Ebou,
I did not read your piece until after sending my own input. It looks
like you and I have differing views on this issue. My take on this is
based on:
1. Gambia's official re-export trade is close to 20% of our GDP.
Comparable only to agriculture and tourism in magnitude. Bear in mind
that over 90% of that passes through Senegal.
2. The above does not include other trades with Senegal. i.e fruits and
vegetables, peanuts, millet, dry fish we sell and firewood and charcoal,
fertiliser, farm implement, Tobaski sheep and sounds ala Youssou Ndour's
and team, we import.

I believe Gambia must not be scared of an open border policy with
Senegal. With less restrictions the Port of Banjul could easily become
the port of choice for those merchants heading east and south. It may
even make way for the development of an inland port facility at Balingo
(Farafenni). This will cut down tranportation costs to central and
eastern regions. All these could mean one thing for the Gambia - more
trading opportunities.

The bottomline is the Gambia and Senegal must recognize what is at stake
here. And whether we agree or not, common sense dictates that what is
good for Senegal is good for the Gambia and vice versa.

Malanding Jaiteh









[log in to unmask] wrote:

>OK, since when has a trans-border trade dispute between two sovereign nations end up with an egotistical ultimatum- dig a tunnel under your river or else...Who the hell does Master Wade think he is ?  Never mind; the old vulture is growing senile.  I know for a fact that he shall meet his match in a much younger and dynamic leader in Yaya Jammeh.  Senegal is callously rooting for its own interests.  Let us pray that the Gambians are not stupid enough to ignore their own national interests for the sake of some meager reexport trade benefits.
>
>Ferries, tunnels, and bridges are all vital infrastructure  for the socio-economic development of the Gambia.  However, this should be a Gambia government initiative of attracting investment capital to finance such projects.  This national responsibility should never be mortgaged or outsourced to the damn Senegalese.
>
>To hell with Laye N'jumboor!
>
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>Ebou Jallow
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