allAfrica.com: Gambia: President's Speech at the Opening of Parliament 2008 (Page 1 of 5)

Madam Speaker

It is with great honour and immense pleasure that I stand here this evening to address this august gathering on the occasion of the state opening of the National Assembly for the first Legislative Session of 2008.

I want to give thanks first and foremost to the Almighty for the great bounties of peace, security and stability He has showered upon our dear nation and for giving us the strength, the resources and the will to continue our noble and challenging task of national development.

Madam Speaker, let me also take this opportunity to commend you and the members of this Honourable Assembly for the successful Legislative Year of 2007. In your debates, where bills and motions were passed, loan agreements ratified and the works of the various select committees, this August Assembly has helped to strengthen Gambian democracy, promote good governance and pave the way for growth and development of our people as envisaged in Vision 2020. I am confident that 2008 will be one of the most remarkable years of our democracy, as we all work together to realise the core aspirations of our people to attain a better life for all and sundry.

Madam Speaker, a lot of milestones have already been achieved, however, a lot more work still needs to be done if we are to achieve our dreams and aspirations of moving this country to higher heights. I will highlight some of the key development challenges we have been facing, and some of the success areas as well as our plan for 2008.

Finance and Economic Affairs

Madam Speaker,

The macro economic environment continues to improve significantly as a result of policies implemented by my Government. GDP growth of 6-7 percent was experienced in 2007; inflation has reduced to single-digit level of 5.1 percent (end January 2008), the exchange rate of the dalasi has stabilized and international reserves have been built to a comfortable level of 4.5 months of import cover. Nonetheless, the country still faces many development challenges.

My Government's economic policy for now and for the future will continue to be shaped by efforts geared towards substantially reducing poverty and attaining the MDGs.

On the issue of debt, my Government will continue to promote a strategy of careful management of the country's external debt to finance PRSP II priorities, without compromising debt sustainability. A key challenge is to maintain a sustainable external and domestic debt position through careful borrowing and prudent fiscal policy.

The financial sector continues to be deepened and vibrant as new banks and foreign exchange bureaux were licensed to operate. This is expected to increase competition leading to introduction of diverse banking products and nationwide branch expansion. The ultimate objective of my Government is to make The Gambia a world class financial centre and Allah willing, this would e realized sooner rather than later.

Personnel Management Office

As the lead institution responsible for human resource management, the Personnel Management Office continues to play a crucial role in he public service sector reform.

The PMO in collaboration with the UNDP prepared a strategic sector paper within the framework of the PRSP II covering 2007 - 2011.

Among the key issues proposed is the establishment of the public sector Capacity Building Board to coordinate and direct the civil service reform programme; the review of salaries and allowances of civil servants; the full computerisation of Government Payroll and other critical data like leave, disciplinary and other components of Human Resources Information system.

The training of the critical mass for Public Service would be given the highest priority especially as my Administration plans to fill 50% of the key Civil Service positions with young blood fresh from universities. This will augur well with our stated objectives of achieving our Vision 2020 objectives.

Higher Education

Madam Speaker, Honourable Members,

To guide policy development and supervision of the Higher Education Sector, the Department of State for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology was created in January 2007.

A major pre-occupation of the Department now is the development of a policy framework for the sub-sectors of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology. The integration of tertiary education to render it more cost effective and sustainable is ongoing.

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