By Landing Ceesay
The Members of the Gambian-Turkey Business Council on Friday paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of the Gambia.
The Council, comprised of eight members, was established to bridge the private sectors of The Gambia and Turkey, with the goal of generating job and business opportunities for the Gambian people.
Following a private meeting with President Barrow, Council Chairperson Fatou Senghore spoke to the media, explaining the purpose behind their discussion with the Gambian leader.
“We are here today to meet the President and introduce the Council to him. The Council was established some 15 years ago. So we are here today to inform the President about the Council and our mission as a Council as well as what will benefit the country.
“Because we are working with the Turkish government, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, and with the Turkish Gambia Business Council. We are a member of people. So we are here to see the President so that we can expand the relationship between the Gambia and Turkey,” she told Journalists.
Mr. Ali Hydara, a member of the Council, informed the media that one of the Council’s key objectives is to support the government in creating job opportunities for young people by encouraging Turkish companies to set up factories in the country.
“The Turkish Gambia Business Council is just to foster the relationship between the private sector of the Gambia and also the private sector of Turkey. Bringing investors to the Gambia and also see how we can bring these two countries together. As we all know business is very important and the private sector plays a very important role in every economy by creating employment and so on. The government cannot do it alone, so the government also needs the support of the private sector.
“So we will try to bring investors to the Gambia from Turkey to come and establish factories here that can create employment and in those companies when they open factories here they will be paying tax that is going to add a lot of value to our economy. And not only that, but we are also looking at ways how we can export products from the Gambia to Turkey. Because it is kind of like one way right now. Because we are importing more from Turkey. So if we try to produce something in the Gambia and also to export not only to Turkey but also to other countries. It is going to help us in terms of foreign currency, in terms of creating employment,” Mr. Hydara said.
Mr. Hydara, who also serves as a board member of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), highlighted some of the challenges frequently raised by their business partners in Turkey.
“The Council is not new, it has been here for the past 15 years. We have a series of Turkish investors that have visited the Gambia before. Some of what really discourages them is they will always say we don’t have enough electricity. We have discussed this with the President and he has assured us that the government is working towards having sustainable electricity in the country. Because most of them when they come to do a survey and see the situation of the electricity, it really discourages them. Because factories need a lot of electricity,” Mr. Hydara told Journalists.
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