Original text
Chair, let me warmly start by welcoming the Gambian delegation, led by Minister Mod K. Ceesay to their 4th Trade Policy Review. We are grateful to both the Government of The Gambia and to the WTO Secretariat for their Reports. Let me also express my gratitude to you, our chair, Ambassador Torebayev from Kazakhstan and our discussant, the Ambassador from Türkiye Ambassador Çakil. Your insights have been invaluable and...
Chair, let me warmly start by welcoming the Gambian delegation, led by Minister Mod K. Ceesay to their 4th Trade Policy Review. We are grateful to both the Government of The Gambia and to the WTO Secretariat for their Reports. Let me also express my gratitude to you, our chair, Ambassador Torebayev from Kazakhstan and our discussant, the Ambassador from Türkiye Ambassador Çakil. Your insights have been invaluable and the way that you have facilitated this discussion is extremely important to us and we value greatly the processes of TPRs. I would also like to thank my very good friend, Ambassador Professor Kah, not only for his excellent leadership and engagement on behalf of The Gambia, but his wider representation on behalf of the LDC Group. Without that engagement, I really believe the WTO would be a weaker institution and a weaker place. Bilateral Relationship Chair, The UK and The Gambia share deep historical ties. We continue to see this relationship flourish with cooperation on justice-sector reform, defence partnerships, peacebuilding and governance. Contemporary links between our countries are also significant, and British nationals have topped the tourism and foreign entry figures in recent years in The Gambia, which illustrates the interest that our citizens have in the country. Let us also celebrate the remarkable recent growth in trade between our countries. UK imports from The Gambia rose to £143 million in the year to Q3 2025, an increase of £51 million on the previous year. I was also pleased to see the UK recognised as a key source of FDI in the Secretariat Report too, which highlights the close economic ties. The UK welcomes The Gambia’s sharing of our focus on the growth agenda. We are enhancing trade and investment opportunities by providing tailored support to UK-linked businesses. The Gambia already supplies UK supermarkets (Waitrose and Tesco) and has potential to expand agricultural exports to the UK in addition to opportunities for UK investment in infrastructure, renewable energy and tourism. A very well-timed UK trade mission very recently has visited Banjul, an already important re-exporting hub, in the last two days, just two days ago on the 2nd and 3rd of February, to explore this potential further. As a football fan, I am personally very pleased to welcome the Gambian export of Yankuba Minteh who is having a very good season at Brighton and Hove Albion, and we welcome many more Gambia exports of footballers to the UK Premier League. UK – West Africa Narrative Further to Banjul’s hub role for the subregion, we also see that West Africa has huge economic growth potential. We are continuously seeking deeper trade and investment relationships that will generate mutual economic opportunity and prosperity. Baroness Chapman’s Africa Approach sets out a long‑term partnership with African countries, working with African leadership to drive mutual economic growth, tackle shared challenges like climate and migration, and champion African voices in global decision‑making. MSMEs The UK commends The Gambia’s efforts to support the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector, through its National Policy for MSMEs (2019–2024) and its Digital Trade and E-Commerce Strategy. The UK would welcome hearing more from The Gambia regarding its Digital Trade Strategy, and how this aims to boost MSMEs’ participation in domestic and international trade at a future MSME IWG. Gender The UK praises The Gambia’s efforts to promote an inclusive economic environment, notably through its Gender and Women Policy, which was launched between 2010-20, Gender Equality National Development Plan (2018-2021), and ICT Empowerment Strategy for Youth and Women (2021-2024). We appreciated The Gambia’s presentation on its Trade and Gender initiatives at the IWG on Trade and Gender in May 2024. The UK would welcome hearing more at a future IWG on how The Gambia aims to tackle informality, in the informal economy specifically, which, as we know, disproportionately affects women entrepreneurs. WTO - Development Relationship The UK commends the important role The Gambia is playing as the coordinator of the LDC Group. The Gambia’s strong leadership has led to constructive engagement across the WTO, and this continues to ensure that the LDC voice is heard in key WTO discussions. I would like to thank The Gambia for their role as co-chair of the EIF Taskforce which has made clear recommendations for improvements in Phase 3. We were proud to have served on that Taskforce and the EIF Board under your leadership. Relating to the EIF, I am pleased to see the contribution it is making to supporting women entrepreneurs, developing a new national trade policy, and trade-related climate actions. We are keen to hear more about how this work is progressing in supporting climate-resilient infrastructure and resilience building in agriculture. I also want to echo the Report’s recommendation to utilise the Action on Climate and Trade programme to support the integration of trade-related measures into The Gambia’s Nationally Determined Contribution and sectoral plans. WTO Beyond its coordinator role in the LDC Group, The Gambia participates in several forward-leaning initiatives here at the WTO. We welcome The Gambia’s participation in the IFDA and the ECA, which is particularly of great importance to the UK, and its engagement in certain environmental initiatives, namely the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) and Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP). The UK joined the Multiparty Interim Appeals Arrangement for WTO disputes last year as part of the UK Trade Strategy. We encourage The Gambia to consider joining the MPIA also and we would be eager to discuss this with them. Equally, we urge The Gambia to apply the Services Domestic Regulation disciplines in the interest of promoting transparent and efficient regulatory frameworks. Closing Remarks Chair, as I conclude, I wish to note that The Gambia will celebrate its 61st Independence Day on the 18th of February. The United Kingdom warmly acknowledges The Gambia’s achievements as an independent trading nation and extends its best wishes for a Happy Independence Day and continued prosperity for all Gambians. Chair, I would like to thank again the WTO Secretariat, the discussant and The Gambia for the huge amount of work that has gone into this, and of course your good self.
Speech Brief