Members of The Gambia's delegation to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) have made a strong case for urgent climate action, agricultural transformation, and equitable trade during the recent P20 Symposium organised by PAP.
Their interventions underscored the need for Africa-led solutions to some of the continent's most pressing challenges.
Speaking at the symposium, Hon. Sulayman Saho, National Assembly Member for Central Badibou, delivered a passionate address on the devastating impact of climate change across Africa.
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"Climate change is real. It's destroying African agriculture, disrupting rainfall, spreading disease, and threatening livelihoods," he said.
Hon. Saho criticised the lack of meaningful commitment from the international community, urging African nations to take ownership of their future.
"Our people are dying. Our farms are drying. Can we really afford to wait for the West?" he asked.
He praised Ethiopia's large-scale reforestation efforts and called for a coordinated, continent-wide response to environmental degradation.
"This is the year of action. Africa for Africans--at home and abroad," he declared.
Hon. Suwaibou Touray, National Assembly Member for Wulli East, focused his remarks on empowering smallholder farmers, who he described as the backbone of West African agriculture.
"In West Africa, the land belongs to smallholder farmers. If we support them, they can feed Africa," he said.
He advocated for stronger support mechanisms, including access to finance, the promotion of cooperatives, and agro-industrialisation to ensure value addition to agricultural products. He cited Senegal's groundnut processing sector as a model for regional collaboration.
Hon. Touray also called for fair trade partnerships and challenged the inequities of global trade systems that impose unjust barriers on African produce.
Hon. Fatoumatta Njai, National Assembly Member for Banjul Central, highlighted the paradox of Africa's vast agricultural potential amid persistent food insecurity.
"We hold 60% of the world's arable land, yet we are home to the world's poorest and hungriest citizens," she said.
She identified poor infrastructure, post-harvest losses, and limited access to capital as major constraints facing African farmers.
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Concluding her remarks, Hon. Njai urged fellow legislators to move beyond rhetoric.
"We must turn speeches into strategies and forums into action," she said, calling for concrete policy interventions and meaningful engagement with the private sector.
The Gambian delegation's contributions were widely noted for their clarity, urgency, and commitment to pan-African progress, reinforcing the country's role in shaping the continent's development agenda.
The Point Newspaper 04/08/25
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