The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Hatab Fadera
25 November 2009
The Gambian leader, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, yesterday afternoon received a donation of teleprompter worth US 10,000 (ten thousand dollars) and a threshing machine from the country's GSM giant, Africell, during at a ceremony held at State House, Banjul.
The donated teleprompter is an electronic device used primarily to display text on the side screens thereby enabling the user to read the text without having to look at a paper. The donated threshing machine on the other hand will be used for threshing the farm produce after harvest.
On receiving the donated items, President Jammeh thanked Africell for the magnanimous gesture, describing them as no small one. He described Africell as a company with a very strong team, noting that their achievements were no surprise to him. I have always been proud of Africell. When I look at what Africell do for the public, the first question that comes to my mind is whether they are making any profit with all what they are giving out, he stated, while hailing the company's marketing strategies.
The company's latest application for a third generation mobile system (3G) as part of their advancement strives, the president noted, did not come to him as a surprise as he was very well expecting such move by the company. By the time the company came here, many people were skeptical whether it makes good economic sense to bring a GSM company to The Gambia. The Gambian leader also commended the company for their numerous assistance to the people of The Gambia, which he said, has helped in great deal. He thanked them for the donation of such viable machines to him, describing the teleprompter and threshing machines as very useful items.
The threshing machine, he specifically stated, will go a long way in encouraging many people to grow more crops particularly coos, findi among others, which he described as very difficult to deal with. The gesture, he went on, serves as an encouragement to the ongoing strides in agriculture. Speaking earlier, the minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Madam Fatou Lamin Faye, joined President Jammeh in commending Africell for the gestures. Minister Faye expressed satisfaction about the operations of the company, and went on to acknowledge their fulfillment of their corporate social responsibilities. Africell, she said, has touched the lives of many people; thus describing them as reliable partners to government's development strides. While commending them for donating the machines, the Basic and Secondary Education minister also commended President Jammeh for creating the enabling and conducive environment in the country for the numerous companies to operate.
Presenting the machines, the managing director of Africell, Badara Mbaye, commended President Jammeh for the existing conducive environment for the business community. He informed the gathering that in 2009, his company embarked on a project expansion of 35 new cell sites with a view to reach all corners of the country. But this, according to Mbaye, who took over the management of Africell some two years ago, is not enough as a lot more is expected from them. He noted that his company's activities are always in line with the president's Vision 2020 blue print.
By 2010, Mbye said they will be embarking on ten new programmes geared towards promoting skills among the young people. He then commended President Jammeh for approving their application for a third generation mobile telecommunication system, expressing their resolve to make it accessible to Gambians. Reiterating Africell's gratitude to President Jammeh, Managing Director Mbaye assured him of their relentless commitment to the poverty alleviation efforts of the government.
Meeting with JFP, PEGEP's British friends
In a separate engagement later in the evening at State House, the Gambian leader also received in audience one hundred Britons, being the friends of the Jammeh Foundation for Peace (JFP) and the President's Empowerment of Girl's Education Project (PEGEP). The Britons who are members of the Shenkh Eternity and As It Is TV and guests of the aforementioned charities, were at State House to familiarise themselves with President Jammeh and also assured him of their resolve to serve as goodwill ambassadors to both the two charities as well as the country.
In his words of wisdom to the Britons, who are mainly youngsters, the president advised them to serve as good ambassadors and peacemakers in the world. He urged them to distance themselves from activities that will not pay dividend, stressing that as young people they must set their priorities right.
President Jammeh told them that The Gambia is a country of tolerance and peace that welcomes all good religions, colours, race. He told the Britons that the country and its people believe in interdependent and mutual respect for all; that humanity is all about that. President Jammeh then stressed the fact that success and victory is based on overcoming the real challenges, and as such, enjoined them to ignore what is negative and venture into the positive.
The Gambian leader also spoke at length about the negative impact of colonialism on the continent, reiterating the fact that the West have been able to develop thanks to the African blood, tears and resources. Despite all these, he noted the continent is still painted negatively with virtually all sorts of description. Africa, he told the Britons, might be politically independent but is economically colonized. He told the Britons that The Gambia was colonized by the British for hundred years, but were only able to build only two high schools and hospitals.
President Jammeh went on to inform them that education, agriculture and health are his top most priority sectors, given the fact that these sectors cannot go without the other. He then urged the Britons to see The Gambia as their home, reiterating the tolerable nature of the country. Speaking earlier, the minister of Youth and Sports, Sheriff Gomez, advised the visiting Britons to share their experiences and ideas with their friends back in the United Kingdom. He underscored the significance of their visits, noting that it will serve as a journey that connects them to their home.
The minister of Interior, Ousman Sonko, spoke at length about the achievements registered by President Jammeh over the years. The Gambia since 1994, he told the guests, have witnessed unprecedented developments in all spheres of national development. He asserted that girls education in the country before the advent of 1994 was a difficult area to venture, but noted with delight the fact that education is made accessible to girls under President Jammeh's government. The minister of Local Government and Lands, Ismaila Sambou, spoke at length about the significance of sharing and caring, noting that these qualities are found in President Jammeh.
For the minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Fotou Lamin Faye, it is only in President Jammeh's regime that the women and girls felt empowered, noting that the country before 1994 had only one female minister. This trend, she said, has changed in today's government given the fact that more women have been appointed to the highest decision making positions. Education in The Gambia, she added, is no longer carved out as an area for the privilege few; thus commending President Jammeh for the initiation of the President's Empowerment of Girls Education Project, as well as the Girls Education Trust Fund.
The chief executive officer of the Jammeh Foundation for Peace, Ansumanna Jammeh, described their partnership as very cordial and fruitful. He revealed that sometime ago, they attended a fund raising activity in UK organised by their counterparts, noting that proceeds of that will be donated to the JFP and PEGEP.
For Honourable Sheriff Abba Sanyang, the National Assembly member for Foni Kansala and project manager of PEGEP, the president has done a lot in the education sector, revealing that President Jammeh is sponsoring over 35,000 girls, and that it has trained over 300 youths in various universities. For his part, Clieve Smith, a co-director of the As It Is Television in UK, said that they encourage Gambians in UK to come to the Gambia and see for themselves what their country can offer.
He noted that while in Europe, Africa is portrayed in very negative manner but noted that this is not the real case. He told the gathering that his television is the only media in the whole world that is portraying The Gambia in a very positive manner, and pledged his resolve to support the president in anyway they can. Madu Ellis and Looney Clieve, who are among the heads of the delegation, expressed similar sentiments.
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