By Mama Touray
President Adama Barrow on Friday at independence celebration held in Banjul McCarthy square said although it is my view that absolute economic independence is impractical.

Barrow giving his speech on the occasion of celebrating Gambia’s independence at 57 said “Although it is my view that absolute economic independence is impractical, it is certain that we can reduce our heavy dependence on the outside world. The question is: How can we do this meaningfully? The solution depends hugely on how practical we are and how far we choose to go in raising our productivity and production capabilities and outputs, while minimizing imports and maximizing exports”

President Barrow added that the imbalance between imports and exports for the country is enormous, and this needs to be offset. Generally, there is a great need to transform the population into a more productive resource.

“To free ourselves from economic dependence, among other strategies, we must invest more freely in the productive sectors, produce as much of what we consume as we need, and eat more home-made products. By the same token, we need to expand and patronize local businesses, while developing, encouraging and tapping local talent” he said.  

He continued say that a lot of potential to increase national income generation lies in organizing our communities to set up joint businesses, engage in more productive ventures, and make the most of our natural resources. Old and ineffective approaches have to give way to greater application of technology and modern techniques of production.

“Industrialization is surely one of the key areas to promote and develop. We should work towards ably mechanizing and diversifying agriculture, preserving and processing our produce, and changing our life styles to depend less on imported goods, especially imported food commodities” he stated.

He stated in this era, the dilemma of African countries largely remains the attainment of economic independence in an inter-dependent world. Like many other nations around the world, this is one of The Gambia’s major challenges.

Meanwhile he said “In discussing economic independence, my vision for The Gambia is a nation with top-class infrastructure, sufficient energy for national coverage and a technology-supported society that matches the digital world, all of which propel growth, economic development and social cohesion through an adequately equipped human resource base”

Barrow added that to advance economically, there is an urgent need to inject value and derive value from whatever we do. We should insist on designing value-driven projects and programs that add value to the lives and livelihoods of the people, and ensure that our interventions yield tangible results that are not short lived.

Barrow stated that the next five years provide opportunities to pursue such noble goals with more passion and vigor. We now have the chance to be proactive and be better organized to utilize our resources more efficiently and usefully. The world is moving fast, and we must keep moving equally fast. He said.

In his own words Barrow said “I challenge the relevant Ministries and institutions to transform such ideals into workable strategies and infuse them into our next development plan and national policies”