Trade, Industry and Employment of Gambia recently issued a statement attributing the shortage of cement in the country to the limited passage of ships due to the insufficient draft depth of the Banjul Port Channel. The department stressed that the current predicament was "purely an infrastructure issue" and had nothing to do with the government's cement import policy. It is understood that many cargo ships carrying cement were forced to berth in the deep water area due to insufficient depth of the channel.
In response to the crisis, after the cabinet meeting, the Gambia Port Authority promised to speed up the dredging of the waterway and said it was mobilizing all resources to restore navigation capacity in the shortest possible time. The government has also launched a bidding process and plans to hire professional dredging companies to carry out comprehensive waterway regulation. As an interim measure, the government has approved contractors of major projects to import cement directly through enterprises holding special investment certificates for the cement industry. Momodu Haidara, general manager
of Jah Oil, told the media that there are two cargo ships carrying 55,000 tons and 59,500 tons of cement stranded at sea, and another 55,000-ton cargo ship is on its way to Banjul Port. "The first two ships alone carried 3 million bags, far more than country's three-month consumption.". Our monthly demand for cement is about 30,000 tons. Haidara stressed that the company has invested in expanding production capacity, the new factory of 100,000 bags per day in Farafenni has been put into operation, and the factory of 200,000 bags per day in Bafuloto is about to be completed.
Prices out of control: Retail price soars to D625
Although Jah Oil maintains the ex-factory price of D390 (about $5.27) for 50 kg of cement, the market retail price has soared to D500-D625 (about $6.75-8.44). Haidara accused some dealers of taking the opportunity to raise prices, saying that "this kind of behavior not only damages the company's image but also harms consumers", and called on the government and transport unions to strengthen price regulation. It is noteworthy that in April this year, the government raised the import tax on bagged cement in Senegal from 30 Dalasi to 180 Dalasi per bag, which is also considered to be one of the factors aggravating the tight supply. The
systemic crisis needs to be solved
urgently. The cement shortage has exposed the deep hidden dangers of Gambia's infrastructure construction. The dredging problem of Banjul Port has lasted for many years but has not been fundamentally solved. In the context of the sustainable development of the construction industry, the vulnerability of key building materials import channels is worrying. The disconnection between policy adjustment and the actual affordability of the market, coupled with the lack of supervision in the logistics sector, has led to the current dilemma of "manufacturers are difficult to reach Hong Kong with goods, and the market is difficult to find materials at high prices".
Analysts pointed out that if Gambia wants to achieve the goal of economic modernization, it must solve systemic problems such as lagging infrastructure, inadequate policy coordination and lack of market supervision. The current crisis is not only a test of the government's ability to govern, but also an opportunity to promote structural reform.
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