The president of The Gambia, Adama Barrow has described the fixing of the country’s ailing economy as being “like carrying a mountain” a little over year since he took over from former leader Yahya Jammeh.
The Gambian leader has said that his government is however working hard to restore the confidence of international investors and development partners in the country’s economic prospects.
The Gambia for more than two decades was governed by former leader Yahya Jammeh who was accused of human rights abuses and overseeing a collapsed economy while diverting state funds into his private account.
Barrow told AP in an interview that “If you don’t stabilise your economy, you cannot succeed as a nation”.
“The debt burden was very high, and was over 120 percent of the GDP,” Barrow said. President Barrow is now working hard to seek help from global development partners in order to turn this around.
The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Union and other partners already have pledged support with the World Bank listing $76 million in lending commitments for the 2017 fiscal year.
“We are now edging toward four months into recovery” with a new period of economic growth, Barrow said.
“We have to win the confidence of these young people to stay at home,” Barrow added he hopes to get the Gambian youthful talents involved in developing the country.
“We cannot do everything at the same time,” he said adding that “We have to create the institutions and lay solid foundation for next generations.”
Source: Africafeeds.com
