In line with the theme of the just concluded Africa Union Heads of State and Government summit 'Investing in agriculture for economic growth in Africa', the Gambian leader, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, has revealed that his government is already on track in terms of massive investment in the agriculture sector of the country.

President Jammeh revealed that the government of The Gambia in this year's farming season alone is making a huge investment of three to four million dollars. The Gambian leader made these revelations to journalists at the Banjul International Airport early Sarturday morning, shortly after returning from the 13th summit of the African Union Heads of State and Government in Libya.

According to the president, his distribution of tractors to farmers across the country free of charge is an example of the massive investment in agriculture. "You must have heard about two presentations on the television at my cabinet. One, I think, was in 2008 relating to a project that will lead us to food self-sufficiency, where we are targeting 250,000 hectares. Last year," said the president. "Last year, we couldn't start the project due to some technical reasons; because the master plan was not ready and the area was not properly demarcated," he explained.

The president explained that the project is a massive investment as this is the first time that The Gambia is investing three to four million dollars in one rainy season. By next year, according to the president, the government will embark on more investments in the agriculture sector, expected to reach five to six million dollars. According to him, the government has an investor who wants a target 300,000 hectares, but he added that they are only giving him 10,000 hectares to start with.

President Jammeh told the journalists that there has been change at the continental level, indicating that there are a lot of presidents who are also farmers in one way or the other. Although they are not physically involved in farming like himself, the president reiterated that the majority of them are farmers.

On the need for a funding mechanism to achieve common objectives, the president stated that African countries have different levels of income, noting that he is not blaming those countries that maintain that there should be a bailout, making reference to countries that are restructuring after conflict. Such countries with limited resources, he said, would need such assistance

"[This is] the reason why some are saying "let us have a funding mechanism so that we can start together". If we want to be self sufficient, we have to start together. Those who are suggesting a funding mechanism mean to level the playing field so that nobody can say that I do not have funds," said the president, while endorsing their rights for a funding mechanism at the continental level. This, he added, is due to the fact that some countries, like The Gambia, have small economies.

AU and ICC

Reacting to the the African Union stance of the indictments of African leaders by the International Criminal Court, with the most recent one being the indictment of the Sudanese leader - Omar Al Bashir, the Gambian leader told journalists that the African leaders at the summit have come to the conclusion that 'enough is enough'. According to the president, there are worst criminals in the world who have invaded countries and killed millions of people, noting that they have been doing that for the past two to three hundred years.

"They came to Africa and killed thousands of people who resisted slavery, and hundreds of thousands who wanted to be free, and nobody says sorry," said the president, and continued "as we speak today, they have invaded other countries that are innocent, killed their president and loot the country, killed millions and displaced over ten million people all in the name of democracy and fighting dictatorship," he said. The president made it clear that he is not saying that there should be impunity for anyone but let there be equal dispensation of justice.

According to the president, the International Criminal Court came into being thanks to many African countries including The Gambia, noting that the principle was for the court to be international. "But now all these indictments that we are hearing [about] are only African heads of state. Not a single Western sitting head of state has been indicted," the president stated.

"But why have those responsible for the invasion of Iraq not been indicted. In fact, they have [committed] worst war crimes than the ones being indicted. We have seen how they torture people, and desecrated the Holy Quran." he said. According to the president, there are more than 2,500 reported cases, but only a few out of the parties including African heads of state have been indicted. "What is even not acceptable is the fact that any Western country can have a court that can indict an African head of state.

It is unacceptable and we are telling them enough is enough," stated the president, while maintaining their position that Africa will not be colonized again in any way. "Our agreement is that Africa is a continent, we should be able to punish and try our people since we have been dealing with our own problems," concluded the president.