A three-day Expo on Banking and Finance on the theme: financing for development - accessing information and funding', kicked off yesterday at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi.

The Expo was organised by the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), in collaboration with the International Finance Cooperation (IFC), to encourage joint ventures between banks and finance institutions, and foster close collaboration between The Gambia and other international financial institutions, to promote trade, industry and employment.

In his welcoming address, Bai Matarr Drammeh, the president of the GCCI, said his chamber, with support from business service institutions in The Gambia, has oriented its strategy to discharge its mandate as a service oriented institution.

"This is why, the chamber entered into a partnership with the International Finance Corporation to organise this expo in order to create the platform for awareness on the role of banking and finance in private sector growth and development," he said.

The GCCI boss said the chambers was aware of the fact that the government of The Gambia continued to give priority to private sector development as the engine of sustainable growth and development, adding that this was evident in the liberal price system, streamlining procedures for the registration of business and public private sector development.

For her part, Ida Gaye, the permanent secretary at the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, who represented SoS Musa Gibril Bala Gaye, said the government has continued to develop sound macro-economic tools and policies in order to hedge the most vulnerable of people from the devastating effects of poverty.

"This country has already moved a long, difficult, tiresome journey of far-reaching reforms in the last 3-4 years. The massive reform undertaken over these years in the fiscal-financial and economic areas have restored macro-economic stability and provided the investment required for growth and for the development of the country," PS Gaye said.

Abdou Kolley, the secretary of state for Trade, Industry and Employment, thanked the organisers and sponsors of the event for the initiative. He pointed to access to finance as one of the most important and difficult challenges to national development and urged the gathering to discuss the matter in order to promote rapid growth and development.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Ebrima Suma, a representative of IFC, Basiru Njie, the first deputy governor of Central Bank of The Gambia.The ceremony was well attended by participants from the banking and finance industry.