NRG

NRG needs and environment

NRG needs and environment

The Pro poor Advocacy Group in close partnership with Centre for Competition, Investment and Economic Regulation who are presently implementing a two-year project, entitled "Strengthening constituencies for effective Regimes in Select African countries (7UP4)," last Friday held its second national reference meeting otherwise called NRG II, at the Seaview Garden Hotel.

The research phase of the project, which consists of perception survey of the general state of competition in The Gambia, a survey of sectoral regulator and operator in the seed, fertiliser and faming industries have just been completed.

The purpose of the meeting is to share the research findings on the state of competition in The Gambia, with a wider group of national stakeholders; evolve a national advocacy agenda and devise a plan as to how the national advocacy agenda is to be operationalised. The key priority issues were identified alongside key advocacy strategies for addressing each of them.

The Gambia government, he went on, through his ministry seeks to implement a competition regime that is appropriate to their needs and situation. Minister Kah noted that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Employment seeks to promote fair markets and to enhance consumer welfare for economic development and poverty reduction. ?As you are all aware, The Gambian economy thrives on free market policies. The government believes in private sector-led growth and development as spelt out in the Vision 2020 blueprint and the country's MDG-based PRSP. It is therefore imperative to make sure that businesses operates on a level playing field. Our role as a government is to alleviate poverty and provide the enabling environment for a private sector-led growth,? he remarked.

He further told participants at the meeting that competition regulation across all sectors is a nascent phenomenon in The Gambia. He revealed that the MoTIE with assistance from ...