The Gambia’s National Assembly has begun detailed consideration of the National Food Security Cooperation Bill 2025, adopting several amendments as lawmakers debated the future direction of the country’s main agricultural and food trading corporation.
Presented by the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, Demba Sabally, the bill is designed to reduce the National Food Security, Processing, and Marketing Corporation’s reliance on government funding and steer The Gambia toward greater food self-sufficiency.
According to the minister, the legislation forms part of a wider reform agenda aimed at ensuring the state corporation becomes financially viable and less dependent on state subsidies.
As the Assembly entered the bill’s consideration stage on Tuesday, March 3, proceedings quickly became dominated by a procedural standoff.
Lawmakers clashed over the bill’s proper title and the proper method for proposing amendments, with substantial debate giving way to questions of parliamentary protocol.
The Member for Serrekunda, joined by several others, pressed for clarification on whether amendments could be introduced verbally or required written notice.
After lengthy exchanges, Presiding Speaker Seedy Njie ruled that parliamentary standing orders permit both written and verbal submissions, provided the procedures are observed.
“Either notice, or while we are in precedence, you write,” Njie explained. “But of course, at times, Members will just use their mic and propose amendments.” With consensus reached, the Assembly proceeded to substantive matters.
One of the first key policy debates came from the Member for Wuli East, who proposed that rice be reclassified as a core agricultural product in the bill’s schedules.
Minister Sabally responded by clarifying the distinction between core and non-core products. “Core means what the corporation will be dealing with as its core mandate. That is commercial crops… The non-core are food crops, which are rice, milk…”
During clause-by-clause scrutiny, members put forward further amendments. Notably, Sainey Jawara, Member for Lower Saloum, introduced a proposal to insert a new clause 33.
The clause would obligate private importers to source at least 10 percent of certain food products from the corporation, provided those products are produced locally.
The aim, according to supporters, is to strengthen the role of the corporation in the national food supply chain.
Defending the bill, Minister Sabally said the reforms are intended to overhaul the corporation’s operations, making it more competitive and sustainable.
“The Bill also seeks to minimise possible dependence on the government to a self-sustaining organisation with very little or no dependence on the government, perhaps after a successful recapitalisation of the Corporation by the Government,” he told lawmakers.
He added that the new law is a “key step toward making the corporation profitable, self-sustaining, and better able to serve farmers and the most vulnerable in society.”
To reflect its expanded scope, the bill proposes renaming the corporation and widening its mandate beyond agricultural commodities.
This would allow the corporation to trade in non-agricultural products, opening up new revenue streams and improving access to essential goods for the general public.
“Expanding its trading products and activities would help turn around the corporation’s financial performance,” Sabally argued.
If enacted, the bill could mark one of the most significant shifts in agricultural policy in recent years, empowering the state corporation with a broader commercial mandate while seeking to protect farmers and improve food security.
As the bill moves through the legislative process, further amendments are expected. With The Gambia facing escalating food import bills and increasing vulnerability to global supply shocks, lawmakers are expected to examine the bill’s provisions closely, focusing in particular on how the corporation’s expanded role could shape national agricultural priorities.
