At this very moment, China is engulfed in a severe maritime war with several countries in Asia including Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan over fishing in the South China Sea.
Since 1995 China has been imposing various forms of restrictions on fishing in its rivers and seas simply because it has almost depleted its fish stock. These restrictions also include forcing its fisher folks to reduce the number of their fishing fleet by at least 3 per cent.
From May 2017, China officially instituted an annual three-month ban on fishing in its main water way, the Yellow River while the ban has been in place in the Pearl River since 2010 and in the Yangtze River since 2002. These three rivers are the longest and largest rivers in China. In addition to these rivers, it has also imposed restrictions in the South China Sea thus affecting neighbouring countries and causing the maritime war.
China is now the largest consumer of fish in the world. But China lacks the capacity to satisfy their own fish needs. According to the World Bank, China consumes more than one-third of the world’s fish supply and this is set to increase by 30 per cent by 2030. Already the Ministry of Agriculture in China said since 2016 that there are practically no fish in the East China Sea. The Ministry said the top four fish species in China now lay less than one billion eggs a year in their rivers, down from about 30 billion.
As a result of the depletion of its fish stocks hence these fishing bans, it means China has to look elsewhere for its fish supply. Currently China has the world’s largest fleet of deep sea fishing vessels and it has deliberately deployed this massive army in all parts of the world. China’s fishermen have now to go farther to exploit the waters of other counties in order to meet the growing population and wealth and their ability to buy seafood. To further support this, the Chinese Government provides subsidies to these private and public fishing companies and fishermen such as Golden Lead Company to reach out to the world’s oceans and national waters.
It is for this reason that Golden Lead Company is in the Gambia. While Chinese fishermen and companies are present in almost every part of the world, but the most preferred place for them is the west coast of Africa. This is because West Africa is where fish is abundant, but also where there are weak and corrupt governments with limited legal restrictions that they can exploit.
Therefore the people of the Gambia must be alert to the facts and take a determined position to protect our environment which is about our lives and our future. Since gaining independence, the facts show that foreign investment especially in the extractive industries, including agriculture and fishing, has not benefited Africa well. Rather what the facts show is that Africa has always lost to those investors and their countries in addition to the environmental damage they cause.
For example, with its huge diamond and other mineral resources, Sierra Leone has never benefited adequately as it should from its God-given endowments. Rather it has always been the case that foreign companies continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the masses of Sierra Leone thanks to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. Ghana has over 400 foreign gold mining companies yet the masses of Ghana have always remained poor.
In 2011, the UN agency for the environment, UNEP reported that Shell Company has damaged over 1000 square kilometres of land in the Niger Delta that will take at least 30 years to clean up costing one billion dollars. This is possible because of the corrupt leadership in Nigeria where Shell would even sponsor the Nigerian Army to shoot citizens who protest against the company. We know that Shell makes more revenue from oil in Nigeria than the Nigerian Government. It is a fact that the British company Glencore makes more money from iron ore in Zambia than the government of Zambia.
This is the same story one can see in each and every African country as foreign companies exploit natural resources, damage the environment and bribe government officials while the masses wallow in poverty, deprivation and underdevelopment. These foreign companies further damage our countries by failing to pay their fair share of taxes while paying local workers with pittance. The African Union, World Bank, the UN and international NGOs have reported that as a result of corruption by these companies in cahoots with African governments, the continent loses from 50 billion to 148 billion US dollars every year as capital flight.
Therefore we may ask, how much tax is Golden Lead Company paying to the Gambia Government? How much profits do they make out of the Gambia? How much is the company paying its Gambian staffs? What benefits does the company provide to the communities of Gunjur and environs? How well is the company adhering to the national environmental regulations?
So far the indications are that this company is exploiting the Gambia at our detriment and to their benefit. The fact that the NEA could take them to court for disregarding environmental regulations only for the Ministry of Trade to cause that matter to be withdrawn from the court clearly tells us that this company is also engaged in corrupt activities like foreign companies do in Africa. The fact that they can cause so much dumping of fish on our beaches and farmlands not to mention dumping odious liquid waste in various parts of the country clearly tells us that this company is not good for the Gambia.
The Gambia does not need China or UK or America at the expense of our lives and future. The Gambia does not need a fishmeal factory run by foreigners. What we need is our government to take charge of the development of the country by controlling our natural resources to be exploited and managed by Gambians. Why cannot the Gambia Government create national fishing companies so that we process and add value to our fish to supply both the local market and export? We need a Government that will create necessary investment opportunities so that Gambian entrepreneurs and our private sector companies will get involved in fishing. This is the only way we can develop our society when we do it ourselves.
Let us learn from China itself. Since gaining independence in 1949 China closed its country to the outside world so that they could depend on themselves to build. For decades they worked on themselves and this is why China is a superpower today.
Read the history of China and you will not see them running to foreign investors in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s. They closed their society and built their own capacity from within until they are satisfied to open up their country to the outside world. Even there, they still impose severe restrictions on what foreign companies can do in China. Every day we see evidence of that as China and the West continue to battle over everything from bananas to the internet to manufactured goods. Why cannot Africans learn from China and the West rather than open ourselves up like tasteless prostitutes and hapless beggars?
For the Gambia, Our Homeland.
Great and insightful exegesis and I hope oir understand Chinese development paradigm that espouse non- symbiotic relationship.
I feel sorry for poor vision of our policy makers, they can see as far the amount bribe placed under their tables.
The “China bashing” with which this piece begins is simple Western propaganda. But this is the GEM in Madi’s piece:-
“The Gambia does not need China or UK or America at the expense of our lives and future. The Gambia does not need a fishmeal factory run by foreigners. What we need is our government to take charge of the development of the country by controlling our natural resources to be exploited and managed by Gambians. Why cannot the Gambia Government create national fishing companies so that we process and add value to our fish to supply both the local market and export? We need a Government that will create necessary investment opportunities so that Gambian entrepreneurs and our private sector companies will get involved in fishing. This is the only way we can develop our society when we do it ourselves.”
Madi then moves on to what the Chinese can teach us:-
“Let us learn from China itself. Since gaining independence in 1949 China closed its country to the outside world so that they could depend on themselves to build. For decades they worked on themselves and this is why China is a superpower today. Read the history of China and you will not see them running to foreign investors in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s. They closed their society and built their own capacity from within until they are satisfied to open up their country to the outside world. Even there, they still impose severe restrictions on what foreign companies can do in China. Every day we see evidence of that as China and the West continue to battle over everything from bananas to the internet to manufactured goods.”
Madi concludes with a Trillion Dalasi Question:-
“Why cannot Africans learn from China and the West rather than open ourselves up like tasteless prostitutes and hapless beggars?”
Why indeeb, Brother, why?
Greed and corruption…
If I may attempt to answer the Trillion Dalasi Question: –
Could the answer be that Africa’s educated son’s and daughter’s prefer to sit at computer keyboards in the air-conditioned offices churning out useless political propaganda essays instead of ACTUALLY BUILDING FISH FACTORIES themselves? I am 100% certain that if Madi Jobarteh or Yorro Jallow decide to start a fish factory anywhere in The Gambia, President Barrow will support them both. But if they DO NOT want to do into any productive activity (such as farming and a fish factory), then they can’t complain when foreigners do it. The history of the Lebanese and the Syrians in West Africa over the last 100 years is an even better example than that of the Chinese (may be brothers Madi and Yorro should do a write-up on that history as well).
Luntang
We have our own local fishermen serving our people well and provide cheap source of protein. Hell break loose when the Chinese came, they neither care about sustainability nor environmental preservation because Chinese economic paradigm for Africa call for total profit and minimal cost. For them spending on environmental preservation is a great cost and they can easily discharge their environmental responsibility by throwing bribes under the table.
They corrupt the corrupt environmental officers and politicians to mortgage the future of their environment and the health of their people in exchange for Chinese Government economic support.
If the fishmeal in the president barrow’s backward, he will do something but since it is in Gunjur, far away from his house the matter is left to corrupt officials.
That is pitiful. I don’t know Yorro’s or Madi’s politics but I salute their efforts on this issue. As for LBGT, My stand is the stand of our prophet, Muhammad sallalahu alaihe wa sallam and I guess that should be the stand of true muslims.
Lamin Darboe,
I have been to Gunjur Fish Centre with the Chief, Jammeh and others. Everyone was proud of that place for the fishermen. Why the Chinese came I don’t know. All I know is that at this moment The President, your MP and the NEA are happy for the Chinese to operate. Madi Jobarteh is not your elected representative. The President and your MP are and it is they who have the mandate to speak on your behalf, not Madi – or even with respect Dr Scattred-Janneh. I am an African Nationalist and I want NO FOREIGN exploiting us at all – but that is just my point of view. I have no mandate to speak for the people of Gunjur – the President and their MP do have the mandate.
Al Baraka my brother.
The Chinese don’t care for the welfare of their own people and their environment. It would surprise me if they cared for the lives of the Gambians and our environment. I think its high time we Gambians( the population) stands for ourself instead of relying on a corrupt government that forgot what we voted them in for…
The subjects of environmental degradation and remediation strategies must take center stage in this administration.
The advent of Yaya Jammeh triggered a whole slew of environmental exploiters and self serving activists.
The topics of discussion must be guided by the overall vision of the new government together with the input of well meaning stakeholders.
However, when we see interjections as shown below from Lang Sulu Saaji Maalu, there’s good reason to stay on message.
“That is pitiful. I don’t know Yorro’s or Madi’s politics but I salute their efforts on this issue. As for LBGT, My stand is the stand of our prophet, Muhammad sallalahu alaihe wa sallam and I guess that should be the stand of true muslims”.
Luntango, that’s now become Gann Gu Maaga Ji, I wish to add that I do believe that both Madi and Yoro do have the will and savvy to invest in the productive sector in The Gambia under the right circumstances.
The down side in The Gambia is that successive governments have been serious enough to create truly business friendly programs designed to promote and protect the interests of Gambian investors that have no other choices but to deal with the Registrar General’s office, the Gambia Revenue Authority/Income Tax/Sales Tax offices, PURA and the non-navigable bureaucracies of line ministries of state.
It appears that that the only sure way of surviving in business in The Gambia is to set up a roadside stall, a NAARR Shop/Sulaa Kumfaa and/or MODOU MODOU in the retail business. It’s little wonder then that the greater Banjul area and Kombos are almost saturated with small retail outlets.
What else can one do when one has to deal with, for want of a better word, VULTURES at all levels of government? Vultures that live on the belief that they are, by virtue of their offices and services, entitled to the hard earned monies of aspiring Gambian investors. An untenable situation in my book.
Whether the readership knows it or not, every successful, untapped Gambian investor and/or aspiring investor has a horror story to tell about run ins with the very officials that are paid and feted by taxpayers to provide a “One Stop Hassle Free Stop” that is anything but hassle free. So why bring government into your business?
Until Ousainou Darboe, Adama Barrow and Amadou Sanneh (the only folks that seem to matter) speak up boldly and in no uncertain terms about WHY GOVERNMENT DOES NOT SEEM TO WORK IN THE GAMBIA and commit to tackling the seemingly daunting issues, we will not be in business in The Gambia. It will all be about, HOPE, HOT AIR AND FALSE NARRATIVES!
And no, I am not angry because all right thinking investors have CHOICES. Where cogwheels grind to a halt in The Gambia, look to invest elsewhere but for God’s sake, let’s root out (FIRE) evil doers disguised as public servants in government after following due process to determine guilt! It’s gonna be painful as the evil doers are our own enablers, sons, daughters and cousins but The Gambia stands to reap dividends.
Commitment to a shared vision that runs in tandem with bold moves from WITHIN is how China and the Asian Tiger countries found prosperity and are still going strong! There’s no gainsay on this claim.
Correction to read as:
“The down side in The Gambia is that successive governments have NOT been serious enough”. Apologies for the error.