During the 2nd edition of the Senegalese-Gambian Economic, Commercial and Investment Forum, held in Gambia, the Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, delivered a speech to the Gambian Vice-President, Muhammed BS Jamlow. Focused on the theme of “harmonization of the business environment”, his intervention highlighted the importance of strengthened economic cooperation between the two nations, but also on the scale of the African continent.
A call for the African Union
In his speech, the Prime Minister insisted on the need for African countries to work together to accelerate their development. “ We are used to doing what other countries in the world are doing in a short time. As Africans, we must combine our efforts for more results on the continent and particularly in the field of trade”he said, making a strong appeal to the Gambian government.
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A partnership to perpetuate
Ousmane Sonko also welcomed the renewal of trade and economic relations between Senegal and the Gambia, which he considers promising. “ Our commercial and economic relations must be sustained. Our presence here in The Gambia can be explained on several levels. We must first prioritize Africa. We share with The Gambia, this governmental organization that is ECOWAS, the OMVG and even our permanent secretariat. To explain to you that there are so many relationships that bind us “, he emphasized enthusiastically.
Ambitious goals for the future
Despite a positive development in commercial traffic, which increased from 92 billion FCFA between 2001 and 2022 to 117 billion in 2023, the Prime Minister estimated that these figures remain insufficient. He expressed an ambitious vision for the years to come: “Increase this amount to 500 billion CFA francs”, an objective which involves an intensification of collaboration in strategic sectors such as infrastructure, transport, industry, tourism and the digital economy.
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