1. 2018 local content conference and exhibition
Addressing challenges of Institutional collaboration in Local Content Development: Experience from Gambia”

2. outline Geographical and Demographic Information of the Gambia
Institutional Challenges
Meeting Targets of Institutional Collaboration
Our current Strategy
Conclusion

3. Geographical and demographic information of The Gambia
100 km
Lower River
The Gambia is one of the smallest mainland African Countries with a total land size of 11, 300sq km
projected population of about 2Million.

4. challenges Weak inter-institutional Communication system
Knowledge disparity
Inadequate state and human capacities and sector knowledge
Overlapping of out legislations in other sector
No specific unit to monitor local content development

5. Cont. Local Content , a new concept
No legislations and policies on Local Content

6. Meeting Targets of institutional collaboration
To strengthen our institutional Framework and revenue management system
To continue building state and human capacity, as well as sector knowledge
To establish a suitable Local Content Monitoring entity to closely monitor activities in the petroleum and energy sector and report on the level of petroleum and energy sector investment that is captured locally.
To review all existing arrangements that may be in conflict with the proposed Local Content Legislation.

7. Cont. Meeting Targets of institutional collaboration
To seek to attract and tap capacity from our Diaspora in the Upstream/Downstream sector to return and serve the country.
To establish a database for local content that provides a reference of local goods and services supplied by local companies.
To define metrics and establish targets as well as key performance indicators to measure upstream performance and percentage of in- country expenditure.

8. Cont. Meeting Targets of institutional collaboration
In as much as we are in the process of developing a governance framework and system to support this, we do require operators and contractors in the local value chain to conduct their operations, and report their activities that impact local content, capacity development and participation, in conformity with the Petroleum Act and Regulations.

9. Gambia’s Strategy
The Gambia is a small country with limited human resources, at an early stage of petroleum exploration in a highly prospective MSGBC basin.
We therefore, started by identifying relevant institutions with roles, responsibilities, and mandate over matters relating to Petroleum exploration and Exploitation.
We then constituted a multi-disciplinary Expert Committee called, the National Petroleum Committee comprising key national stakeholders

11. Cont. Gambia’s Strategy
Under this National Committee are six sub-committees one of which is the Local Content Sub-Committee.
Each sub-committee has membership drawn from the relevant institutions mentioned earlier tasked among others to develop the Local Content Policy for the Petroleum Sector.
Petroleum resources being finite and non-renewable require adoption of conscious efforts and deliberate policies to create spillovers from its often internationally procured inputs, into the local economy.

12. conclusion
we will continue to understudy other countries such as Ghana and Senegal to emulate their best practices in the implementation of local content to maximize broader economic growth and build national experts in The Gambia to ensure that the wealth derived from petroleum is beneficial to the Gambians in general through employment creation, private sector development as well as investment in social services.

13. Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your kind attention and may Allah, the Almighty God continue to bless our countries.