Editorial,

It is a general principle that sustainable development must come from within and be supported from outside. That is to say, the indigenes have to be the principle actors in their own development strive. As industrialization is a key indicator of development, the people for whom development is meant, have to take ownership of the general efforts towards the industrialization process. This will give us the opportunity to determine our economic strength, which is the basis for social transformation.

Outside of this, we will only remain recipients of aid, with foreign firms only engendering systems that allow resources to flow from a periphery of poor and underdeveloped states to a core of wealthy ones, enriching the latter at the expense of the former, hence perpetuating dependency. It is because of this dependency that poor states are impoverished and rich ones get enriched.

Kanilai Family Farm has emerged as a champion against this exploitative trend. The company is therefore a pride for Gambians, having taken giant steps in indigenising our economy. One unique thing about the company is that as a Gambian owned one, it does not only deliver quality services to citizens and non-citizens alike, but it always ensures affordability for the common man. This is demonstrated in the intervention in the baking industry, and now the building and construction industry.

This latest development will not only help build confidence in the contribution of Gambian owned businesses to the growth of the country's economy, and, in extension, enhance local appetite for the consumption of locally produced goods, but will also go a long way in curbing exploitation of the poor.

Ever since its establishment, Kanilai Farm, through its diverse service provision, has helped a great deal in easing the burden of livelihood on a considerable number of people in terms of accessing quality goods at affordable prices.

A vibrant development process works from inside-out, rather than the typical, external, top down-mechanism. Hence, development approaches have to rely on traditional knowledge systems to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

It is important to raise awareness within society of the role that community-based projects can play in enhancing the development process. We are, therefore, hopeful that other Gambians will come on board to complement the efforts of Kanilai Family Farm, so that together we can produce a Gambia that can be free from the ties of conditionalities of those who claim to be speeding our progress. This we can achieve if we can produce more companies like the Kanilai Family Farm Ltd.