Abdou Kolley, secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Employment, on Tuesday, officially launched the Ecowas Inter-State Road Transit Scheme (ISRT), at a ceremony held at the premises o f The Gambia Ports Authority.

In his launching speech, SoS Kolley said that the objective of setting up the Ecowas Inter-States Road Transit regime in 1982 was to facilitate transportation of goods within the territories of the member states, in a bid to improving on the inter-state trade.

"Our sub-region is characterised by many check points on our roads and our people continue to face numerous cross-border obstacles.  You are all aware that in most of the countries of the sub-region numerous road blocks are maintained," he said, and he added that manufacturers and traders were complaining that these barriers were costly.

According to SoS Kolley, the scheme requires that goods meant for transportation are properly declared, inspected and sealed at the customs office of departure, follow a special itinerary and are delivered with the seal intact at the customs office of destination. He noted that inspections carried out at the points of departure and arrival offer the only chance of interference by customs and other security officials.  

Apart from these two points, he argued, the goods should not be inspected nor should they be the subject of any additional formality while travelling.

The SoS went on to say that the scheme takes cognizance of the fact that the easy and quick delivery of goods from one member state to another can spring economic development, and that it is fundamental in the fight against poverty.  

"These conditions," he said, "are very crucial for effective implementation of the scheme, not only in The Gambia but also in the sub-region.  I therefore call on all the stakeholders to cooperate and support the GCCI for the effective implementation of the scheme," he stated.

Honorable Kolley expressed government's commitment to the scheme, saying that the government of The Gambia will continue to give support to the GCCI for the successful implementation of the scheme.  The private sector, he said, has an important role to play in our efforts to improving the competitiveness of trade in the sub-region.

"The challenges are numerous but with concerted efforts, the business environment of the sub-region can be greatly improved; government will therefore continue to adopt national and sub-regional programmes that will promote the private sector," he concluded.

For his part, Bai Matarr Drammeh, president of GCCI, disclosed that the IRST is a protocol that was adopted by Ecowas heads of state with the objective of making the movement of goods more secure within territories of the communities involved.
 
"Our constraint is that the trucks we have in The Gambia do not meet the ISRT standards and that is why we are working closely with various transport unions to register Gambian trucks that will comply with ISRT regulations,' he said.