Sovereignty begins with self-reliance and not dependence

A genuine sense of sovereignty creates vision, security, certainty, and sustainable development within a nation. Unfortunately, that sense of sovereignty appears largely absent in our public institutions. Otherwise, why would a sovereign state continue to outsource the printing of its most sensitive national documents to foreign entities?

The Department of Immigration could be equipped with the technology, infrastructure, and expertise required to produce passports, national identity cards, residence permits, and other secure documents. If the Independent Electoral Commission can successfully produce voter registration cards, why should the Immigration Department be unable to produce other national documents?

Beyond government institutions, there are Gambian private ICT companies with the technical competence to design and manufacture highly secure, technology-driven identification documents and cards. Why then are local companies consistently overlooked in favour of foreign contractors?

We have been here before. For years, Semlex operated in The Gambia under circumstances that generated significant public concern and controversy. The company earned millions of dalasi from the production of national documents before eventually leaving the country. One of the key justifications for the arrangement was that Semlex would transfer technology, skills, and expertise to Gambian institutions. Yet when the company departed, the Government did not continue the work through a local institution. Instead, it simply awarded the responsibility to another foreign company.

This raises fundamental questions. Did the promised technology and skills transfer ever take place? If it did, which ministry, department, or agency received that knowledge and capacity? Why is that institution not producing our national documents today? Why must another foreign company be hired to perform a function that should already be within our national capability?

Similarly, instead of equipping national security institutions to control our borders, the Government went to illegally hire another foreign company, Securiport. Yet, they do nothing special at the airport other than extort money from travellers in and out of the country thanks to corrupt officials. Consequently, the impact of Securiport is that it leaves our security institutions weak and our borders unsecure while the company rakes millions out every day.

Therefore, the deeper issue is not merely about printing documents. It is about the absence of a sovereignty mindset in national governance. This deficiency lies at the heart of many of the challenges afflicting our country. It explains why we continue to struggle to achieve food sovereignty, energy sovereignty, educational sovereignty, health sovereignty, technological sovereignty, and even sporting sovereignty, among others.

The tragedy is not that we lack resources, knowledge, skills, or capable people. We have them. The real problem is that our leaders often fail to look inward and harness the immense potential, talent, and expertise that already exist within our society. Without a strong sense of sovereignty, governments naturally become dependent on external actors for functions that should be performed by national institutions.

A nation that lacks sovereignty cannot achieve genuine development, security, or good governance. Vital skills are neither recognised nor developed. National institutions remain weak because critical functions are outsourced. Local industries fail to emerge because opportunities are continuously exported. In such an environment, accountability becomes elusive, transparency suffers, and inefficiency flourishes.

When a country outsources everything, from electricity generation and food production to data management and document printing, it becomes perpetually vulnerable and dependent. Such dependence undermines national resilience and weakens the state’s capacity to respond effectively to crises. It also creates fertile ground for corruption, mismanagement, mediocrity, and poor leadership.

Most concerning of all is the willingness to entrust the collection, storage, management, and production of sensitive national identity data to foreign entities. National identity systems contain some of the most critical information about a country’s citizens. Handing such responsibilities to external actors raises serious questions about national security, data protection, and sovereignty itself.

Sovereignty is not merely a flag, an anthem, or a seat at the United Nations. Sovereignty is the ability and determination of a nation to build, manage, protect, and sustain its own affairs. It is the confidence to invest in its people, trust its institutions, and develop its capabilities. Until that mindset becomes the foundation of public policy and governance, The Gambia will continue to struggle with dependence, underdevelopment, and institutional weakness despite possessing all the resources necessary to chart its own path.

The challenge before us is therefore not a lack of capacity. It is a lack of vision, ambition, and commitment to sovereignty. Until we embrace sovereignty as a guiding principle of governance and development, we will remain dependent on others to perform functions that we are fully capable of undertaking ourselves.

For The Gambia, Our Homeland.