by Binta Jaiteh
The National Assembly Select Committee on Trade and Regional Integration made a facilitation visit to the Senegalese Abroad committee of the Senegalese Parliament and Direction Generale des Douanes of Senegal (DGD) and presented their reports at the end of the visit last week.
Speaking during the presentation of the report to Parliament members, the committee’s chairperson Hon. Kebba Jallow in his opening remarks stated that the tour is a trade facilitation mission to ensure that there is a free flow of goods and services from The Gambia to the sub-region in cognizance of the fact that both The Gambia and Senegal have signed and ratified relevant ECOWAS Protocols and Conventions.
‘’ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and Interstate Road Trade Transit (ITRT) facilitate movements of goods and services in and out of our countries without hindrance.
Therefore, implementation of these relevant Protocols and Conventions is important,’’ he stated.
He said the engagement was meant to ensure that the Senegalese Parliament is aware of The Gambia’s concern in ensuring the free flow of goods and services from The Gambia to Senegal and transit to third countries without hindrance.
According to him, at the end of the meeting, both parties resolved that both countries establish juxtaposed customs offices on both sides to facilitate the coordinated management of control operations and the handling of goods and services, Secondly, there is a need to interconnect the two countries’ IT systems (GAINDE and ASYCUDA) to harmonise procedures and thus solve the problem of transit documents.
Also, the GRA through the relevant Ministry to engage ECOWAS to operationalize the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) between the two countries.