The Ministry of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE) recently held a one-day consultation meeting with stakeholders in the Central River Region (CRR), notably the region’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on the Draft Quality Policy for The Gambia, in Janjangbureh.

The Ministry, in addressing the government’s commitment in the Quality Policy, has included it in the medium-term strategy -the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE), as the guiding framework to improve the business environment, and strengthen the trade, industrial and productive capacities for enhanced growth, employment and poverty reduction.

Addressing the participants, the director of Trade at the Ministry, Abdoulie Jammeh, informed the stakeholders that the overall objective of the Quality Policy is to ensure that goods and services emanating from or traded in The Gambia are designed, manufactured and supplied in a manner that matches the needs, expectations and requirements of the purchasers and consumers, as well as those of the regulatory authorities in the export and the local markets. In addition, he noted that the implementation of the Quality Policy will raise quality consciousness amongst both the suppliers and the consumers, thus underscoring that it is an undertaking to introduce and maintain a quality culture in life and throughout the society.

Speaking on behalf of the regional governor, the deputy governor, Malang Saibo Camara, underscored that an effective and efficient quality policy will not only provide guidance for the development of the National Quality Infrastructure, but it should also be outcome-based and have a positive impact on The Gambia’s trade and industrial development, and competitiveness of the country’s exporters in regional and international markets. He called on the participants to participate fully as their inputs are important for the national document.

Presenting the Draft Quality Policy, the coordinator of West African Quality Programme, Joseph Ndenn, said the Quality Policy is set within the context of The Gambia’s long-term strategic vision of achieving a middle income status by 2020.