Private sector Indispensable in national development - Says President Jammeh, as he presides over GCCI awards dinner
 
"The private sector is an indispensable component and sector in the overall socio-economic development of The Gambia as far as my government is concerned. We see the private sector as partners on a journey with a common destination of building a country where poverty and destitution will be a thing of the past."
 
These were the words of The Gambian leader, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh at the annual award dinner of The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) held Friday at the Senegambia Beach Hotel in Kololi.
 
Graced by high-profile dignitaries including cabinet ministers, the chief justice of The Gambia, members of the diplomatic and the business community, the event was meant among other things to promote and nurture business excellence and to motivate business entities in accelerating their efforts for economic growth and social development.
President Jammeh commended GCCI for the initiative, describing the annual award dinner as significant. "This is a very important night where we suppose to meet annually as a family and discuss the way forward, accept our shortcomings, and reward excellence," he stated.
 
Unity
The Gambian leader also reiterated the need for Gambian entrepreneurs to nurture unity in the sector, calling on them not to lose sight of the significance of coming together to merge their businesses. This, he stressed, will in no small measure put the country's business sector on a strong pillar to penetrate the international business world. "You have heard companies in different parts of the world coming together as a result of the financial crisis. But unfortunately for the Gambian private sector, coming together is a problem," the stated.
The president explained that there is strength in unity, pointing out that his government has since 1994 been advocating the need for the country's private sector to come together and work for the development of the sector. 
 
He stressed that another benefit of entrepreneurs working together to form alliances, mergers and consortium businesses is that they will become more productive and make it possible for the country to process and manufacture goods for export. "There is no reason why we should not be exporting by now. But for you to export, you have to work together as you need a lot of capital to be able to process and export," he said.
 
He told the entrepreneurs that they have a golden opportunity to make all these materialise given the fact that the country is endowed with agricultural products. He cited mango, a seasonal agricultural produce that is in abundance in the country as an area where investment could be made. He observed that a lot of mangoes get spoilt during the season due to lack of processing manufacturing factories, noting that with investment in this area, "we will drink what we grow." "What will it take to put up an agro-processing plant? If five of you come together, you should be able to do that. I have seen people own hotels and import mango juice. Why can't they come together and set up an agro-processing plant and we drink what we grow. We cannot continue business as usual merely based on import and re-export, but we also have to manufacture," the president stressed.
 
Emphasising that government cannot do it alone, President Jammeh urged the country's private sector take advantage of the existing opportunities and environment created by government so as to achieve the common objective. He then assured of his government's continuous support to the private sector, saying they have in many ways demonstrated interest in seeing a thriving private sector.
 
Firm on ultimatum
President Jammeh used the opportunity to renew his uncompromising stance on the exploitation of the consumer by traders who have the habit of hiking prices of basic commodities. He renewed his ultimatum to traders, notably the defiant traders who are yet to be members of the GCCI that by May, this year, he will "teach them a lesson." He then stressed the need for a level playing field between the consumers and the traders in the business sector. Speaking earlier, the president of GCCI, Bai Matarr Drammeh, joined The Gambian leader in describing the event as significant. 
 
The annual award, he stated, has always catalyzed the achievement of higher productivity and enhanced competition amongst the business operators, noting that it has also helped in building a culture of creativity and hard work for business excellence. 
 
Drammeh went on to delve into the significance of diversity in business, describing it as a means of survival. For him, if the Gambian businesses are to survive, the need to embrace diversity and tolerate foreign investment cannot be overemphasised.  The GCCI boss then hailed the existing relationship between the GCCI and the government, observing that it is moving from strength to strength. The establishment of the newly created Ministry of Economy, National Planning and Industrial Development, according to Drammeh is a demonstration of the government's new strategy to address the country's economic development, and the emerging needs of the private sector.  
 
He commended President Jammeh for boosting the morale of the event by presiding over it, and for his brilliant idea on how to build bridges within the private sector. He indicated that the private sector has seen the wisdom in the creation of industries of all types in a bid to assure total financial self-reliance and job creation. The GCCI prezy then expressed confidence in the potential of the Chamber to grow into a vibrant sector that is able to respond to the emerging needs of its members. He concluded by congratulating the winners of this year's award.
 
Awardees
The event saw the awarding of four Gambian entrepreneurs and six different business entities. The awardees are Muhammeh Jah of Qcell as the Businessman of The Year; Ndey Awa Khan, Businesswoman of The Year; Saul Frazer of Global Properties as the Entrepreneur of The Year and Fatou Sinyan-Mergan who got the GCCI President's Award.

Banjul Breweries was named the Manufacturer of The Year; Unique Solutions as SME of The Year; Gambia Ports Authority as the Public Enterprise of The Year; Kanilai Family Farm as Agriculturist of The Year; Africell as Telecommunications Company of The Year; and Trust Bank Ltd as Bank of The Year.