ECOWAS Wrestling Championship Kick Off in Dakar

By Pa Modou Faal in Dakar

The second edition of the ECOWAS Wrestling Championship has official kicked off in Dakar yesterday at the Stadium Iba Mar Diop with 11 countries participating in the competition includingSenegal The Gambia, Burkina Faso Togo, Nigeria, Liberia, Mali, Niger ,Ivory coast, Guinea Bissauand Guinea Conakry

Speaking in an interview with Pointsports, Mr. Sammuel Mogaji program Officer ICT Training and Capacity building ECOWAS Youth and Sports based in Burkina Faso, said the programme is in two parts. One is aimed at bringing integration within the Sub Region and also to develop traditional wrestling as an African contribution to International Sports.

He stated that the wrestling will be in five categories 65kg 75kg 85kg less than 100 and plus 100.

He revealed that there will individual competitions and team events, adding that for the individual there are prizes. First will receive 1million CFA, 2nd 500.000CFA and 3rdprize is 250.000 CFA. For the team competition the prizes are as follows 1st is 2.5million CFA, 2nd 1.5 million CFA and 3rdis 750.000CFA and Trophies.

Mr. Mogali said at the level of ECOWAS they want to organise a similar competition for the women of member countries.

He called on member countries to involve Women Wrestling in their National activities.

The Gambia delegation headed by Mr. Matarr Jarju comprises of the following wrestlers:

Haruna Bojang, Tinboy, Musa Sarr, Sareteh and Mafoday Sarr.

The wrestling, which startedyesterday, is expected to end on Sunday and is expected to be graced by the permanent secretary department of youth and sports Mr, Mamanyick Njie.

Participating countries have been divided into the following three groups Group A: Senegal, Burkina Faso and Togo. Group B: Nigeria, The Gambia, Liberia and Mali. Group C: Niger, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry.

A UK-based Gambian musician cum producer, Omsla Baru, will today leave Banjul for Dakar as part of his continued efforts to promote his album, One Step.

One Step is a ten-track album produced in the UK sometime in August of last year and Omsla had been here to promote the album in The Gambia through a mass media campaign.

Speaking to The Point in an exclusive interview at our

According to him, the level of the popularity of the album in the UK is ‘quite high,’ adding that it is selling well.

“The album is quite popular not only among Gambians but even non-Gambians. People appreciate it because it is like an African doing Reggae. It is on the shelves of many record labels in The UK and I have already concluded arrangements with Kerewan Sounds to serve as a source of distribution for the album. Legal Sounds in Serekunda are also willing to distribute the album,” disclosed Omslo with delight.

It will be recalled that Omslo was here in The Gambia to promote his album in the first ever talent awards held in the country last March. He has also joined forces with the famous Gambian kora maestro Jaliba Kuyateh in a campaign against malaria in the UK and during the period the duo recorded a single entitled “Don’t Give Up.” This single is now featured on the new album. Meanwhile, the new album can be procured on-line by visiting www.omslabaru.com.    

Algeria will play The Gambia today in the fourth fixture of the group six matches of the ongoing World and African Cup of Nations 2010 qualifiers.

  The group remains a tough one as both Gambia and Senegal are so far holding five points each at the top of the group. They are followed by third place Algeria with three points. Liberia remains at the bottom of the group with two points.

Coach Paul Put’s side will have to maintain their consistent performance by avoiding defeat in Algeria, after sustaining two draws and one win. They will have to go for a win or settle for a draw with the Fennecs and wait on Liberia in September in Banjul to pick up an extra three points.

The Scorpions last group fixture with Senegal in Dakar if ended in a draw will be also earn the extra points and will stand a better chance of making it to the next stage of the qualifiers.

In the same group fixtures, Senegal will host Liberia in Dakar.

At the end of the first round qualifiers, the 12 group winners and the eight best runners-up will qualify for a second group stage, where the five group winners will go to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa and the top three in each group to the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola.

The Cardinal Archbishop of Dakar will visit The Gambia on Thursday 5th June, 2008 returning on 8th June, 2008 a press release states from Bishop Bobby Pat Ellison, the Catholic Bishop of Banjul recently.

The visit which would have fallen on 25th May was postponed due to the above date due to the death of another Cardinal in Benin. Cardinal Sarr had sent message that the late Cardinal’s burial coincides with his visit, meaning he would want attend the funeral and be in The Gambia from the 5th to 8th June with programmes remaining the same.

According to a Press Release, Robert Patrick Ellison CSSp. Bishop of Banjul, earlier in the year invited Cardinal Sarr to The Gambia. The Gambia and Senegal share the same traditions with many Gambian families having close relatives in Senegal. The customs and culture of both countries complement each other. Cardinal Sarr’s family is a typical example of this kind of interaction.

Cardinal Sarr has been a frequent visitor to the country in past years. He visited as a priest and then as Bishop of Kaolack and again as Archbishop of Dakar. This will be his first visit since he was created a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XV1.

The release further stated that Bishop Ellison and his delegation attended a recent meeting with Honourable Ismaila Sambou, Secretary of State for Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs. The Bishop is grateful for the warm reception afforded him and his delegation by Honourable Secretary of State and his staff. His comments to Bishop were encouraging and further strengthen the already strong relationship between the government of The Gambia and the Catholic Church in The Gambia.

The release said the suggestion of the Honourable Secretary of State for the involvement of all sectors of the community in the visit of the Cardinal demonstrates the close relationship between the Muslim and Christian Communities of our country. The visit will deepen our appreciation of our commitment to this special relationship of understanding and respect for each other. The President of the Republic of The Gambia is promoting religious tolerance as an element of development. All parishes will organize parish groups to line the route displaying their banners and all Catholic Schools will line the route from Banjul International Airport to Shalom Retreat Centre, Fajara.

The visit of the Cardinal from Senegal also puts into focus the ability for the African church craving for self reliance as in the case of The Gambia who recently ended their meeting on self reliance church. Their church is now in their hands and is known that being a self-reliance church things have to come from the indigenous in line with development and sustainability. The Church in The Gambia is expected to produce priests, religious and build and maintain structures and further improve on them. The Gambia is big enough for such to happen provided the many poor people are made to understand what it takes to be living for self in the midst of extreme poverty. The church is expecting that over the years with Missionary activities to now many of the Catholics would have been educated and blessed enough to stand on their own and to be able to help their church. The Missionaries put in a lot money and things in days gone. These people got the help from oversea donors who had earlier seen the dial need of the church in The Gambia. They still see the need but it is not as though they will continue to be donors and the recipients are not able to stand on their own. To see ones recipient stand on his/her own makes the giver happy.

The Cardinal’s visit also symbolizes the unity between the church in Senegal and Gambia denoting the long spiritual ties between the two. We all know that Christianity came to stay in The Gambia with the establishment of a British garrison and settlement on the island of Banjul in 1816. And today the church is practicing self-reliance.

The good about the visit is embedded in the love the Gambian church is ready to lavish on the visiting Cardinal and his entourage. The Masses and receptions and the welcome by the students will surely be witnesses to the love the church shares with their brothers and sisters in Senegal.

The Gambia veteran football club will stage a friendly match between the Dakar based Senegalese veteran club slated for the weekend of 30th May 2008 at the Serrekunda West Mini stadium.

The motive behind the football match is to enhance respect and foster smooth ties between the two countries and show a better relationship for future young players to emulate in a good sporting career.

As part of the activities marking the celebration of the Gambia’s International Women’s Day, the Dakar based ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, in collaboration with UNIFEM, organised a two-day meeting for ministers of women’s affairs and experts from ECOWAS member countries on the strategic plan of ECOWAS Gender Centre at Jerma Hotel.                                          

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the president of the republic of The Gambia, Alh. Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh, the Vice President Aja Isatou Njie Saidy described the event as historic as it is the first time The Gambia has hosted an ECOWAS meeting on women’s affairs.

Their pride in hosting such an important meeting, VP Njie noted, is amply demonstrated by the Gambian government’s unreserved invitation to all of them to the International Women’s Day celebrations as well as their presence en-masse at the official opening and welcome ceremonies.

“In recognition of the important role played by women in our development efforts, my government has, since 1994, made the advancement of women and girls education a priority and has signed and ratified major International Women’s Rights Instruments such as CEDAW and the protocol to the Charter on Human and peoples’ Rights, on the Rights of women in Africa, and the government is also implementing the policy on the Advancement of Gambian Women 1999-2009.

VP Njie further noted that The Gambia’s commitment to addressing gender issues and the uplifting of the status of women, is further exemplified by the increase in the enrolment and retention of the girl-child in school, increased access to credit and employment by women, the increased number of women in key decision-making positions and the formulation and implementation of poverty alleviation programmes.

Madam Njie Saidy finally commend the ECOWAS Commission in general and the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre in particular for the laudable initiatives aimed at mainstreaming gender into the integration process.   

‘There is global consensus that regionalisation is a powerful tool for economic development, therefore we should never relent in our efforts to push the regional integration process forward’, said Secy for Justice Marie Saine Friduas on behalf of the Secy for Trade, Industry and Employment Secy Abdou Kolley.

Secy Friduas said that, the gender issue is central to their development agenda in the sub-region, therefore she added they should give gender the place it deserves in their national policies. “The principles and priorities of gender equity and equality should ensure the efficient allocation of resources to priority areas with concrete objectives and a corresponding monitoring and evaluation mechanism to reflect gender-specific goals and impacts,” she said.

For her part, the acting director of the Ecowas Gender Development Centre Mrs. Aminata Dibba expressed her profound gratitude to H.E. president Jammeh for accepting to grace the important event. The president’s attachment to this meeting she said is no surprise because of his well-known commitment to the advancement of women not only in The Gambia but also throughout the African Continent and the world at large.

The strategic plan is built around four priority areas of intervention, which have translated into twelve specific objectives and fifty priority action areas. She said that, if adopted, the plan will contribute towards the sustainable improvement of the wellbeing of women and men within the ECOWAS region by creating a socio cultural, legal, economic, institutional environment that will be conducive to gender equality and effective gender mainstreaming into national policies, development programmes and projects.

Mrs. Dibba finally thanked the UNIFEM and Economic Commission for Africa - ECA for their support to them.

The medical report on the health condition of young Lamin dated 10th April 2008 with reference number RVH/VOL/61/11 refers the 13 year old boy to the neurology service in Dakar for urgent assessment and management.

According to the report, Lamin presented to the disability clinic at RVTH with a year history of being unable to look to the left side plus two months of weakness of the right arm and leg. “There was no associated convolutions, weight lost, fever, cough, contact with TB, vomit or headache. “This child needs further assessment plus management by the Neuro-surgical team in Dakar” the report concluded.

Speaking to me at The Point offices the father of the child, Suntukung Ceesay a driver by profession appealed to the NGOs and philanthropists to help his little son overcome his health problem. He said that he took the child to many hospitals including MRC Keneba, RVTH, MRC Fajara, Serrekunda Hospital and Back to RVTH without any betterment. “At MRC Keneba we spend one month there after which no sign of improvement except he can’t even walk on his own”. The grade six student of Tallinding Lower Basic School has not being going to school since the beginning of the first term.

According to him, he was told that when going to Dakar they need nothing less than D70,000.00 for the cost of the treatment.

Those who wish to support the young boy can contact the family on 00220 9809456 or The Point on 00220 4497441.