President Adama Barrow has told the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly unemployment is increasing in the country as he called for continued external support.
“Small and developing nations have been struggling to manage their debt burdens, while trying to develop their economies. The outbreak of the pandemic has reversed our gains, with low revenue earnings and high public expenditure becoming the norm,” the president said in his speech last week.
He added: “The Gambia’s economy has shrunk to 2% of GDP, and it continues to contract. Our tourism sector, which is a major employer and foreign exchange earner, is devastated, and unemployment is increasing rapidly.
“In this complex situation, my Government has, with the support of partners, instituted social protection programmes to ease the adverse impact on our people. These interventions are not sustainable without external support.
“Implementation of our National Development Plan, 2018-2021 has been hampered by the pandemic. As the UN Decade of Action for the implementation of Agenda 2030 has been undermined by the outbreak of the pandemic, it is essential and most urgent to accelerate the implementation of our global commitments on Financing for Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.”
