Gumbo Ali Touray, interim leader of All People’s Party, has suggested local production of goods to uplifting The Gambia’s weak economy which he said has been battered by the global coronavirus pandemic.

The leader of the country’s newest political party said: “we need to follow import substitution so that main products that we used daily would be produced in the country, cooking oil should be produced and groundnut, milk and milk products.

‘’As of now 58% % of the economy goes to imports and that will continue to weaken the economy, 50 % goes to service national debts and that is the fundamental issue which should be considered.”

Mr Touray added: “It takes a lot of our foreign resource because Gambians believe that they are buyers not producers, 50% is going to foreign service debts and that is catastrophic to any country.

“It is high time the country developed its own dairy, cattle are available to provide all our milk requirements.”

He advised that the country should now be self-sufficient rather than depending on imports, adding that “The Gambia is one of the highest countries in terms of rice importation because the land and swamps are available for cultivation to produce rice in bulk through that the economy will be saved.

“However, in terms of Covid-19 which has ravaged most of the country’s economy and the world at large, Covid-19 has created a big gap in the history of Gambian economy, to regain the losses we should try and improve our agricultural system because farmers play a vital role in the development of the country.” 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba