By: Kemo Kanyi
The leader of the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) Halifa Sallah said poverty can be eradicated in The Gambia if the government focuses on, and invest in the productive sector of the economy.
He added that robust State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) can improve the health of the country’s economy.
Speaking recently in Koli Bantang village as the PDOIS continues its mass political sensitization across the country, PDOIS’ Sallah stated that adequate investment in SOEs such as Gamtel/Gamcel has the potential to meaningfully contribute to the growth of the country’s economy.
“The government spends between D200,000,000 and D400,000,000 to import 200,000 tons of rice annually. This can be locally produced if that amount is invested in our farms,’’ the PDOIS leader told the gathering.
He called on the government to establish companies and cooperatives that will have the capacity to purchase all thefarm and garden produces, saying that the farms and gardens can be the nation’s breadbasket.
“We need to establish companies and cooperatives that can buy produces from our farms and gardens, and establish manufacturing companies to produce goods that we import into the country. If this is done, citizens will be employed and every citizen will have a dependable source of income,’’ he emphasized.
Mr. Sallah stated that the choices made by the electorates caneither plunge the country into a mess or elevate the economic status of the population by entrusting wrong people or the right people with power, adding that the onus lies on every citizen to drive the country to its success at any cost.
He maintained foreigners acquire huge chunk of land in the country, employ Gambians and then transform their countries into a living heaven, leaving The Gambia wallowing in hardship.