By Landing Colley
National Assembly members have called for review of The Gambia and European Union fishing deal as they raised concern about the agreement.
The six-year agreement was signed on 31 July 2019 to help create sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA), and it covers a financial contribution of €550,000 per year during 6 years, out of which a specific contribution of €275,000 was dedicated to the support of the fisheries policy of The Gambia.
The agreement also allows EU vessels from Spain, Greece and France to fish in the Gambian waters and is part of the tuna network fisheries agreements in West Africa.
Speaking on the adjournment debate, Honorable Musa Amul Nyanssi NAM for Foni Kansala said: “It is disheartening to see a gifted resource to The Gambia been exploited in the name of agreement.”
He said that Gambians are suffering to have access to fish because the best qualities of fish are taking outside the country all in the name of agreement.
“I think is high time that the committee responsible (for the agreement) engage the ministry for us to review this agreement and see how we can put a stop to what is happening. This is to ensure that the average Gambians have access to fish, otherwise the gifted resources will be a nightmare to us Gambians,” he stated.
Hororable Sainey Touray, member for Jarra East said the agreement approved promises to contribute to the development of the community fishing centers, “we have to attest to that and it has to reflect in our market through the availability and affordability of fish, but from 2019 up to now things are getting worst.”
“We have to go back to the agreement and see the negative impact it causes in our ocean and our local fish dealers in terms of fish production in the country,” he added.
Honorable Ousman Sillah, member for Banjul North said he always ask a question that why is government not invest in fishing sector, why isn’t that government want to settle with license paid by companies or agreement made with other entities.
According to him, the position of the Minister is that he will not advice the government to invest in business that parastatal should come in, but they are not forthcoming, so what is stopping the government from taking the lead in investing in this sector.
“This is a resource, of course, it depletes and I don’t know its abundance as at now but when manage wisely it can benefit the population in so many years to come,” he pointed out.
