1.Can you tell us about your Education and Work Experience?

Dr Thomas Sukwa obtained the Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery degree from the University of Zambia, School of Medicine in 1979 and worked as a Medical Doctor at NdolaCentralHospital (Teaching Hospital) in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. He went on to study for the Master of Public Health degree at the Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston, USA where he majored in epidemiology in 1983. Upon his return to his native Zambia he joined the Tropical Diseases Research Centre (TDRC) as epidemiologist. The TDRC was one of the 3 global research institutes set up by the WHO/World Bank/UNDP Special Programme in Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) in 1977. At TDRC, Dr Sukwa’s work focused on epidemiological and clinical research in Malaria, Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia), and Human African Trypanosomiasis. He rose through the ranks to become Deputy Director in 1986. In 1987, he went on to study for the Doctor of Public Health degree in International Health at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore, USA. Upon graduating in 1992, he returned to Zambia to continue his research and clinical work at TDRC and the NdolaCentralHospital. His research work culminated in making significant contributions to the development and testing of new antimalarial drugs; scientific understanding of schistosomiasis morbidity in communities; and in designing control strategies for endemic tropical diseases, among others. He became Director of the TDRC in 1994, a post he held until he left to join the University of Zambia, School of Medicine as Senior Lecturer in Community Medicine in 1999.

He joined WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) in January 2000 as Medical Officer in-charge of Malaria case management. In this post, Dr Sukwa was instrumental in supporting countries in the conduct of efficacy studies for first-line antimalrial drugs (chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine) and developed a framework to guide countries in the adoption of new anti-malarial treatment policies such as Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs). In 2005, he was given a new responsibility to steer the setting up of a new Communicable Diseases Research Unit within WHO/AFRO. During his tenure as Regional Advisor for Communicable Diseases Research, he accomplished the setting up of the unit and supported the convening of High Level Meetings in Abuja and Accra in 2006 to garner political support for research for health and for developing countries to play a pivotal role in the TDR research agenda. He was re-assigned to Head the WHO/AFRO Tuberculosis Unit in March 2007, a position he held until his appointment as WHO Representative in the Gambia in July 2008.

2.What are your Priorities for the Health Sector during your tenure in The Gambia?

Given that cost-effective interventions/tools/strategies for malaria control are now available, it is hoped that malaria could be driven to the pre-elimination phase in The Gambia. With the prevailing high political commitment to malaria control in the country the WHO is determined to work with government and other partners to mobilise support for universal access to cost-effective malaria prevention and control interventions such as Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs), ACTs, Insecticide Residual Spraying (IRS), and Intermittent Preventive Therapy (IPT).

Reduction in maternal mortality through provision of interventions such as emergency obstetric care; making blood transfusions available and accessible; and mitigating delays in referral of high risk pregnancies; is another priority for WHO’s work in the country in collaboration with DOSH.

Lastly, WHO has a key role to play in ensuring that research results benefit populations in which the research is conducted. It is the critical role of WHO to broker meaningful national level partnerships that ensure that local research results not only provide the evidence base, but that they feed into policy and practice for the benefit of local communities. Therefore, the WHO Country Office will support efforts aimed at fostering and strengthening of such partnerships among the research and disease control communities in The Gambia.

3. How do you rate Gambia’s Performance towards attainment of the health related MDG’s?

Based on the reports that I have read since coming into the country, I am informed that The Gambia has already attained targets for MDG 2 (universal primary education), MDG 3 (gender parity in primary and lower basic education) and is on track for some targets for MDG 4 (e.g measles immunization coverage), and MDG 6 (children sleeping under ITNs), but unlikely to attain MDG 1 target (poverty and hunger). The challenge now is to ensure that the gains made in achieving or towards achieving the targets is sustained as we approach 2015.

4. Thank you for granting Health Matters this interview Dr Sukwa.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 27, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A Press Conference on the Celebration of the African Youth Day under the theme: “Peace, Solidarity and Positive Values promoted by the African Youth” was scheduled to take place yesterday Wednesday 29 October 2008 at 4 pm, in the Media Centre of the African Union Conference building.

The Press Conference, which will precede the celebration of the African Youth Day, observed every 1st of November, is aimed at sensitising the population on African Youth development issues as well as creating awareness on the following products launched by the Commission: the African Youth Charter; the African Youth Anthem; the 2nd Edition of African Youth Initiative and Creativity Award; the outcomes of the Year of the African youth and the African Youth network as well as Youth Associations.

 According to reports monitored by the youth forum from AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the activities marking the Day will begin from 31st October to 1st November 2008, at the Headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 The Press Conference will be addressed by the following personalities:

1.         Prof. Jean – Pierre Enzi: Au Commissioner for Human Resources, Sciences and Technology

2.         Minister in Charge of Youth of the federal Republic of Ethiopia

3.         Dr. Ceria Mac Donald’s, representative of UNICEF

Mr. Johannes Magee: Pan African Youth Union (PYU)

It could be recalled that the youngster was early this year signed on pre-contract until he turns 18 in December to be eligibly signed on full contract basis.

Youssoupha Fall, the player’s representative earlier said that everything is in place for the youngster. He was quoted as saying that the club have agreed to sign the player on pre- contract until he turns 18, which will be in December, when he will be signed on full contract basis.

According to him the team is willing to offer the youngster a four-year contract, which will subsist until 2012.

The Taiwanese’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs has thanked the nation’s allies for their unwavering support for Taiwan’s UN bid after St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu, St. Lucia and the Solomon Islands spoke in favor of Taiwan’s participation in the global body. “We welcome such support and we appreciate our allies for their actions,” says Henry Chen, Ministry spokesman.

He added “We kept telling the press and the public to wait and see how our allies would help us out and this is a good example of it,” Chen said.

This year marked Taiwan’s 16th failed attempt to be admitted into the UN after it forfeited its seat in 1971 when the UN General Assembly agreed to recognize the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China.

Instead of bidding for full membership, Taiwan only requested “meaningful participation” in the activities of the agencies under the UN umbrella.

The bid was rejected when the UN General Committee on recently refused to list the resolution on the assembly agenda.

Central News Agency reported that St. Vincent Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, commended Taiwan as a responsible stakeholder in the international community and for its push to ameliorate cross-strait relations with Beijing.

If Taiwan can be an active member of the WTO, he argued, there is no reason why Taiwan should be excluded from the WHO and other UN agencies.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Derek Sikua, and Tuvaluan Prime Minister, Apisai Ielemia Apisai, urged UN member states to reward Taiwan’s efforts in assuaging cross-strait tensions by giving Taiwan the appropriate and much needed international space it needed and accept it in UN agencies.

St. Lucia Prime Minister, Stephenson King, said that although Taiwan does not have a seat in the global organization, it has never failed to contribute in the efforts to tackle global challenges such as diseases, disaster and food shortage.

Mrs Min Whee Kang, the UNICEF Country Representative in The Gambia, has bemoaned that some 121 million children in the world today never see the inside of a classroom; they are deprived of their fundamental right to education; they are deprived of having wonderful teachers and mentors, and the vast majority of these out-of-school children are girls.

Mrs Whee Kang made these remarks at the13th annual Speech and Prize Giving ceremony of Gambia Methodist Academy held on 16th May, 2008. Here in the Gambia,” she said, “at primary school level, although gender parity or the ratio of girls to boys in primary education has been attained with 109 girls, attending primary school for every 100 boys. Net enrolment rate at primary school is 78% while net attendance rate is 61%. At the secondary school level, net enrolment rate is 45% and net attendance rate is 37%,” she disclosed.

Ranging the numbers of children attending Lower Basic, Upper Basic, and Senior Schools, the UNICEF Representative said 185, 651 children are registered in 425 Lower Basic schools, 63,182, children in 145 Upper Basic schools, and 31, 946 children in 55 Senior Schools, all totalling to 280,779. At current rate, NER is projected to be of 80% by 2015. According to her, UNICEF promotes education for all children with a special focus on girl’s education because there are so many crises and calamities facing children from wars and conflicts, hunger and disease, poverty and the pandemic of HIV/AIDS. She stated that it is precisely to deal with such pressing issues of the world in an effective and sustainable manner that UNICEF believes that the world needed to focus on girls’ education.

She made reference to a forward to the State of the World’s Children Report in 2004 by the then United Nations Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, which partly reads: “…to educate a girl is to educate the whole family. And what is true of families is also true of communities and ultimately, whole countries.” She went on to advance the view that if poverty eradication is the primary challenge of sustainable development, then basic education, particularly of girls, is unquestionably the surest and fastest way to reach the objective.

The UNICEF Representative acknowledged that while there is commitment to education for all children, girls’ face much greater obstacles and discrimination in getting educated than boys. “Indeed, girls from poor families face a double jeopardy, the deprivation caused by poverty and the disadvantage of being treated as a less valued child,” she observed, adding that that was why Kofi Anna reminded world leaders at the Millennium Summit in 2000 that there could be no significant or sustainable transformation in societies and no lasting reduction in global poverty until girls receive the basic quality education they deserve and take their rightful place as equal partners in development.

Mrs Whee Kang emphasised the right to education as “a key factor to reducing poverty and child labour and promoting democracy, peace, tolerance and development.”

There is a three-week training course for Senior Phytosanitary Inspectors, pest surveillance and Certification of Quarantine Inspectors to training in National Obligation under new international treaties underway at the moment. It is being held in the Gamtel Training Institute in Kanifing. The 21 day training course is being organised by the National Agriculture Development Agency (NADA) and is funded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The forum was witnessed by the President of the FAO’s representative, the TCDC consultants, the National Consultants as well as the participants. During the training, the participants will be lectured by numerous coordinators led by Maria Ayodele. The training course will take different forms ranging from pest risk analysis and surveillance methods, phytosanitary standards and procedures to cover policies, legislation and regulations.

In his opening statements, the country representative of the FAO, Messis Malcolm Duthie, underscored the importance of the training, adding that the project is bringing a group of competent  national consultants and technical cooperation experts together.

He said that they will guide the process and ensure that the national ability to make decisions in pest risk analysis and management, phytosanitary legislation and regulation is enhanced. He said, for FAO the training would be an important part of its Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) which is aimed at building the country’s capacities at the national level in this field. The FAO representative further stated that this field would be a vital element in their efforts to address food security, to boost trade and to improve incomes. He spoke at length about the growing demand for food as the population increases. He outlined the benefits of this field and the training in the area of nutrition, Mr. Malcolm indicated that improving phytosanitary capacities and practices are vital in contributing to the nutrition of Gambians by offering them safe food.

Other speakers included the Director General of the NADA. He implored the participants in the various training sessions to share their newly acquired knowledge with their colleagues and urged them to use the facilities provided for them.

On resumption of his trial yesterday before Justice Na Ceesay Salla-Wadda of the Banjul High Court, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Emmanuel Fegbenle, informed the court that the prosecution was unable to serve the first accused with the indictment because it was a registered company which had to be served personally. He however noted that the place was locked and the keys to the office were in the care of the second accused, Mr. Charles Northfield. He added that they tried to reach the 2ndaccused on phone, in his capacity as the most senior official of the 1staccused, but they could not. 

The DPP further submitted that it would have been necessary for the proceedings to continue effectively, had the court granted them permission to serve the 1staccused through the 2ndaccused. He observed that if the 1staccused was not served, the proceedings could not take place because they are jointly charged, adding that in a corporate matter, service is effected to a company at registered place of business. He submitted further that the 2ndaccused, at the relevant time, was the manager of the company and was competent to receive the service for the 1staccused, being a person in legal terms. He therefore applied for a substituted service on the 1staccused through the 2ndaccused

In reply the defence counsel, Lawyer Mene, countered that the prosecution knew that service to the 1staccused had to be personal until the court granted them a substituted service, enquiring as to which court granted them the substituted service for them to try to serve the 1staccused through the 2ndaccused in the first place

Lawyer Mene also dismissed the assertion by the prosecution that the keys to the office were in the hand of the 2ndaccused, adding that on the contrary it was the police who closed the office and the keys to the office were with the police.

He further submitted that on record the 2ndaccused only represented himself, adding that the 2ndaccused, being a senior official at the company, could not be compelled to receive service meant for another. He argued that the prosecution had no right or authority to appoint the 2ndaccused as representative of the company.

He indicated that the 2ndaccused is no longer an employee of the 1staccused since the office of the 1staccused has been closed by the police. He said the prosecution should come by way of formal application if they wanted substituted service, which would be determined by the court based on its merit.

The case was adjourned to today for ruling on the application.

The UK-based Yaram Arts has appointed a country representative to The Gambia following the registration of the outfit in the country.

Entertainment can reveal that Pa Malick Secka has been appointed as the Yaram Arts country boss to help facilitate some of its operations in The Gambia.

Yaram Arts, a brainchild of Njok Malick Jeng, is a charitable organization involved in the promotion of music, sports as well humanitarian activities.

Speaking in an interview with Entertainment, Mr. Secka enthused that his appointment is both an opportunity and a challenge.

“My appointment comes with duties and responsibilities and I will endeavour harder to live up to expectations. I also want to thank Yaram Arts for reposing such confidence in me,” he said.

In another development, Yaram Arts has been recently awarded a prestigious award in Gambia One Spirit Music Awards dinner held at the exquisite Kairaba Beach Hotel.

In a letter signed and addressed to Papa Demba Jobe, a Gambian national, the new Khalifa General of the Mouride sect, Alhagie Muhamadou Lamin Bara Mbacke, has renewed his confidence and mandate of Papa Demba Jobe as representative of the Khalifa General of Mourides in The Gambia, a position he has held since July 12th 1998.

Mr. Papa Demba Jobe succeeded his father, Alhagi Sheikh Jobe, who was the representative for about four decades.

When contacted by The Point on his views and reaction to the extension and the confidence thus reposed in him, Mr Jobe said he was overwhelmed by the trust and confidence shown in him.

He appealed to all mourides to follow the teachings of the Holy Quran, particularly with regard to the observance of the five pillars of Islam and the social desirables of helping and forgiving one another. He reiterated that followers of Islam must necessarily be diligent and committed in helping other Muslims, fostering relationships and unity among all peoples, in addition to respecting the laws of resident countries.

The cause of the Mouride brotherhood was actively promoted in The Gambia by his grandfather, Ebrima Njie, elder brother to Inspector S.B Njie, as well as Serign Modou Bao, Serign Sheikh Diop, Serign Diadie Nyass.

It will be recalled that President Jammeh sent an important delegation following the demise in Touba of the earstwhile Khalifa General, Serign Salieu Mbacke, last December. The delegation was led by Ismaila Sambou, Secretary of State for Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs; Ousman Sonko, Secretary of State for Interior; Mr. Momodou Njie, Permanent Secretary at the State Department for Foreign Affairs and Mr. Alassan Jammeh, Permanent Secretary at the State Department for Religious Affairs.

Also among the delegation were Alhagie Cherno Kah, Imam Ratib of Banjul; Alhagie Banding Drammeh, President of the Supreme Islamic Council and Abdoulie Fatty, the Imam of State House mosque.
 
The new Khalifa prayed for peace, prosperity for the Gambia government and its people.

There are some 50 Mourides Dairas (groups) in The Gambia and a mosque in Bakau New Town serves to enforce their common identity.