The Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, Mod K. Ceesay, has called for a policy shift to end the outright private ownership and sale of land in the Gambia’s industrial zones, warning that the practice could undermine long-term economic planning.
Speaking during a tour of industrial facilities in the Greater Banjul Area, Minister Ceesay argued that industrial land should remain under government ownership and be made available to investors through long-term leases.
“Industrial land, for long-term sustainability, should be in the hands of the government every time,” Ceesay said.
He said international practice generally favours governments retaining ownership of industrial parks while granting investors long-term leases, sometimes ranging from 50 to 100 years.
According to the minister, allowing private factory owners to acquire industrial plots outright creates the risk of strategic commercial land being transferred to activities that may not align with the purpose of designated industrial zones.
Ceesay also warned that unrestricted sales and transfers could create serious planning and safety challenges where incompatible businesses operate alongside one another.
“If the land is fully owned by an individual, they can sell to someone who might set up a business that is not compatible with neighboring factories, such as placing a chemical plant side-by-side with a food manufacturing processing line,” he said.
The minister stressed that poorly coordinated industrial development could lead to conflicts and operational risks in the long term.
To address these concerns, Ceesay said the government has already begun implementing a state-lease model in Soma, where industrial land is divided into designated cells for specific activities.
Under the arrangement, investors are granted access to the land through leases rather than outright ownership. When an investor leaves, the land reverts to the state and can subsequently be leased to another business that is compatible with the industrial zone.
Ceesay said the approach would enable the government to maintain greater control over industrial planning while protecting the long-term economic value of strategically located land.
He reaffirmed that his ministry would continue to review land ownership arrangements within industrial areas as part of efforts to promote safer, better-planned and more sustainable industrial development.
