The Spanish investors currently visiting The Gambia, led by Francisco Rossi Escalona, the chief executive officer of Viatechnical, have said they are impressed by President Jammeh's farming activities.

The Spaniards and their local Gambian partners, MaliGam International, were recently taken to the president's farms in Banjulunding, Farato and Kanilai, by Bala Garba Jahumpa, the minister of Health and Social Welfare.

The visit was in response to a directive from the president that the Spanish consortiums visit his farms to know what he [the president] is doing and to see the areas of improvement and how to standardise and help complement his efforts.

In an interview with the Daily Observer shortly after the visit, Francisco Rossi Escalona disclosed that his company specialises in many fields of economic development, especially infrastructure and agriculture. He said President Jammeh has created the opportunity for the people of The Gambia to excel and they are fully ready to complement his efforts. "To develop a country, one needs energy, transport and infrastructure. It is difficult to live without them. So we are ready to invest here in The Gambia on those areas and other possible areas as well," he added.

For his part, Bala Garba Jahumpa, the minister of Health and Social Welfare, who led the delegation, explained that the consortium of Spanish investors in The Gambia is made up of seven different Spanish components at the invitation of the president. He further stated that it is an indication of the Gambian leader's efforts to develop the country. "The investors are in the country to collaborate with us in agricultural development particularly in animal husbandry," he said.

According to him, the delegation are also interested in the energy sector particularly solar energy and the construction sector, especially road construction. He urged all Gambians to continue to support President Jammeh in his efforts to develop this country.

Sanna Bah, the chief executive officer of MaliGam International, highlighted the different areas they want to start their intervention in complementing President Jammeh's efforts especially the feeding of animals and providing of drinking points and access roads among others.

He said the Spanish investors have described President Jammeh as the right partner as what they have seen is similar to what they are doing in Spain. "That being the case President Jammeh is one of the role models in Africa, that's why they choose to come to The Gambia and partner with MaliGam International as their local partner," he remarked.

Bah said he had personally visited Spain and saw what the investors are capable of doing. He thanked President Jammeh for giving them the opportunity to be able to visit the farms which gave them a clear idea of what is needed to be done in the areas which the investors had already identified as their intervention areas.