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Current Feed ContentAPRC convenes national conference
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Thousands of APRC militants, supporters, and sympathisers, Saturday, converged at the Jerma Beach Hotel in Kololi, for a two-day conference, sanctioned by the National Mobilising Committee of the country’s ruling party. The vice-president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, presided over the opening ceremony of the national discussion, on behalf of President Yahya Jammeh. The conference brought together delegates from across the four corners of the country. With the theme: ‘Institutional strengthening of APRC in the context of national development," the conference aimed at discussing key issues, among them a review of the party’s strategies and action plan, and the subsequent adoption of the document; the party’s constitution; and selection criteria of its candidates. In her statement on behalf of the Gambian leader, Vice-president Njie-Saidy thanked Allah for the 14 years of development. She echoed calls for unity and respect for authority. Three categories of people, she said, have been key to the successes of the APRC: opinion leaders; the rich; and the educated. She paid homage to Mr Amadou Samba, as one of the foremost helpers of the party in terms of financial support. Vice President Njie-Saidy also reminded delegates that the conference was a follow-up to an earlier one held in Mansakonko, Lower River Region. The issues discussed there, the vice-president said, are waiting to be discussed. She then challenged the delegates to justify their representation by making their presence felt throughout the discussions. The party’s national mobilizer, SoS Yankunba Touray, echoed his deputy, Madam Aji Fatou Sallah. He told the gathering that there was no doubt that the party was doing fine among the women folk, who he said do not just stop at talking, but manifest their support for the party by action. Hon Touray compared the party’s performance in the last two elections, arguing that the results indicate an increase in the APRC’s performance. He however, cautioned against complacency, urging the membership to brace up for the forthcoming general registration in 2010 and the subsequent elections. A representative of the National Assembly, Hon Sulayman Joof, said that the party’s problem is not the opposition, but what he called "intra-party feud." This, he cautioned, would not augur well for the APRC. In his welcome statement, the chairperson of the occasion, Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta, who is the majority leader of the National Assembly, praised the delegates for the high turnout. Hon Jatta attributed the event in the fully packed hall of the country’s newest five-star hotel, to the people’s readiness to heed the Gambian leader’s call; a man that has championed, and continues to champion their cause. “This is an indication of the party leader’s commitment to take the country where it belongs in terms of development,” he told a jubilant audience. The majority leader argued that every Gambian, be they APRC supporters or not, who had a knowledge of where the country was before July 1994, could tell the difference today, and that anybody could guess where the nation is heading. He, however, urged all regardless of party affiliation, to focus on the development aspirations of the country. The APRC’s general-secretary, Manlafi Jarju, stressed the need for unity among party members, respect for authority, and "most importantly, to maintain loyalty to the ideals of the party’s constitution." He said that there would be no success without the full participation of the membership. A representative of the APRC’s youth wing, Majanko Samusa, said that national consultations like this are what politics entails, and that it is what takes a nation forward. Dialogue, he went on, is essential. He also called on the youth folk to beware of the danger of disunity among their ranks. This was a view shared by a representative of the council of elders, as well as the party’s deputy national mobiliser, who sought to remind the women folk of President Jammeh’s unreserved support for their cause. Also present at the occasion were the Speaker of the National Assembly, secretaries of state, NAMs, a number of Gambian ambassadors, as well as delegates from APRC chapters overseas. Author: by Kemo Cham Gambia musicians established new unionFriday, May 16, 2008 The musicians of the Gambia last Friday and Saturday gathered at the conference hall of the Paradise suites hotel to set up a new union that would unite the Gambian music fraternity under one umbrella and to advocate for their collective rights. This was organised and moderated by the National Centre for Arts and Culture, which was preceded by a congress in election of nine strong executive members. At the end of the congress last Saturday, they have also reviewed and unanimously adopted the constitution of the union. Sulayman Sowe was elected as the union’s president while Yusupha Ngum, alias Jolof man, Alhagie Singateh, alias Freaky Joe and Sambou Suso were elected as first, second and third vice presidents. Respectively. However, Ebrima Ceesay, member of unions outgoing task force interim committee of the union took the position of the secretary nd was assisted by Ebrima Jobarteh while Baye Jack, Amie Cherry and Oko Drammeh were elected as the Public Relations Office, Treasurer and the unions Programme coordinator respectively. Speaking during the opening ceremony on Friday, Kaliba Senghor, permanent secretary, department of state for tourism and culture while deputising for the SoS for tourism and culture challenged the musicians noted the significance of the formation of the union. He outlined that the union shall lead to a vibrant music industry adding that music is an important mean of communication that fosters unity, peace and dialogue within the people around the world. Mr senghor challenged the musicians to revive the Gambia’s’ rich cultural heritage which has been playing a pivotal role in educating and entertaining the general public. Modou Joof, director of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) described the event as historic noting that it was a return to the dying board. Mr Joof underscored that it was in March 2001 when NCAC invited Gambian musicians to brainstorm about their problems in a meeting and during that meeting, they found out that all the Gambian musicians were sharing the same problems. He told the musicians that since then, many attempts were made to set up the union but to no avail. He informed them that copyrights do subsist in a work even where there are no copyright bureaus. Mr Joof then thanked the out going interim task force committee of the union for their tireless commitment for he realisation of the association. This was followed by the awarding of certificates to the out going interim task force committee for their well-done job. Author: by Amadou Jallow Sub-regional meeting on biodiversity ends Friday, April 18, 2008 A sub-regional meeting of West African focal points of the convention on biological diversity concluded, on Wednesday, at Paradise Suites hotel, in Kololi. The meeting brought together participants from different West African countries, and aims to serve as a preparatory meeting for delegates attending Conference of Parties (COP 9), which is to be held in the German capital city of Bonn. The two-day sub-regional meeting sought to review the implementation of the CBD in the sub-region particularly the program of work for protected areas and to further update and share information on the scope of COP 9 with PRCM regions on CBD focal points. In his keynote address, Kotu Cham, SoS for the Department of Forestry and Environment, underscored the importance of this capacity building forum where we identify critical issues related to the implementation of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (POWPA) cannot be emphasised. He also added that the forum is expected to inform and build the capacity of participants in West Africa and help to harmonize the views in Bonn. SoS Cham further stated that as a sub-regional group, there is a need for participants to understand the critical issues bio-diversity conservation and management are facing. The challenge, he insisted, is to get together as one in Bonn. He added by recalling that Gambia’s stance in conservation and wildlife is constant, as the country revised the National Bio-diversity and Wildlife Act in 2003. As a result, he noted, The Gambia has developed and adopted a national system that is meant to provide the policy and legal framework for the management, conservation and sustainable use of bio-diversify both within and outside the protected areas. He concluded that The Gambia has a total number of seven protected areas. Author: by Ebrima Jatta Bakary Tamaba Returns after Championing Women’s Rights at a Conference in Italy Friday, February 15, 2008 The National Coordinator for Tostan in The Gambia, Mr. Bakary Tamba, has recently returned from Italy. He was there for a ten-day Sensitization program concerning Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). In an exclusive interview with The Point at Tostan’s headquarters in Kololi, Mr. Tamba said he started working with Tostan in Cassamance. There he worked with a regional coordinator where they issued declarations in December 2003 on FGM to 118 villages after which he said the villages accepted to stop practicing FGM. “Since then people’s relatives residing in Italy heard about our work through the Internet and asked us about it. Some even came home to find that their parents had stopped practicing FGM and wanted to know how we had convinced them to stop this barbaric tradition. I told them about our efforts in Cassamance and showed them the film, which they in turn took to Italy. They showed it to their organization called “Jamoral” or the association of Jolas and other Africans in Italy led by Lamin Jarju who invited me to the conference.” Mr. Tamba then disclosed that the association is planning to get other African Countries like Nigeria, Egypt, Niger, Mali, and more involved in their sensitization program within the next six months. “Among other things we discussed the SMS program that Tostan is planning which would introduce new mobile phones so that our people can spread our ideas using many different languages. We also touched on the rights of children and health.” The conference was organized by Maria Pupo; the director of Anastasia. Author: By Sarata Jabbi Dibba Source: The Point GCCI Affirms Support in Awareness Creation on CDE, EIB … Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The President of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Bai Matarr Drammeh, has affirmed GCCI’s support in efforts geared towards creating awareness and exposing relevant information on the funding instruments and opportunities available from Centre for Development Enterprises (CDE) and European Investment Bank (EIB).
Author: By Abdoulie Nyockeh Source: The Point ECOWAS experts brainstorm on conflict prevention Wednesday, June 27, 2007 An International Expert Workshop on the Ecowas Conflict Prevention Framework, scheduled from 25th to 28th June 2007, yesterday kicked-off at Paradise Suites Hotel, Kololi. Organised by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the meeting aims to map advances, reversals and challenges in conflict prevention in the sub-region, as well as identify priority areas for possible intervention. A wide range of countries are represented, including government officials, research practitioners with relevant experience and expertise on the issues. In his keynote address, Hon. Abdou Kolley, Secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Employment, indicated importance the Republic of The Gambia attaches to regional institutions like Ecowas. “The principle of solidarity has found tangible expression in the way Ecowas member states have stood by our neighbours who have found themselves in crisis in the last two decades,’’ he said. In the light of this, he outlined the prominent role The Gambia has played in the collective efforts to stabilise the political, socio-economic and security problems that countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone were confronted with. “The Ecowas Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was borne here in Banjul in the aftermath of the outbreak of civil war in Liberia in 1989. The Gambia deployed the first contingent for the ECOMOG intervention in Liberia,’’ he added. Considering that there is no active war in the West African sub-region, the SoS for Trade, Industry and Employment alerted that Ecowas member states cannot afford to rest on their laurels. In other words, there is a need to anticipate problems by taking concrete steps to resolve simmering discontents and conflicts before they metamorphose into violence. “However, durable and sustainable peace can only be forged where the processes are internalised and owned by the people themselves based on voluntary political will and inclusiveness,’’ he hinted. For his part, Colonel Mahamane Touré, Ecowas Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, elaborated on the concrete measures that have been taken by the regional body in a bid to promote conflict prevention and crisis management. ‘‘The evolving conflict dynamics in the sub-region convinced Ecowas leaders to adopt the 1999 Protocol on the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Resolution, Management, Peacekeeping and Security as a comprehensive framework for confronting the new threats to peace and security on a more permanent basis’’, he noted.
Taking into consideration the firm commitment demonstrated by West African leaders in terms of promoting democratic practices, through a necessary framework for sound political and economic governance, he underlined the ratification in 2001 of the Ecowas Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, as it is a supplementary tool to the mechanism on conflict prevention.
In a similar vein, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, former President of the Republic of The Gambia, who is the chairperson of the workshop, stated that ‘the assurance of peace and security in the sub-region has become a sine qua non for sustainable development and human security.’ He concluded by indicating that ‘the Ecowas’ strategic framework for conflict prevention constitutes another important step in the efforts to erect permanent people-oriented structures for the consolidation of democracy, peace and security in the sub-region.’
Author: Written by Abdoulie John Source: The Daily Observer Newspaper Sub-regional fisheries confab ends Sunday, June 17, 2007 A three-day sub-regional fisheries seminar concluded recently at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi. Speaking at the closing ceremony, David W Bowen, FAO country representative, described the meeting as important, noting that it has gathered together personnel in the fisheries sector from across West Africa to discuss the various issues relating to ‘Safety at Sea’ and most importantly to strategise on a way forward for those men whose occupation remains one of the most hazardous in the world. He then challenged the participants to make the best use of the knowledge gained from the seminar. “If you return in your various institutions, ask yourselves a number of questions, such as what is the benefits, effects and what should be the results of the objectives of the seminar, as well as what is my role as a change agent and how do I change the behaviours of the fishermen,” he said. He suggested to participants that one of the critical outcomes of the workshop will be the network that has forged amongst them and to exchange ideas and experiences. “You should not only use the safety at sea secretariat as a resource bank for collecting information. He also challenged participants to reflect the facts that fish and fishing products plays a significant role in the dieting of many families in West Africa, often the most accessible form of animal protein in many communities. The FAO boss then expressed hope that the delegates have recognised a link between ‘Safety at Sea’ and the attainment of Millennium Development Goal, the reduction in poverty, and by extension hunger and malnutrition by half in the year 2015.
Author: Written by Dagain Nyan Source: The Daily Observer Newspaper |
