The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has launched an appeal for businesses in member countries to consider making forays into the Gambian economy to harness its potential.
With a GDP of just over $2 billion according to 2022 estimates, The Gambia is one of the smallest economies within the OIC.
Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha in a statement read by Dr. Ahmad Kawesa Sengendo, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs at an investment forum organised ahead of the 15th OIC summit in Banjul exhorted Gambia’s development partners to take the lead by introducing more financing lines and capacity building programs for the country’s public and private sectors.
The two-day forum dubbed “ICDT Invest Days Banjul” began on Thursday under the aegis of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) in collaboration with the Gambian government.
Taha’s statement identified several sectors of the Gambian economy for development including tourism, the digital economy and human capital investment.
Gambia’s vice-president Mr. Muhammad Jallow encouraged private business entities in other OIC member countries to invest in his country’s fledgling energy, infrastructure, tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors. He assured prospective investors that the government would support them through incentives amenable to the growth of their business ventures in The Gambia.
Some 400 participants representing the private sectors of OIC members and non-members took part in the forum, which interrogated development themes such as business environment and risk management, livestock, agriculture and fisheries, mining, energy, oil, tourism and transport.
WN/as/APA