Gambia government officials met with top government officials of Senegal on March 12 in Dakar, Senegal to discuss ways of eliminating bottlenecks around transit trade in Gambia and Senegal.
Government spokesperson Ebrima Sankareh in a statement said officials of both governments discussed and agreed to adopt strategies for “combatting transit fraud through information sharing, eliminating all non-tariff barriers particularly on petroleum products destined to Mali and accelerating the handling of goods in transit to Guinea Bissau and the Republic of Guinea”.
He said: “The two countries also agreed to codify transit procedures between Gambian and Senegalese Customs Administrations by mid-2021, and adopting the Automated Management of Transit Merchandise (SIGMAT) as well as upgrading strategic border posts.
“The high-level talks were led by the Senegalese Minister of Finance and Budget, Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo and his Gambian counterpart, Mambury Njie.
“During the high profile talks, both Finance Ministers echoed similar sentiments that Senegal and The Gambia were inextricably interconnected by geography, history, culture and ethno-linguistic realities; forces too powerful to ignore in out geo-political and economic existence as neighbouring states.
“Senegalese Finance Minister Diallo was assisted by Ambassador Basiru Sene, High Commissioner of Senegal to The Gambia, AbdourahmanJaye, Director General of the Senegalese Customs and several experts.
“Finance Minister Njie was accompanied by Gambia’s Minister of Justice, Dawda A. Jallow, Secretary General Nuha Touray, The Gambia’s High Commissioner to Senegal, His Excellency Hadrammeh Sidibeh and Director General of The Gambia Revenue Authority, Yankuba Darboe.”
