By Ambassador Abdoulie M Touray
The recent announcement that China will grant zero-tariff access to products from The Gambia is a major diplomatic and economic breakthrough for our country. It reflects growing confidence in The Gambia and further strengthens the strategic partnership between Africa and China under the framework of South-South cooperation.
This important development comes in addition to the duty-free and quota-free access already available to Gambian exports under the European Union preferential trade arrangements and the opportunities provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) with the United States.
In essence, Mr President, some of the largest consumer markets in the world have effectively opened their doors to Gambian products.
Yet, despite these remarkable opportunities, the harsh reality remains that The Gambia currently lacks the productive capacity to take full advantage of them.
This is the fundamental challenge confronting our economy today.
The issue is no longer market access. Through sound diplomacy and international cooperation, those doors are already open. The real challenge is our inability to produce competitively, consistently, and at scale.
Market access without production capacity yields little economic benefit.
Mr President, no nation can sustainably develop by relying primarily on imports while exporting very little. A country becomes prosperous when it produces goods and services competitively, adds value locally, exports to international markets, and creates jobs for its people.
Unfortunately, our economy remains heavily consumption-oriented.
Our agricultural sector, which employs a significant portion of the population, is still largely subsistence-based and vulnerable to climate shocks. Farmers continue to struggle with inadequate mechanisation, limited irrigation, poor access to finance, weak storage facilities, and insufficient agro-processing infrastructure.
As a result, we often export raw materials in small quantities while importing expensive finished goods that could potentially be produced locally.
This trend is neither sustainable nor transformational.
The opportunities now available through China, the European Union, and AGOA should serve as a wake-up call for national economic re-engineering.
The Gambia must urgently transition from a trading economy into a production and export-led economy.
The potential exists.
China’s zero-tariff arrangement can create opportunities for Gambian exports such as groundnuts, sesame, cashew, fisheries products, horticulture, garments, leather goods, and processed foods. European markets continue to demand organic agricultural products and fisheries exports, while AGOA presents opportunities in textiles, apparel, handicrafts, and agro-processing.
However, international markets require volume, quality, standards, packaging, and reliability.
Global buyers are not interested in excuses about inconsistent supply, inadequate processing, or logistical bottlenecks.
Mr President, this moment therefore calls for bold national action.
The country must prioritise:
* Agricultural mechanisation and irrigation;
* Agro-processing and value addition;
* Special economic zones;
* Export financing facilities;
* Cold storage and warehouse systems;
* Quality assurance and certification laboratories;
* Reliable energy and transport infrastructure;
* Skills development and technical training.
Equally important is empowering the private sector, women, and youth entrepreneurs to become producers, manufacturers, and exporters.
Government alone cannot industrialise the country.
A coordinated national export strategy is urgently required — one that aligns agriculture, trade, industry, finance, education, and infrastructure development toward export competitiveness.
Mr President, the global market is already open to The Gambia.
The pressing question now is whether The Gambia is prepared to produce for the world.
Abdoulie M Touray is the president of SaHel Knowledge Campus Think Tank (SKCTT)
