Sira Ndow, Chairperson of The Gambia Social Forum has called on African Trade Ministers to pursue an alternative trade agreement with the European Union countries that are not harmful to African economy.

Speaking at a one-day sensitisation workshop for commercial farmers in the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) held at the Paradise Suites Hotel, she said the economic partnership agreement (EPAs) are based on the principles of liberalization, which she said has not worked for developing countries faced with supply challenges.

According to Sira Ndow, the EPAs would disintergrate the existing blocks and subject African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to indirect competition with each other to attract foreign investors rather than increasing bilateral and inter-regional trade.

Madam Ndow added that the EPAs would have a certain degree of gender impact, noting that the EPAs will cause women famers to lose livelihood when faced with increased competition from Europe’s highly subsidized and consequently cheaper products.  She urged trade ministers not to sign the EPAs in their present form.

For his part Lamin Dampha, Principal Economist at the Department of State for Trade Industry and Employment (DoSTIE), said the problem affecting groundnut exports to the EU markets, enchancing the competitiveness of the domestic production and budgetary assistance are the areas of conern to The Gambia.

According to Mr Dampha, although The Gambia will not be able take advantage of the opportunities due to the absence of a strong productive sector. He noted that the EPA will create serious policy, resource and adjustment challenges which will apparently outweigh the opportunity to increase volumes and varieties.

He recommended that extra budgetary support be provided to small countries like The Gambia to provide technical assistance to design economically and socially desirable support packages and the focus market access to be extended beyond tariff reduction to cover non-tariff barriers.