The visiting Guinea Bissau Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior and
his delegation of mainly of cabinet ministers and members of the
business community were hosted to a dinner on Wednesday night by the
president of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bai Matarr
Drammeh.
Earlier in the day, the delegation held talks and exchange of ideas at the Paradise Suites Hotel with their Gambian counterparts. Opening the session, the Gambian Minister of Trade, Industry and Employment Abdou Kolley said it is reassuring that Guinea Bissau wished to promote trade and business relations with The Gambia. In this respect, he alluded to the already existing trade agreement and to the sub-regional protocol on trade under ECOWAS.
Pointing to the significance of the meeting, his Bissau Guinean counterpart said already some 30 to 40 truck loads have been transporting goods from Banjul to Bissau on a monthly basis. He opined that because of their trade with The Gambia the cost of a bag of rice in Bissau remains relatively inexpensive.
The visiting delegation also expressed a desire to have Gambian investments in commerce, transport, tourism and agriculture.
The Prime Minister’s delegation includes the ministers of Energy and Natural Resources; Foreign Affairs, Defence, Interior, Commerce and Industry, Economic Planning, Economy and Regional Integration. They are scheduled to leave for home on Thursday.