GiEPA Engages Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Trade & Industry

By Baboucarr Camara.

A delegation of officials from the Gambia Investment & Export Promotion Agency with its Chief Executive Officer – Ousainou Senghore are in the Ghanaian capital Accra for a week-long study tour. The policy tour according to CEO Senghore is to avail the delegation the opportunity to explore best policy practices and how implementation is being done to enhance productivity and efficiency in the administration of Investment, Exports and Business Enterprise Development in the Gambia. The comprehensive study exercise on policy development and implementation is headed by the Deputy Permanent Secretary for Industry, Regional Integration and Employment at the Ministry of Trade – Hassan Gaye, ably representing his Permanent Secretary – Lamin Dampha. Key to the consultation gallery that reminded the smiling coast of its lost glory in the administration of public service is the Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Trade & Industry Hon. Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, a member to the Ghanaian Parliament. She welcomed the delegation and discussed at length how policy on vital sectors of her ministry is formulated, developed, implemented and accounted for. Detailing on how its activities are coordinated, her technical team expounded on the need to separate policy actors from implementation and urged structural adjustments to be made where they don’t exist for an effective policy monitoring exercise and accountability to donor and public funding. Hon. Asiamah further pledge her resolve to support the Agency in ensuring best practice from Ghana are followed for meaningful policy implementation as guided by any legislation that gives mandate to an agency. She also promise to facilitate GiEPA and delegation have a comprehensive reach out to all institutions under her Ministry to ensuring best practice is learnt and looking forward to future cooperation. According to DPS Gaye, the visit is anchored on the need to devise new mechanisms that will enable his ministry refocus its attention to policy development, coordination and monitoring whilst continuing their effort to support mandated agencies under their purview to promote investment, exports development, employment creation and a thriving business environment in the Gambia. Earlier, the delegation visited the Ghanaian Business Resource Centre at Weija to learn its model for pipeline projects earmarked for implementation in 2023.