3. AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, WILDLIFE AND AQUACULTURE 3.1 Crop production, livestock, fishing and forestry contribute about 30% of GDP. The value of imports is estimated at D6.3 billion, 70.4 % of which are classified as imports for domestic consumption of which food products constituted the top of the list Gambia imports rice and other food items that can be produced locally. Food self sufficiency and safety are the pillars of economic emancipation and sustainable development. Suffice it to say, 70% of the labour force depend on crop financing for income generation. Many projects have been launched to promote self sufficiency in food production and the production of crops and livestock for marketing, such as the quality seed production project, the rural finance project, peri urban small horticulture and livestock development project, peri urban small holder improvement project, special programme for food security, livestock development project, Pan African Control of epizootics, irrigated rice development project, farmers managed rice irrigation project, participatory irrigated watershed management project, low land agricultural development project. The implementation of all these projects has not given rise to food security. In 2004 the overall development expenditure for agriculture amounted to 175 million dalasis. The sum stood at 179 million in 2005. Despite this huge investment into agriculture, development in this sector is impaired by the lack of reliance on reliable statistics to identify the problems and determine what is required to address them. Government statistics would reveal remarkable increases in crop cultivated area, yield and production levels from year to year without recording any proportional reduction in poverty ratio. In short, the overall cultivated area for cereals is reported to have increased from 172,390 hectares in 2003/2004 to 192,312 hectares in 2004/2005 representing an increase from 215, 046 metric tonnes to 225,008 metric tonnes with early millet contributing 48 per cent. Paddy rice is also reported to have registered a growth of 10% from 31,221 metric tonnes in 2003/04 to 34,304 metric tonnes in 2004/2005. Groundnut is said to have recorded an increase of 46 percent with gross production rising from 92,937 metric tonnes in 2003/2004 to 135,698 in 2004/2005 cropping season. However, our export of groundnuts was plagued by inadequate marketing arrangements and earnings valued at $811.3 millions reflected a decline of 33 percent. NADD recognises that The Gambia has potential for increasing crop production to over 800,000 metric tonnes, which is four times the current level of production. It also has the potential to increase its earnings from the sale of crops. The potential for livestock and fish production is also considerable. NADD observes that despite huge influx of investments in production, Gambian agriculture is still plagued with problems at the production and marketing levels which require urgent attention if we are to create a self reliant agricultural base that will guarantee food security, and affordability to ensure access to appropriate nutrition by the population. NADD therefore undertakes to put in place programmes that will ensure availability and affordability of food to guarantee food security as well as to put an end to inadequate marketing arrangements that have undermined rural income and increased rural poverty. The programme shall consist of: Pooling of resources from the Assets Management and Recovery Corporation and other sources of investment capital to create an Agricultural Financial Facility or Agricultural Development Fund to finance production and marketing of produce in the area of agriculture, livestock and fishing. Formulation of an integrated agricultural, livestock and fishing development programme to ensure food security, affordability, availability as well as enhance the income earnings of stakeholders in the sector. Building the capacity of the Departments of Fisheries, Livestock and Agricultural Services to become the architects of the comprehensive and integrated agricultural, fisheries, and livestock development programmes. This development programme shall include modalities for the operation of a financial facility for the sectors; Strategies on the development of appropriate methods and inputs such as donkey, horse and ox drawn implements as a start; Develop seed multiplication schemes and banks for crop and semen banks for life stock; Development of preservation methods for various food items; Give priority to adequate production of grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish and livestock, including small ruminants for local consumption to improve nutrition and for export. 4. ENERGY 40% of the population of the country live in the urban area and 60% in the rural area. The provision of energy to preserve agricultural produce and to run small scale and large enterprises is indispensable to sustained economic activity. Herein lies the importance of exploration, production, conversion, storage, transportation, distribution and use of energy in an efficient manner. The APRC government has made countless promises to provide efficient, affordable and reliable energy services to the population. Huge investments have gone into the energy sector. The rural electrification project costs $18 million dollars. NAWEC has taken over the power stations based in Barra-Essau, Kerewan, Farafeni, Kaur, Bansang and Basse. A 28 megawatt power plant is destined for Brikama because of the agreement with Global Trading Group for the implementation of an independent power project. NAWEC has a full generating capacity of 27 Megawatts and has rehabilitated its transmission lines with a 500 million dalasi loan from the Import/Export Bank of Taiwan. In the same vein, the President announced the discovery of oil in 2004. Since then the people are simply told that the Gambia National Petroleum Company is making efforts to attract international investors to come and invest in the Gambia’s upstream hydrocarbon resources; that such exploration for oil and gas depends on the hydrocarbon material, geological risk, fiscal and legal terms as well as political stability. Hence the state of exploration for oil and gas in the Gambia is at most uncertain. NADD strongly holds that no modern society with a developed infrastructure that can attract investment can be built without reliable energy. It maintains that accessibility and affordability of energy are key factors in fighting poverty and ensuring development. It observes that Gambians depend on fuel wood, charcoal, gas and electricity as sources of energy; that the felling of trees and their burning for charcoal has led to deforestation and is threatening the very source of energy that homes rely on for cooking; that gas and electricity are beyond the reach of the vast majority of Gambians. NADD therefore maintains that energy is becoming increasingly inaccessible, unreliable and unaffordable to the many. A few depend on individual generation sets which are expensive to maintain and pose high pollution risks to individual households. NADD maintains that the Gambia has immense potential to address its energy problems. The ECOWAS sub region has large potential for collaboration on the use of hydroelectric power. The ECOWAS energy protocol which can facilitate such collaboration has already been ratified by many countries. It shall map out the nature, quality and sources of energy in the country within six months of a NADD administration with a view to establishing concrete plans on how to maintain or develop each area to make energy more accessible, reliable and affordable either through our own initiatives or through collaboration with regional or other partners. NADD shall give emphasis to the principle of sustainable and environmentally friendly means of production, conversion, storage, transportation, distribution and use of energy from diverse sources such as wood, gas, oil, solar energy and hydroelectric power. NADD shall make energy more accessible, affordable and reliable in the Gambia. 5. MINING Being close to the Futa Jallon highlands, the geological formation of the Gambia offers many possibilities for mineral exploration. Ore mining began during the colonial period and ceased without much explanation. The APRC regime has not injected any strategic thinking in promoting mineral exploration and development in the country which can indeed be a major economic activity. Within 1 year of a NADD administration the government shall establish a concrete blue print on mineral exploration and development in the Gambia. This will map out the areas of priorities and the institutional and strategic framework required to develop the mining sector. 6. PROCESSING/MANUFACTURING The most significant sector for the production of value added goods is manufacturing. It serves as a secondary phase of economic activity after raw material production. Manufacturing & processing of raw materials enable a country to reduce imports and generate both income and employment in a country. This sector is bereft of any strategic thinking by the APRC administration. Even though it claims that it wishes to transform the country into a middle income country, an export oriented agricultural and manufacturing nation, there is no blue print for the building of the manufacturing sector. In 2005 manufacturing was expected to grow by 5%. The growth in small scale manufacturing is attributed to increased demand for intermediate inputs provided by welders for construction and so on and so forth. Contrary to misguided statistics Gambia has a large presence of highly skilled personnel in welding and fabrication who provide all the intermediate inputs for construction and other services. However, this sector is plagued by unreliable and expensive electricity supply, poor infrastructure, high cost and scarcity of imported raw materials, erratic pricing policy, high interest rates for commercial borrowing, poor investment opportunities. The growth in large scale manufacturing is attributable to increase in production of soap, plastic, soft drink and foam materials. This area is also constrained by unreliable and expensive electricity, poor infrastructure, impoverished internal market and insignificant access to sub regional markets. Over the years, companies have emerged to engage in bicycle assembling, industrial sewing shoe making only to disappear as soon as they were established because of poor investment policy guide lines to ensure sustainability. Suffice it to say, the Gambia has a potential for establishing sea food processing industry. The same goes for the processing of meat and milk products, fruits and vegetables. No strategic thinking has taken place to guide the development of such a sector. Within one year of the NADD administration a master plan would have been drawn to map out the number and nature of each of the small, medium and large scale manufacturing enterprises and the numerous cottage industries that are responsible for the production of flour, oil, milk products, soap and so on. The master plan will indicate the history of the sector, the shortcomings, its potentials and map out a clear and realistic way forward for its development. NADD aims to make processing/manufacturing an important economic activity, next to agriculture, before the end of its term of five years. 7. TRADE Fair trade contributes to mutual growth of the productive base of an economy, generates employment and income and facilitates economic, infrastructural and social investment. It is estimated that agricultural subsidies by developed countries amount to 300 billion dollars; that high tariffs and technical barriers to trade in industrialized countries cost sub Saharan African countries 20 billion dollars annually in lost exports. The Gambia is a signatory to many protocols aimed at boosting trade with neighbouring countries and beyond, for example the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) is designed to facilitate Intraregional trade. ECOWAS has a market of over 280 million people. We are also signatories to many protocols aimed at instituting economic and monetary union. However, Gambia is yet to be in a position to benefit from an enlarged market. The vision of transforming the country into a trading nation because of the production of agricultural and manufactured goods is merely found in the vision 2020 document. In actual fact, the exports of the country are decreasing. In 2001 it was valued at 3.6 billion dalasis while imports stood at 6.3 billion dalasis leaving the country with a deficit of 2.7 billion dalasis. The most striking feature of our exports is our total reliance on re-export as the basis of our trade. In short, in 2005 exports of groundnuts earned the country 11.3 million dollars or 300 million dalasis. Exports of fish, fish products and horticultural products earned the country 282 million dalasis in 2005. 2.9 billion dalasis out of the 3.6 billion dalasis derived from exports came from re-exports. Infact, 29.6 % of the goods imported are destined for re-export. Gambia is therefore very vulnerable to border closure or tariff and other technical barriers to trade. NADD recognises the need to create a conducive environment for Gambia to benefit from International and sub regional trade. This programme shall include: a. The creation of an Agency for trade and investment, that will do an inventory of all the goods and services produced in the Gambia for export and those needed by the Gambia for imports. It will maintain a diary of all the goods and services produced in the sub region in particular and the continent in general and then determine how to foster sub regional and inter African trade. b. The Agency shall also keep an inventory of all the goods and services that can be imported or exported to countries it has signed favourable trade agreements with. c. Formulate a comprehensive programme on how to expand trade within one year after a NADD administration comes into being. 8. TOURISM Tourism accounts for 16% of GDP. Tourism is a major foreign exchange earner. It is ranked 2nd after agriculture in terms of potential for foreign exchange earnings. It is said to give formal employment to 10,000 people annually and an informal employment to 20,000 people. In 2005 the travel trade was estimated to generate an income amounting to 2.2 billion dalasis out of the 1.3 billion dalasis estimated as foreign direct investment; the bulk of the inflows go to tourism. The major draw back of the travel trade for the Gambia is the tendency for the benefits to have a trickling down effect rather than a multiplying effect. The statistics kept for planning purposes deal mainly with visitors coming through chartered flights. Those who come by land, sea or through scheduled flights are not captured in the statistics. NADD is conscious of the fact that package tours involving chartered flights constitute the mainstay of the tourism industry. The expenditure by tourists mostly goes to pay for the air fares and hotel accommodation. Hence the benefits mainly accrue to them. The ground handlers serve as middle persons. A trickle goes to the employees, craft market vendors, fruit sellers and tourist guides. The major shortcomings of the travel industry is its lack of linkage with the productive base of the Gambian economy, be it agriculture, livestock or manufacturing. NADD aims to make tourism have a multiplying effect instead of a trickling down effect. Within one year of a NADD administration it will implement the following programmes: a. Commission the Tourism Development Authority to do a comprehensive study on how tourism can be integrated with the production of livestock, beverages, fruits, vegetables and intermediary construction materials so as to ensure a multiplying effect for Gambian producers. b. Embrace responsible tourism which encourages benefits for investors while they perform their corporate responsibility in giving support to schools, hospitals and communities as well as spread out the benefits to contribute to poverty alleviation c. Spread out the advantages of responsible tourism to encourage hosts and tourists alike to have mutual respect for each others cultures, dignity, welfare and happiness. d. Promote diversification of tourism to include ecotourism, conference tourism, and cultural tourism. e. Encourage private/community partnerships to develop tourism in the rural areas. f. Provide free training at the hotel school to those who have the potential to be employees in the tourism sector. 9. LOANS, AID, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND REMITTANCES OF GAMBIANS Capital inflows from loans constitute a major part of the foreign exchange inflows into the Gambia. In 2004 inflows from project related loans were estimated at 177.4 million dalasis. In 2005 it stood at 911.4 million dalasis. Foreign direct investment stood at 1.5 billion dalasis in 2004 and fell to 1.3 billion dalasis in 2005. Remittances by Gambians living and working abroad stood at 346.2 million in 2003. It rose to 569.9 million and 886.3 million in 2004 and 2005 respectively. All these inflows are sources of investment. NADD shall develop a comprehensive fact sheet on all the areas where inflows of financial resources are evident and compliment the findings with a comprehensive investment road map within 1 year of the establishment of a NADD administration. 10. TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION Land, Air and Sea routes are necessary for transportation and communication. The Gambia is strategically located to serve as a sub regional, continental and international hub for land, air and sea traffic. Internally, the country can rely on air, land and sea to travel from one end of the country to the other. The proximity of Gambia to Senegal makes joint transport and communication projects feasible and desirable. In the area of sea, the country needs investments into passenger or cargo vessels to transport people and goods on the Gambia river. This will require the building of wharves in many villages situated near the river. On the development of road infrastructure, Gambia is strategically carved in West Africa making it possible to have two trunk roads on the North and South Banks making the country accessible from East to West and from North to or South. This geographical advantage has never been exploited. Needless to say, the geographical link between Gambia and Senegal makes it possible to have Trans Gambia routes from North to South and West to East. Gambians can travel from West to East within five hours by road when it is in a good state. NADD shall therefore make it a priority to identify and build strategic wharves for the development of river transport within two years of the establishment of its administration. It will encourage joint public/private investment in the sector. In the same vein, NADD shall ensure that within two years of the establishment of its administration, the two trunk roads from the West to the East, covering both the North and South Bank, shall be instituted as well as all the Trans Gambia routes covering North to South across the Gambia. In partnership with the councils, all roads in towns, villages shall be resurfaced within three years of a NADD administration. GAMWORKS shall be transformed into an implementing agency for public works and charged with the responsibility of maintaining roads. All councils shall maintain public works sectors to maintain facilities. The development of international movement of cargo through the ports authority and the international movement of passengers through the Gambia International Airlines and the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority shall be instituted. The most significant contribution to our telecommunication sources is to ensure universal access to the service at affordable prices. While expanding the services Gamtel is not considering the issue of sustainability. It is borrowing to develop infrastructure. 11. SOCIAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT 12. EMPLOYMENT Currently, 185,000 children are enrolled in our primary or lower basic schools; 66,000 students are enrolled in our upper basic schools and senior secondary school enrolment stands at 27,000 students. Within a period of 3 and 10 years most of them would be out to seek employment. High interest rates, heavy borrowing by the public sector from the commercial banking sector and low investments in labour intensive enterprises militate against the creation of significant employment facilities by the local private sector. Construction appears to be a major employer; its short term nature makes employment under such sector erratic to say the least. Foreign direct investment by the external private sector goes mostly to the tourism sector which gives seasonal employment to 10,000 employees. This figure has been stagnant for decades. Taking into consideration that 60% of the population are under 24 years; the issue of unemployment and underemployment will reach catastrophic proportions as the years go by unless maximum effort is made to address the low level of job creation in the economy. At present 60% of the urban labour force depend on the informal economy while in the rural areas the bulk of the labour force depends on agriculture. Currently, there is no link between the world of school and training and the world of employment. Knowledge and skills are therefore being acquired through vocational and skills training centres as well as through the traditional apprenticeship system but no national plan exists to absorb the trained in the productive sectors of the economy. The government’s argument that Gambians abhor skills training is a farce. Tens of thousands of Gambians have received training from skills and the apprenticeship systems. What they need is the creation of the conducive environment for employment creation. NADD shall put an end to the inadequate statistics regarding the nature of the labour force in the Gambia, the state of unemployment and underemployment and the lack of a comprehensive plan to match skilled personnel with jobs in the labour market by instituting the following programmes within one year of its administration: It shall commission the Personnel Management Office to keep records of all persons who have completed their grade 12 course and their employment status. This office shall also keep track of all jobs created in the public sector. It shall commission the labour department to keep records of all other persons in the labour force who are not in the records of the personnel management office. It shall commission the Gambia Chamber of Commerce to maintain a record of all jobs created by the private sector on a periodic basis and shall liaise with the labour departments to match personnel with position. Ensure that, at all times, jobs are created by public sector establishment through an efficient management of resources to create dividends for more investment and growth. Ensure less borrowing from commercial banks thus reducing public demand in favour of private sector borrowing at reduced interest rates. Ensure a conducive environment for investment of remittances by Gambians living or working abroad and for greater inflow of foreign assistance and foreign direct investment to generate employment. Encourage more public/private partnership and private/community partnership in running enterprises that generate employment. Ensure the development of a comprehensive study on micro credit schemes to determine their viability in promoting sustainable incomes and livelihoods of the low income earners and help pioneer a policy on how the informal sector can help income generation. Promote informal sector, livestock, horticultural and handicraft production and link them to cottage industries to produce oil, milk, flour, fish products and handicrafts for internal consumption as well as for exports. This is likely to promote income generation. 10. Expand weekly markets in the rural areas by giving them more infrastructural support and ensuring qualitative and quantitative growth of the products traded. 11. Work towards the adoption of a minimum wage that is both realistic and conducive for the acquisition of the basic necessities of life. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤