The National Youth Association for Food Security (NAYAFS) on Thursday held a one day sensitisation workshop for stakeholders on the European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAS) for the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries at a ceremony held at the Baobab Holiday Resort in Bijilo. 

The programme aimed to sensitise stakeholders and lobby for our national government on the EPAS negotiation process between the EU region and the struggling economies of the ACP countries brought participants from government departments, the National Assembly, civil society, politicians, NGOs and the donor community.

Speaking at the ceremony, Majidi Jallow on behalf of NAYAFS said his organisation has strategically placed herself as one of the leading fair trade advocates not only for The Gambia but for the Southern bloc as a whole. The EPAs, according to him, are considered to be key instruments for the involvement of the ACP states in the world economy.

He said that as the table is set for the conclusion of negotiations in December this year and the subsequent appending of signatures in January 2008, NAYAFS and the civil society in general will not relent until they see to it that negotiations cease to give time to ACP states to first integrate for stronger economic blocs.
 
For his part, Lamin Nyangado of Action Aid The Gambia, said The Gambia’s main policy thrust on the other hand is to allow market forces a reasonable degree of free play supported by an attractive incentive package for domestic and foreign investment with the aim of facilitating trade as an instrument of development, employment for the growing population and to eradicate poverty by 2015.

Mr. Nyangado added that from the start of negotiations, the EC and ACPs vision of what a future ACP-EU trade agreement should look like have been very difficult.  “Particularly in the areas of trade liberisation, singapore issues and development are poles apart”.

He concluded by stating that the ACP countries have been consistently raising concerns about this fundamental difference and tried to resist pressure from the EU. However, he said the EC is increasingly using its economic and political power to force its own vision of EPAs onto the ACP countries.

Other speakers included the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Abdoulie Bojang.  The final recommendation of CSO on the EPAs will be presented to the Speaker of the National Assembly.