Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Gambian journalist and media entrepreneur Fatu Camara has raised concerns over the State House’s handling of the selection process for business delegates accompanying President Adama Barrow on international trips. Her remarks come in the wake of President Barrow’s recent visit to Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), where a select group of business people was part of the presidential entourage.
Camara, who is the founder of The Fatu Network, questioned the apparent favoritism in choosing the same individuals for these lucrative opportunities. “When the President travels abroad and takes business people with him, does he have to take the same people every time? Who selects them?” she asked, highlighting a growing sentiment among young entrepreneurs who feel sidelined by the current system.
Drawing a contrast with President Barrow’s Senegalese counterpart, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who reportedly included two young, upcoming business people in his delegation to China, Camara emphasized the need for more inclusive opportunities. “Gambia needs to change the monopolistic system that has been favoring the same people and families across every regime,” she argued, pointing out that these select individuals consistently benefit from loans, business concessions, networking opportunities, tax breaks, and more.
Camara called on the Gambian government to open doors for young and emerging entrepreneurs, stressing the importance of building wealth and creating a succession plan for the country’s economic future. She lamented the struggles of many young people who, despite their potential, lack any form of government support to thrive in the business world.
“In neighboring countries, government support has been crucial in helping individuals achieve success. It’s time to create more millionaires here in The Gambia. We cannot rely on a few individuals receiving all the favors,” she said, urging President Barrow to make the creation of new wealth a key part of his legacy.
Camara further noted that many of the successful businesspeople in The Gambia today were nurtured during the era of former President Yahya Jammeh, and called on the current administration to build a new generation of wealth creators. “President Barrow, creating more millionaires should be part of your legacy. Create new ones; most of the ones around were built during Jammeh’s time, and as former State House Press Secretary, I was there when many of them confirmed to Jammeh that he built them,” she concluded.
