Tomaa and Sister Jabou, Not so long ago I made similar comments on the Gambia-Senegal relationship in a short exchange with Ebou Jallow. The current crises is double-edged, and presents a dangerous amalgam of conflicting economic interests in a militarily volatile context. While it is great relief that tensions have subsided and that the borders are open once again, fighting in the Casamance needs to end through dialog in order to enhance stability in the region. Without that, there will remain considerable risks for other issues, say economic concerns, to be used as legitimitate reasons to raise and heighten diplomatic tensions between the two countries. A couple of years back, the Jammeh government, in a shrewed move to appease the Joof administration drastically reduced tariffs at the ferry crossings affecting the overall volume of money collected by the Gambia Ports Authority. In spite of that, the issue of diminishing revenue for the Senegalese customs services at Gambian borders, partly on account of smuggling and partly on account of Gambian re-exports has remained thorny for a good part of the last four decades. Settling this issue seems to have proved elusive to both regimes. My belief is that Gambian commerce must strategically decreased its dependence on the re-export of goods which is a de facto lifeline of our nation's current economic performance. While cross border trading in imported goods is quite normal, it severely undermines Gambia's own productive capacity in manufacturing. This is important even if reliance on the service sector is the major thrust of economic development both at home and elsewhere; a fact that also hinges especially on our incapacity to compete with established and dominant manufacturers. Added to that is the Senegalese complaint that goods from Gambia undermines its own manufactures while it suffers from falling customs revenue at border crossings because of cheaper 'Gambian goods'. Looking at this in a broader perspective, it relates to the question of a larger continental dilemma: how African goods can compete with the produce of global industries that have not only become much more efficient but also have relied heavily on decades of protectionist politics by their governments to prosper and grow. All this at a time while Africa is being permanently harassed and lectured to democratise ( very acceptable) and open up its markets to free competition (quite unacceptable). While Gambia cannot pratice any isolationist poitics, its government must realise Gambian agriculture, the country's natural vehicle to industrialisation, cannot be left to wobble hopelessly in servile respect to the adjustment politics of the IMF. The Jammeh government must disentangle itself from its devastating policy of not interfering in the groundnuts trade. All governments throughout the continent must realise that they have the ultimate responsibility to invest in those strategic economic sectors on which our future depends and that which should provide Africans with food security. Hopefully, a serious and long.term investment in agriculture should help Gambia rely less on the re-export trade while opening up other sectors of the economy for local investment capital. All of this can best occur in a context of peace and stability in the region; the reason why I wrote earlier that...." president Jammeh must make sure that those fighting for an independent Casamance are not allowed to set up bases on Gambian soil, not because Gambia should not be sympathetic to their demands, but because Gambia must reject seccession. Gambia must use whatever influence it has to encourage dialog and a political settlement of the conflict. A stable, peaceful and prosperous Gambia that encourages, pursues, and strengthens economic and cultural ties with neighbours in the entire subregion is her best line of defense. Momodou S Sidibeh, Stockholm/Kaatong. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~