President Adama Barrow
By Buba Gagigo
President Adama Barrow has dismissed concerns surrounding Abubacarr Jawara’s basalt importation business, stating that Gambians sometimes focus their energy on issues of little significance. He attributed the controversy to a lack of understanding about global trade and economic processes.
Speaking on Tuesday after visiting Jawara’s basalt depot, President Barrow emphasized the essential role of basalt in the country’s construction industry.
“You said controversy, but the controversy is people who don’t know, who don’t understand how things work in the world. Every builder uses basalt in this country. We have one source only, we source from Senegal. Sometimes a vehicle can travel to Senegal and spend one week, two weeks, sometimes two trips a month, and it’s very expensive,” the President said.
The president revealed that since 2017, his administration has been engaging investors to secure large-scale basalt imports to reduce costs.
“We have been trying to do that. We were fortunate with Abubacarr Jawara, a very ambitious, very serious businessman. He was able to sign a contract in Cape Verde and bring the basalt here. That is saving our construction industry. A lot of construction is going on in this country. It has never been like this. We are building hospitals, building schools, and the private people are building too, so we need this. But Gambians, sometimes we waste our energy on things that are not important, which is uncalled for. Now the price is going down. It’s because of competition. That’s why we don’t have price control in this country because we want the market to compete. Because the moment you bring price control, you know what happened? Hoarding! When they hoard then you are in trouble. We don’t want that in this country,” he said.
Encouraging innovation within the business sector, he urged entrepreneurs to prioritize national development.
“They are not supporting Adama Barrow they are supporting their country and the construction industry and you know my philosophy is no infrastructure no development. This is the way I am thinking,” the president said.
Accompanied by Minister of Agriculture Demba Sabally and Minister of Finance Seedy Keita, President Barrow also toured the National Food Security Processing and Marketing Corporation (NFSPMC) depot at Denton Bridge. Formerly known as the Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC), NFSPMC oversees the wholesale purchase, processing, and export of the country’s annual groundnut harvest.
During the visit, the president announced that the government is constructing a new processing plant to enhance groundnut oil production. He underscored the importance of value addition in agriculture to stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities.