who could assist financially or by providing technical assistance,” she said. She at length called on all stakeholders to actively play their role in order for the programme to be successful.