By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The Gambia government’s new cement levy has reportedly caused several job losses and devastation of livelihoods across the country but cement dealers have appealed to the government to reconsider its position,hoping that a change of heart by the government would salvage hundreds of jobs and promote economic activity.
Hundreds of people have been directly or indirectly benefitting from the cement trade before the introduction of the new cement tariff. The Gambia government increased a levy on a bag of cement from D30 to D180. It said its decision to impose a 500% increase on a bag of imported cement was predicated on the need to protect “local cement producers” from imported bagged cement.
However, cement dealers have appealed to the government to lift the hefty tariff to allow them salvage their livelihoods.
“We also want to trade in cement just like others. We have lost our only source of income for several months now and it was through cement business that we fed our families, paid school, rent and medical bills as well as other expenses,” one of the cement dealers said in an interview with The Voice on Thursday.
“We are appealing to President Adama Barrow to intervene because it’s the population that is at the receiving end of this tariff increase. We are hopeful that the President will do the needful so that we can pick the bits and pieces of our broken livelihoods,” another cement dealer said.