Gambian women have once more proven that 'forward with The Gambia' is their mission. The successful work they carried out on the president's farms in Kanilai and environs over the weekend speaks volumes of their unflinching commitment to sustainable national development.Such an initiative by the women shows that they are heeding the executive back-to-the-land call, and are also determined to ensure that we grow what we eat. It also proves that in spite the huge challenges confronting them in society, our women are the vanguard of our development process.

In fact, apart from working on the President's farms, the women's strong sense of devotion and commitment to the common interest and national development are really visible; visit any part of this country, and you will find women in agricultural production, in petty trading ventures, local manufacturing industries, and even in capital-intensive investments, all of these geared towards their efforts in ensuring the realisation of the aspirations of the leadership in transforming the country into a fully developed state.

The men are obliged to complement the efforts of the women for the sustainable development of our country; the president, through his government, has provided the enabling environment that makes it possible for every Gambian to play his/her part in national development. If men fail to play their part, then the saying "behind a successful man, there is a lady" would be reversed.