Abdou Kolley, secretary of state for Trade, Industry and Employment, yesterday presided over a one-day business forum organised by The Gambia Investment Promotion and Free Zones Agency (GIPFZA), at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Senegambia.
The forum brought together investors from Guinea Bissau and The Gambia to discus possibilities of encouraging investments in both countries.
Speaking on the occasion, SoS Kolley described the forum as a family matter, thus urging participants to speak their minds. He noted that the two countries have a long standing relationship. "Both sides can achieve a lot in terms of trade if they corporate. The Gambia and Guniea Bissau are both signatories to many international protocols which and provide for free movement of goods," he said.
The Guinea Bissau Commerce and Industry minister, Botche Cande, thanked the government of The Gambia and investors for their part in stabilising the price of rice in Guinea Bissau. He used the occasion to call on Gambian investors to invest more in his country, noting that there are many business opportunities there. He assured them that the two governments will approach the government of neighbouring Senegal to help facilitate easy movement of goods from The Gambia to Guinea Bissau.
The occasion was attended by officials from The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a cross section of the business community, and was chaire by Kebba Njie, chief executive officer of GIPFZA.