By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The President of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce (GCCI), Edrisa Mass Jobe, has made an impassioned call on private and public sectors to integrate communities in their goals to help fast-track the eradication of poverty in The Gambia as he empathized with Gambians currently struggling with leaky roofs.
Heavy downpours have since last week been battering several parts of the country, destroying property and livelihoods as well as causing emotional distress to many.
“The rains today…It’s been raining for a couple of days. The majority of our people are sleeping in houses where they have to put buckets. They cannot go to their houses,” Mr. Jobe said as he delivered an introductory speech on private/public sector partnership at the Sahel Investment’s recent training for actors drawn for the public and private sectors.
“Even though we might not have the same problems that we all grow up with, there are still Gambians that when it’s raining they are stressed by the rain to go to their houses. And even when they are in the houses, it is not a shelter,” the GCCI Prexy lamented. He added: “It’s now urgent and important that we all come together. It’s not a partisan thing. Between elections, we are all Gambians and we all have to work hard to make sure that we give back to the community. We have to always remember that some of our brothers are not as fortunate as we are. It has to be urgent. I tell people that people are creative when they are uncomfortable or necessity is the mother of invention. So, that means that we are very comfortable as a people. So, it means we have an opportunity to co-create.”
According to the successful entrepreneur, poverty remains a stumbling block to Africa’s prosperity and therefore, challenged the private and public sectors to explore avenues to break its cycle.
“When we enter a partnership, we should not forget the community. When the private sector and government enter a partnership, it’s for a purpose. And today, our problem in Africa is the problem of poverty. But then so many years after independence, we should come together for a purpose,” Jobe stated.
He called on businesses to endeavor harder to create more jobs.
“Businesses are the biggest employers. It’s all about creating jobs. I was the owner of Elton, Atlas but I’m very proud when I see the thousands of people working. We have to invest in where people go to work. Better to help people because people don’t like charity. You have false charity and true charity, false generosity and true generosity. True generosity is the generosity that will help people not to beg you,” he stated.