President Donald J Trump of the United States has restored trade benefits to the Gambia under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
The decision was announced by the US Trade Representative’s Office hours after the Gambia and 127 other countries at the UN General Assembly gave a stinging rebuke to President Trump’s controversial decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel earlier this month.
The Trump administration had vowed before the vote to cut aid to countries that backed the UN resolution.
But as a member of AGOA, the Gambia will have duty-free access to the US on condition it meets certain statutory eligibility requirements, including eliminating barriers to US trade and investment and making progress toward political pluralism.
The Gambia lost its eligibility in 2015 due to human rights abuses and the deterioration of the rule of law during the regime of former President Yahya Jammeh.
However, the Trump administration said the new administration of President Adama Barrow has made progress in strengthening the rule of law, improving human rights and supporting political pluralism.
He who laughs last laugh the best. This should not be for the Ballanghar Group only. Let ordinary citizens benefit also.
@quote: “But as a member of AGOA, the Gambia will have duty-free access to the US on condition it meets certain statutory eligibility requirements, including eliminating barriers to US trade and investment………….”
What do we export to the US that would warrant jubilation of the restoration of our membership to AGOA? Can somebody help me see what Gambian owned businesses are exporting to the US annually?
Meanwhile, we have to eliminate “barriers” to US trade and investment to The Gambia. That tells the story, doesn’t it?
Bluntly put, AGOA is designed to pry open the Gambian (African) market for US goods, whilst giving an edge to the US to Gambia’s (Africa’s oil and mineral) resources over other competitors, like China. With Gambia strongly believed to be about to export oil, one shouldn’t be surprised that even Yaya Jammeh would have been granted access to AGOA. If you don’t believe me, look at Angola, Cameroon, Chad and Eritrea, just to name a few very brutal and corrupt dictators that enjoy AGOA membership.
Michael Battle, former US President Barack Obama’s choice as Ambassador to the African Union, gives the rationale of AGOA when he was reported to have said that:
Quote: “If we don’t invest on the African continent now, we will find that China and India have absorbed its resources without us, and we will wake up and wonder what happened to our golden opportunity of investment.” Let’s stop being fools. These initiatives do not have our interest as their core motivations, but rather, our continued exploitation, despite the rhetoric that usually accompany them.
I am not entirely against AGOA, as it may enable some Gambians and Gambia to contribute to its GNP as well as GDP by way of Gambian Businesses and Enterprise securing an Outlet for their Products as well as Potential Investments from the US Partners. My concern as always is the lack of Due Diligence, Long Term Planning and Accountability that our Political and Business “leaders” fail to Exercise and or Persue. Hopefully, the “New” Gambia and Gambians will be different. Like any Relationship, you have to know what you want from it or you will be worst off.
I cannot agree more with what Bax said above, though Gambia and Gambians can benefit from the AGOA membership but considering the export capacity of Gambia and Gambians, whatever benefit (small as I too believe) should not blind ‘Gambia/Gambians’to a one-sided benefit to the agreement as many North/South agreements have produced.
Some amount of contentment, faith and boldness is required/needed to properly scrutinise all deals, reject or accept base on the ‘primary and supreme interest’ of the land; just in thesame way USA always openly states or put its ‘national interest’ above all considerations regardless of the consequences of their decision/action on ‘others’ !!!
Hope and pray that our elites can demonstrate that boldness backed by faith, contentment and guided by the national interest as the recent UN vote the Jerusalem issue appear to indicate.
May Allah help, but we need to help ourselves first, not to fold our hands or blindly go into things then hope for Allah to help us!!!
I cannot agree more with what Bax has said above, though Gambia and Gambians can benefit from the AGOA membership but considering the export capacity of Gambia and Gambians, whatever benefit (small as I too believe) should not blind ‘Gambia/Gambians’ to a one-sided benefit, the agreement could potentially end up being just as many North/South agreements have produced. No disrespect to the Northern brokers but that our own brokers measure up to what it takes to occupy those offices and collect the benefits that go with the responsibilities.
Some amount of contentment, faith and boldness is required/needed to properly scrutinise all deals, reject or accept base on the ‘primary and supreme interest’ of the land; just in the same way USA always openly states or put its ‘national interest’ above all considerations regardless of the consequences of their decision/action on ‘others’ !!!
Hope and pray that our elites can demonstrate that boldness backed by faith, contentment and guided by the national interest as the recent UN vote the Jerusalem issue appear to indicate.
May Allah help, but we need to help ourselves first, not to fold our hands or blindly go into things then hope for Allah to help us!!!
Well said Bax.
I cannot agree more with what Bax has said above, though Gambia and Gambians can benefit from the AGOA membership but considering the export capacity of Gambia and Gambians, whatever benefit (small as I too believe) should not blind ‘Gambia/Gambians’ to a one-sided benefit, the agreement could potentially end up being just as many North/South agreements have produced. No disrespect to the Northern brokers but that our own brokers measure up to what it takes to occupy those offices and collect the benefits that go with the responsibilities.
Some amount of contentment, faith and boldness is required/needed to properly scrutinise all deals, reject or accept base on the ‘primary and supreme interest’ of the land; just in the same way USA always openly states or put its ‘national interest’ above all considerations regardless of the consequences of their decision/action on ‘others’ !!!
Hope and pray that our elites can demonstrate that boldness backed by faith, contentment and guided by the national interest as the recent UN vote the Jerusalem issue appear to indicate.
May Allah help, but we need to help ourselves first, not to fold our hands or blindly go into things then hope for Allah to help us!!!