As prices rise by the day and people spend more on the movement of persons and goods the cost of living is becoming more problematic. The dominance of the service economy through which most things are imported and resold, survival is largely dependent on buying and selling at a higher price.
This has made it impossible for the consumer to ease the high cost of living. The general mood is that hardship is increasing. This is why many people are struggling to have a family member abroad to subsidize living standards at home.
It is not a surprise that the Central Bank of The Gambia puts remittances at 45.6 billion dalasi in 2023. This is also reflected in the interbank trade which reached D12.3 billion between January and October 2023, up from the D7.8 billion recorded over the same period in 2022.
What is however evident is that the huge sums of money involved are not reflected in the investment in the productive base of the economy. The general mood of the country is one of poverty and dependence rather productivity and prosperity. However, Gambians must move away from protest to proactive measures to find solutions. Everybody has the right to express one’s dissatisfaction. This however will only lead to the blowing of hot air. What we need now is to challenge each other as a nation to the solution of the poverty and hardship of the people. Without a debate on the solution there would be no way forward.
