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President Jammeh’s award not a surprise -Governor Touray

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:28:33 GMT

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

The Governor of the Central River Region (CRR) Alhagie Ganyie Touray, has said that President Jammeh’s award of Professor, by the renown University of Costa Rica is not a surprise, considering his devotion and magnitude of service to humanity.

Governor Touray made this remark recently, in Janjangbureh, during an interview with the Daily Observer’s CRR correspondent.

He added that President Jammeh is a leader with foresight and reputation; a leader who strives for excellence through selfless dedication, citing the breakthrough in the cure of HIV/AIDS and other ailments. “This disease has since been taking its toll on human population, particularly in the sub-saharan Africa,” he noted.

While pointing out that Gambians have witnessed major developments and a booming economy under the Jammeh administration, Governor Touray, on behalf of the people of his region, sought to congratulate the Gambian leader on the award, wishing him all the best of luck.

Author: by Lamin SM Jawo in Janjangbureh

Unity is strength

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:01:40 GMT

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Editor,

As Gambians, with the inspiration to attain higher height, the love of our country should sparkle in unison in our heart. Unity is strength!

Combined efforts of all ages with one ambition, under the banner of the government will make a giant force of us.

As far as developmental aspirations are concerned, what we are realising is just a starting. We are going to enjoy the best. So let’s put our hands together. My family and I are wishing his Excellency the best.

Author: by Alieu BF. Sisay

July 22nd Anthem

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:13:09 GMT

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

On July 22nd, a new revolution came into existence
A revolution called the
Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction(APRC)
A party for success

President Yahya Jammeh a great leader
President Jammeh, the lion of The Gambia
The lion who roars for peace, development and prosperity

With an astonishing goal you’ve made Gambians proud
Your extraordinary targets made Gambia what it is
North, south, east, west, salutes you
For your greatness.

Author: by Fatou Ceesay

ARTS & CULTURE: Another arts exhibition

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:05:53 GMT

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Tuesday, December 02, 2008

As stated in the previous editions of this column,the term arts is the human creative skills or its application. Culture is the arts and other manifestations of human intellectaul achievements regarded collectively. On the other hand,exhibition is the display of works of an art or artist.

Arts as a manifestation of human creative skills has no restriction.Arts is not confined to any single georgraphical location. Nobody can claim monopoly over arts or artistic work.

The world of arts requires creativity, commitment and constant zeal to excel day in and day out.Arts has played and continues to play significant role in our daily lives.

It has been a source of pride for many, especially those who took up the skill as a profession. Throughout human history on this planet, we have been hearing and seeing industrious individuals who continue to make a name for themselves in the world of arts.

At home front here in the Gambia,we have seen artistic works of Comrade Ebou Sillah,Babucarr Etu Ndow and a host of other top flight and sprouting artists, who exhibited their artistic works and talents at both local and international level.

This time round we are about to witness yet another cross-cutting multi-cultural arts exhibition sheduled to take place at the prestigious and glamorous Alliance Franco Gambienne on Kairaba Avenue from the 4th to 31st December 2008.

This somewhat rare artistic exhibition of our time, is wholeheartedly and proudly organised by Mr Yuspalkala, internationally renowned Nigerian artist. Mr Yuspalkala is a prominent painter and sculptor of African subjects and a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University in creative arts.

He held series of arts exhibitions throughout the length and breadth of Africa and beyond,especially in our sister Republic of Senegal,where he was stationed for the past couple of years before he stormed the Gambian arts industry. This forth coming exhibition at the Alliance Franco Gambienne is divided into three main segments.

Each segment is expected to showcase different and unique aspects of arts,especially the contemporal arts.Schedule one of the programme will feature the official opening of the arts exhibition on 4th December to be followed by Children’s workshop on the 13th and Adult’s workshop from 27th to 28th December 2008 respectively.

“The arts exhibition will exclusively feature African traditional cultural norms and values.It is geard towards promotion,development and preservation of the spirit of African traditional cultural norms and values.

I clearly acknowledged that the Gambia has the potentials for development and promotion of arts and culture.The talent and potentials are there.Its about utilising them”, Yuspalkala told the arts and culture anchorman in a recent chat ahead of the 4th to 31th December 2008 arts exhibition.

He also joined the list in calling on the general public to render support towards development amd promotion of the world of arts and creative industry in the Gambia,Africa and the world at large.According to him, arts is a noble profession,which contribute significantly towards socio-economic,human and political development of any given country.

The artist guru seized the opportunity and called on the general to see for themselves what the exhibition in store for them.

Author: By Sanna Jawara

Connecting the solutions while there's time

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:20:50 GMT

Monday, December 01, 2008

Guest Editorialist

The world does not need to be reminded of the urgency of this historical moment. We sense it every day in the news. One day a major bank, insurance company, or automaker announces a record loss. The next brings word of the impact on nations and peoples least able to cope with these blows — the poorest of the world's poor.

During the last two years, I have dealt with many crises, from Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo to such global challenges as the food crisis and climate change. But the financial crisis is unique and potentially overwhelming.

What was purely a financial crisis has become an economic crisis, spreading across the globe. Every projection of growth has been revised downward. And while there are signs that mature economies are recovering from the panic that froze credit markets, we are by no means beyond the danger zone.

My greatest concern is that today's financial crisis evolves into tomorrow's human crisis. We need to recognize what Martin Luther King Jr. called the "fierce urgency of now" if we are to safeguard millions of people's livelihoods and hopes for the future.

Many financial experts have diagnosed the causes of the crisis. Policymakers have offered prescriptions for solving it. We hear talk of new banking regulations and even of a new global financial architecture.

All this is desirable. Yet, while I welcome this debate and fully recognize the need for long-term measures, I am acutely conscious of time.

Immediate problems require immediate responses. Nor can we allow the financial crisis to become a reason for neglecting other critical issues: unacceptable levels of poverty and hunger, the food crisis, climate change. For that will only exacerbate the already fragile political and security situation in many of the hardest hit countries.

At the Group of 20 financial summit in Washington on Nov. 15, I delivered four messages reflecting my conversations with various U.N. member states: • We need a global stimulus package to turn this crisis around.

The International Monetary Fund recently projected that virtually all global growth in 2009 will come from emerging and developing economies. Large increases in public and private expenditures will therefore be required in many regions of the world to counteract falling demand.

• These financial rescue and assistance packages cannot stop at the borders of the richest countries. Emerging markets and other developing countries will need oxygen in the form of credit lines and trade financing. And we must stand against protectionism. Without open trade, growth and development could break down entirely.

• Some part of our global stimulus should come from commitments that the international community has made on aid. In today's environment, fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is more than a moral imperative. It is a matter of pragmatic economic necessity.

• Finally, inclusivity must be our watchword. In our interdependent world, these tasks can be met only through reinvigorated multilateralism — one that is fair, flexible and responsive, with leaders coming from all quarters.

While the G20 nations whose leaders met in Washington account for nearly 80 percent of world production, trade and investment, more than 170 other countries, representing one-third of the world's people, were not there. It is our responsibility to listen to their voices and respond to their concerns.

The next few months will be crucial. Many of us will meet again soon in Doha to review progress on financing for development. Six years ago, President George W. Bush and other leaders adopted the ambitious goals that constitute the core of the MDGs.

History will judge us harshly if we fail to live up to these commitments. I therefore urge all nations, rich and poor, to send their highest-level representatives to Doha with full determination to do what must be done.

In December, our climate change negotiators meet in Poland. We have one year until they meet in Copenhagen — one year to reach an agreement that all nations can embrace. The sooner we have such an agreement in place, the sooner we will see the green investments and green growth we so badly need.

The great challenges before us are interrelated: the global economy, climate change, and development. We need solutions to each that are solutions to all. Ban Ki Moon is secretary general of the United Nations.

Author: DO

Towards food self sufficiency

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:20:34 GMT

Thursday, November 27, 2008

It is not a coincidence that every generation of humanity comes with its characteristic attribute manifested in the caliber of people that dominates its time. Ours is no exception. We have a lot to show to generations to come. Some of it unpleasant, but most of it exemplary.

We are greatly indebted to a few people of our time for their consummate effort in pushing forward the course of development of the human race. They dedicated their lives entirely in the course of raising the standard of living of the peoples of the world, they stand for the underprivileged and the downtrodden, and they never show even a slight semblance of derailing in spite of all the odds they face.

President Jammeh is one such person, and his back-to-the-land call has proven to be so; a pure attempt at solving a global concern. His call is evocative of Amilcar Cabral’s call on Guineans to return to the "source." But what is all the more fascinating is that he did not only make the back-to-land-call a mere policy document but rather he puts it into practice.

He did this so as to boost the moral of Gambians and thereby making the scheme a profitable enterprise. This indeed manifests to Gambians that we are blessed with a leader who means business in his words and action.

Tuesday’s disclosure of the existence of a 40-day rice variety in The Gambia, cultivated on the premises of the State House, opened up another revelation; that farming activities do not stop in Kanilai after all. It also shows that the propensity of our urge to excel in the self-sufficiency drive is being kept live.

With this new variety of rice, Gambians, depending on how we respond to the call of the president, will soon be poised to harvesting rice two or tree times a season. This will put us on the path of becoming the envisaged power house of socio-economic development.

The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) can not be left behind in such a crusade. So are other technicians in related fields, and even the funding institutions. Then and only then will we be sure of reaching our goal.

Author: DO

women empowerment is development orientation

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:07:25 GMT

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Violence against women is, in a way, tied to society’s off-beam perception of the role of women in national development. We must be careful not to endorse that regrettable usual line of argument, blaming all the woes of women on the male counterparts – that perception of a case of male chauvinism.

Indeed, it is an undoubted fact that tremendous development towards freeing our women folks from the fetters of societal misconception has been achieved, and the world couldn’t have reached this commendable level of achievement without the indispensable contribution of some outstanding men (and some women of course). What is important to take note of is that the collective contribution of both the male and their female counterparts have strongly reaffirmed the belief that we can not do it in isolation.

It has taken just a few but dedicated men to make this historic realization, and, we are proud to say this, among these men is our own Gambian leader, Prof. Alhaji Yahya Jammeh. It is shown in his attitude towards them when it comes to distribution of resources for development; it is shown in his attitude when it comes to empowerment of key sectors of society.

From the word go prof. President Jammeh had identified and coined a place for the women folk of this country; and this has indeed paid dividend, as can be seen in the women of the Gambia today. Their demonstration of self-confidence and dedication is stronger today than ever. General awareness among them played quite a role in this. That hitherto absolute absence of awareness has been the absolute culprit of the fate of the women of the world. Enhancement of their know-how is the sure answer. This is what the rest of the world should learn from countries like The Gambia, as it will stem violence against them.

Author: DO

VP Njie-Saidy addresses Africa Forum

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:49:04 GMT

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Vice President, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, recently headed the Gambian delegation to the 6th African Development Forum, held in Addis Abba, Ethiopia.

The meeting brought together over thirty ministers from across Africa who deliberated on their governments’ stance in honoring the various protocols regarding the protection of the rights of women, gender equality, and women’s empowernment, as well as effort to ending violence against women in Africa.

In her address to over 400 delegates from around the world, the Gambian vice president emphasised that violence perpetrated by men and women, boys and girls against each other must never be condoned in the name of culture or tradition. She called on the men folk to recognise their women counterparts as partners and treat them with dignity, and to regarding them as people who have something to offer.

For the women, the vice president said: “empowerment is in our hands, nobody will empower us. We have to claim it and earn it. "On financing for gender, VP Njie-Saidy emphasised that if we do not invest in women, whom she said constitute more than half of our population, we would never achieve our development goals. She called on the Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union, the African Development Bank, the main initiators of the forum, as well as delegates, not to re-invent the wheel.

"Expectations are high and we cannot afford to fail those poor rural women and urban women. We must come up with actions within our implementation reach," she concluded.It could be recalled that the 6th African Development Forum ended recently in Addis Abba, Ethopia, with urgent calls by over thirty ministers from African governments to make good on the 2004 decision by the African Union to set up a special fund to fight violence against women. The provision is part of the protocol on the rights of Women which accompanies the African charter on Human and people’s rights, as well as the declaration on Gender Equality signed in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2004.

Donor partners, multi-lateral financial institutions, civil society organisations and the private sector attended the 6th forum held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Abba, Ethiopia.

Author: DO

APRC NAMs visit State House

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:08:52 GMT

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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Professor Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, president of the Republic of The Gambia, yesterday received APRC National Assembly members led by Honourable Fatoumatta Jamumpa-Ceesay, speaker of the National Assembly, at State house in Banjul.

Speaking to journalists after a closed door meeting with President Jammeh and the cabinet, Speaker Jamumpa-Ceesay said their discussion with the president and the cabinet was centred on key areas of development, the welfare of the National Assembly members as well as the existing cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature.

Speaker Jahumpa Ceesay described the relationship between the National Assembly members and the cabinet ministers as excellent. She said their relationship is number one in Africa, recalling that it was one of the reasons why she was chosen by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association as its president.

She thanked the president on behalf of the National Assembly members for allocating US$10,000,000, to the construction of a state of the art National Assembly building, as well as giving them D10,000,000 for car loans.

The speaker finally congratulated President Jammeh on receiving an honourary professorship from the Costa Rica University in honour of his breakthrough in the treatment of diseases through herbal medicine.The meeting was attended by 38 APRC NAMs and cabinet members.

Author: by Assan Sallah

US ambassador signs $40,000 project

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:05:21 GMT

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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Ambassador Barry L Wells of the American Embassy yesterday endorsed a project worth $40,000 for seven communities nationwide at his Fajara residence.

The Special Self-Hep (SSH) project is a grassroots assistance program that allows US embassies to respond quickly to local requests from small community-based development projects. The fund is one of the links between individual communities and the US Embassy.

During the project signing project, Ambassador Wells congratulated the seven beneficiary communities and said "through this program, we hope to support your efforts to bring development to your people."

He noted that the "Self-Help program is different from most development programs in that the projects are proposed and designed by the communities themselves, and the communities must make a real contribution, be it labour or material or money, to its execution."
"This signing ceremony marks the beginning of our partnership," Ambassador Wells remarked.

This funding project involves provision of concrete-lined wells for gardens, fencing, milling machines, etc. The beneficiary communities are Upart Village, Western Region; Sinchu Gundo Lower Basic School, Central River Region; Njaba Kunda VDG, North Bank Region; Jappeni Women’s Group, Lower River Region; Bassending Women’s Group; Bumari Women’s Group, Lower River Region; and the Association of Disabled People, Banjul.

Mr Gabriel Kenny Opesan, executive director of the Foundation for Disabled People thanked the American Embassy on behalf of the beneficiaries.

Author: by Yunus S Saliu