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Gambia Red Cross embark on a two day workshop

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:55:52 GMT

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

The Gambia Red Cross Society, in partnership with the International Red Cross, last Thursday, embarked on a two day workshop, at the Baobab Resort hotel.

The workshop, which brought together Red Cross members, immigration officers, and representatives from the department of social welfare, among a host of other stakeholders, aimed at orienting participants, especially Red Cross members, on family links, vis-à-vis the effect of wars on family relations.

The Programme Officer at the Gambia Red Cross Society, Katim Touray, described the two day workshop as important as it would enhance the knowledge of the participants on how to help families in times of crisis.

He disclosed that the Red Cross was operating in over 180 countries in the world, dedicating its services to supporting those in suffering.

Linking this to their motor, which is “to serve one another.” Mr Touray stressed that they [the Red Cross] had been doing a lot in helping the poor and the needy when the need aroused.

For her part, the President of the Gambia Red Cross Society, Fatou Mass Jobe – Njie, urged participants to take full advantage of the opportunity accorded them by the training, citing the main purpose of the course as aiming to help those separated from their families to relocate them.

She observed that the training came at the right time, urging participants to disseminate the information they gained from it to those who were not present.

Author: by Alieu Ceesay

Renowned Farmer Appeals to President Jammeh for Help

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:03:14 GMT

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Sambou Dampha, a renowned farmer from Badibou Jajaring in the North Bank Region, has made a personate appeal to the Gambian leader Professor Alhaji Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, who is also the secretary of state for agriculture, to help develop the a lake known as Bowbolong particularly the area facing Jajaring, India, Illiasa and Jimansari.

The 59-year old prominent Gambian farmer made these appeals recently in an interview with this reporter at the farmer’s training centre in Jenoi Lower River Region.

“President Jammeh is the only one who can develop this bolong because he has the means and wisdom to do so,” he said.

To develop the area, he said, would involve the building of access roads to the rice fields, separation of the salt and fresh water, and digging of bore holes. When this happens, he continued, there will be all year round farming in the area. This, he believes, will help the country in her quest to attain food self-sufficiency.

Mr. Dampha said since the year 2000 he has made several attempts to see the Gambian leader, who is also a farmer, to brief him about the potential at the Bowbolong.

According to Mr. Dampha, he has over the years been recording bumper harvests of crops such as onions, bitter tomato and rice.

Meanwhile, according sources from North Bank Region Mr. Dampha spends most of his time on the farm daily during both the rainy and dry seasons moving from farm to garden.

Despite growing older, Dampha looks energetic and enthusiastic to contribute towards national development.

For further information Mr. Dampha can be reached on 7466188 or 6547539.

Author: Nfamara Jawneh

Source: Picture: Sambou Dampha

Confusion over Gambia’s head coachship

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:56:16 GMT

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

There is a great confusion over who is the head coach of the Gambia Under 20 team that are currently engaged in the maiden WAFU Under 20 Championship in Nigeria.

Barely weeks before the start of the 16-team sub-regional tournament in the former British colony, the Gambia Football Association drafted in two local coaches – Alagie Sarr and Pa Suwareh Faye - to take over from the out-of-favour Lamin Sarr, whose two-match stewardship led to Gambia’s shock elimination from the qualifiers of the 2009 African Youth Championships in Rwanda.

The president of the Gambia Football Association, Seedy Kinteh, later confirmed the nomination of the duo to guide the Darling Scorpions to the two-week tournament, but the GFA supremo fell short of stating who between the two would be head coach.

However, Alagie Sarr - who was spotted several times leading the training session well before the team’s departure for Nigeria was assumed by Observer Sports to be the head coach, though this assumption seems not to be true.

“You have to be careful how you address these two coaches [Sarr and Faye] because it was not stated who the head coach is between the two. They are just working together as partners,” a source told Observer Sports in Nigeria.

When contacted to shed more light on the matter, Mr Omar Ceesay, the vice-president of the Gambia Football Association who doubles as Gambia’s head of delegation in the Nigeria youth event, said he was not in a position to state who the head coach is. Cessay, however, admitted that a ship cannot have two captains.

Observer Sports later contacted one of the coaches, Alagie Sarr to be precise, for clarification and the Sea View head coach said: “It is true that no head coach was identified prior to our coming to Nigeria but that makes no difference because I and Pa Faye have known each other for a long time now.”

“We have worked together before, and I must confess that I always enjoy working with him. We always consult each other and the fact that we listen to each other makes the job easy for us,” Sarr added.

Author: by Nanama Keita in Delta State, Nigeria

Gambia tackle Guinea in Wafu opener today

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:59:45 GMT

Friday, November 28, 2008

The Gambia Under 20 team, Darling Scorpions, are in great shape to pick up three points against opponents Syli Nationales of Guinea, as the revived West African Football Union (WAFU) competition opens in the Nigerian state of Delta today.

The Scorpions open their campaign against fellow West African counterparts at the Jay Jay Okocha Stadium in the south of the country, where they will also take on neighbours, Senegal on Sunday, before their final group clash with familiar foes Ghana on Tuesday.

The Gambia’s head coach Alagie Sarr told Observer Sports yesterday: “The Boys are in good shape despite enduring a hectic journey from Banjul. We have had two training sessions yesterday and we look sharp in all departments.”

“This morning we will have a light training session at the match venue as we prepare for the battle against Guinea,” said coach Sarr who also hinted that the Boys have been talking about crossing the group hurdle first and then focus on the trophy.

Entertaining football

The former Wallidan and Ports Authority manager also promised that the team he and his technical crew members would present today would try and give Gambians back home and indeed their Nigerian hosts an entertaining game with maximum discipline.

Gambia U-20 players receive instructions after a light a training session last night
“We are here for the cup and we would try to achieve that dream with positive and entertainment value from the team. We would also try and maintain maximum discipline throughout the course of the event,” said one of the most successful Gambian local coaches.

To be skippered by Hawks United’s Pierre Gomez, the Darling Scorpions will take on their Guinea counterparts at 4pm Nigeria time today, which is 3pm in Banjul.

Author: by Nanama Keita in Lagos, Nigeria

Blackburn set sight on Cherno Samba

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:55:39 GMT

Friday, November 28, 2008

According to Gambia Sports Online, another Gambian player is being linked to a possible move to English Premier League club, Blackburn Rovers, less than a week after the club announced that they had dropped its interest in teenage midfielder Tijan Jaiteh.

Gambia Sports Online has been revealed that the Gambia striker Cherno Samba, who currently plays for Finnish club FC Haka, has been training with
Blackburn Rovers with a view to a possible move in January. Samba, who has been training at Rovers and talking to club officials since last week, has also reportedly attracted the attention of two other unnamed clubs in the Premier League and Championship (English second league).

FC Haka Vice President Juha Lahtinen says Samba has passed the trials well. “Samba on Friday told me on telephone that the trial was very successful and that he passed it really well” Lahtinen said. Samba, 23, signed for Haka at the end of August but his appearance was only limited to seven league appearances in the Veikkauslliga after a campaign interrupted by injuries and sickness. Samba who has featured for the English national team at every youth level opted in September to represent his country of birth the Gambia at full international level.

He debuted in the 3-0 win over Liberia in a World/Nations cup fixture in Banjul. When contacted, the player told Gambia Sports Online that Haka and Blackburn Rovers are now negotiating the terms for his move. “I have been with Rovers for the past week and now they discussing terms with Haka, who are requesting for a million-pound transfer fee,” he told gambiasports.gm.

Asked what chances there were of a deal being struck, Samba said: “I am hopeful that a deal can be reached in the next few days.”

Author: DO

FETs failing on skills training

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:10:00 GMT

Thursday, November 27, 2008

THE role of further education and training (FET) colleges in skills development was highly questionable, the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) said yesterday. This had emerged in its latest South Africa survey, the organisation said. FET colleges fail to be efficient and meaningful skills training institutions despite the fact that by March 2008, some R595million had been spent on improving them, said SAIRR researcher Marius Roodt. In 2007/2008, the pass rate was 35 percent and...

Source: http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=274881

Subject Matter Specialists End Training on Rice Production

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:32:01 GMT

Thursday, November 27, 2008

The regional agricultural co-ordinator (RAC) for Western Region, Mr. Ebrima M.L. Saidy, has said that the prerequisite of efficient and economic paddy production is adequate control of drainage and irrigation throughout the season. Mr. Saidy made these statements while giving lectures on water management in irrigated rice in a three-day in service training session for subject matter specialists (SMS) under the department of extension services held in Jenoi on recently.

According to Mr. Saidy, drainage and irrigation systems cannot be based on average conditions. They must be designed to supply adequate water during seasonal shortages and to drain sufficiently rapidly in periods of excessive rain.

“In Japan a saving of 18% can be made with little detrimental or adverse affect on yield, by draining the field for ten days between late tilling and flowering,” he added.

For his part, Mr. Ousman Colley Sapu, extension supervisor also talked about agronomic and cultural practices in rice production. He laid special emphasis on land selection and preparation, seed selection and storage nursery establishment, leveling and transplanting, weeding and thinning, top dressing and fertilizer application and management. He also talked about pest and disease management, harvesting and post harvesting.

Mr. Lamin Jarju the senior planner discussed about data collection and management which, he said, is where information is provided through the extension workers to the farmers. He said data collection can be used for planning, monitoring and valuation, strategic intervention measures and consultant reports.

According to him, subject matter specialists (SMS) need good knowledge and skills on how to collect data because proper and accurate databases can determine what is what and what to do.

In his closing remarks, the assistant director of extension services, Mr. Falalo M. Touray, said the participants showed maximum commitment dedication and participation during the three-day session. He reminded the participants that the training was to enhance their professional capacities for best service delivery. He then urged them to disseminate the knowledge and skills obtained to the farmers.

Author: Abdou Rahman Sallah in L.R.R

Training your staff

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:02:52 GMT

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Introduction

Selecting effective training for your employees can vastly improve your chances of success. It can help build your competitive advantage and equip your employees with the skills that your business needs. When choosing training courses for your employees, it is a good idea to bear in mind that people learn in different ways. Training will be more effective if it meets employees' individual needs as well as your business needs.

The business case for investing in the development of people is compelling. Research shows that training your employees can bring your business an increase in productivity, profits, motivation and higher customer satisfaction. Impact of training on business performance. Ensuring that your employees have the right skills is crucial to the growth and success of your business. The business case for developing your staff is compelling - research shows that training can:

• increase productivity and quality of work
• increase profits
• reduce staff turnover and absenteeism
• improve customer satisfaction
• improve motivation
Training that achieves these results is typically:
• linked to business goals and performance
• part of a company-wide strategy
• focused on setting tangible objectives for employees
• part of a company policy, which sets out who is responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating training

By choosing the right type of training, you can make sure that your employees have the right skills for your business, and are kept up to date with best and new practices. This is applicable for all employees, right up to management level.

Identifying training needs

A training needs analysis (TNA) is an effective way to identify any gap between the skills your business needs and those your employees have. It involves gathering information to identify areas where your employees could improve their performance. You can use employee surveys, management observations, customer comments, company meetings and inspections to collect this information.
A TNA can help you clarify your objectives in training your staff. This is invaluable for ensuring that money is spent on training that will help your business to achieve its objectives.

To carry out a TNA, you need to:

• analyse your business goals and the skills required to meet these goals
• determine whether you are changing your products or business processes and what information or training employees will need to be effective in their job
• evaluate who you want to train and how best to reach them
• establish how employees will best accept and integrate training and their preferred learning method - for more information about learning methods, see the page in this guide on training methods that suit your people
• evaluate the training in place and decide what your company can and can't provide in the way of in-house training, funding and time
• assess which consultants or training providers can fill in these gaps
• take a decision on which type of training fits your needs best - for more information see the page in this guide on training methods to fit your business

It is crucial to assess skills gaps at all levels of the business, including senior management. Include yourself in this if you are an owner-manager. You may need to develop your entrepreneurial and technical skills as the business grows. Training methods to fit your business. Weigh up the pros and cons for each type of training before deciding which type, or types, to provide for your employees. Consider the cost, space, and time needed, as well as the return on investment, for each type of training.

Another factor in determining the most appropriate type of training is whether you think your business would benefit from an injection of new ideas, ie whether you prefer to buy in training or courses from a specialist provider or whether you want to design training materials in-house.
The choice of training will also depend on what you want your employees to learn and the number of employees that you wish to train, for example:

• seminars are a useful way of getting across a lot of information to a large audience
• workshops allow people to practise problem solving
• role-playing allows staff to learn by practising how they would react in specific situations

Whether you opt for in-house training or send employees to external providers may depend on your company's resources and circumstances. External training courses are more expensive and involve sending employees out of the workplace, which could be disruptive to your business.
However, you may not have the skills to train in-house. For example, if you are training employees in a specific software application, instructor-led courses may be the only solution.

You also need to ensure that there are equal rights of access to training for all employees, including home-workers, part-time workers and disabled staff. An e-learning course is one way, for example, of reaching home-workers. Scheduling courses in office hours at a time when part-time workers are present allows them and those with family commitments to participate.

After the training

Evaluating the effectiveness of training is a crucial step in building a culture of continuous professional development in your business. It gives you an opportunity to decide whether the training has been a success and whether more advanced/refresher training is needed.

The best way to do this is:

• review the impact of the training on the employee's performance
• Monitor improvements in the performance of the business - use both measurable indicators such as sales and staff turnover, and qualitative improvements such as fewer customer complaints and greater innovation
• ask employees whether the training was relevant and appropriate
• assess whether the training met your original objectives and if not, determine why not

For this to work, the objectives that you set out for your training need to be clear. Think about making them SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based

Author: by Kojo

Gambia U-20 team arrive in Nigeria

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:58:41 GMT

Thursday, November 27, 2008

The Gambia Under 20 National team arrived Lagos, Nigeria, on Tuesday, November 25, ahead of the grand kick-off of the revived West African Football Union (Wafu) competition.

Headed by Mr Omar Ceesay, first-vice president of The Gambia Football Association, the 25-man Gambian delegation spent a night in Nigeria’s second capital before being connected by a domestic flight to Benin City on Wednesday morning. After a 45-minute flight, The Gambian side traveled 157 kilometers by land to reach their final destination in Delta State – the venue for the 16-team sub regional age limited football competition, which is fixed between November 28 and December 8.

After a hectic journey to the Southern Nigerian state, coach Alagie Sarr and his side arrived too late to hold their first training session yesterday. The Darling Scorpions are now set to have their first training today (Thursday) barely 24 hours before their Group B opener against Guinea on tomorrow.
The team might have endured a tiring trip Delta but Coach Alagie Sarr insists this will not affect the team’s preparation.

“Indeed we have a very hectic journey to Delta State. It took us over 24 hours to settle down, but this cannot be an excuse as far as the competition is concerned, Sarr who is also the chief coach GFA first division side, Sea View, told Observer Sports yesterday at his Nelrose Hotel camp.

“I have spoken to the players and everything is in order. We are positive in all departments and having settled down our main focus is now on our first game, which we must win.” “This is a tournament and winning your first match is always important in any competition. And with the level of morale in our camp, I have no doubt that we will get the three points when take on Guinea tomorrow (Friday).”

“I have spoken to the players and they’ve vowed that they are up for the task,” Sarr concluded. When they open their account with Guinea on Friday, the Gambia will take on bitter rivals, Senegal, on Sunday, November 30, before facing familiar opponents, Ghana, in the final group match on Tuesday, December 2. The first two teams in each group will proceed to the quarter-finals.

Author: by Nanama Keita in Lagos, Nigeria

ALFHA trading, LIWA colours the first ever Gambian paint producer

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:31:21 GMT

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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Gambia’s first ever paint producer company, ALFHA Trading Enterprise, has set the pace for professionally unique processing activities and commercial distribution of paint products of superior quality supported by a Swedish paint company, LIWA farg.

The top brass of LIWA colours company are in the country to offer a week-long training for their Gambian counterparts in various areas of paint processing. The training facilitated by the proprietor and manager of ALFHA trading enterprise was centered on how and why different chemicals are used in the system.

Speaking to the Daily Observer during a conducted tour of the factory located at the Kanifing Industrial Estate, behind Taf Holding Company in new Jeshwang, Jerry Ljungqvist Director General of LIWA farg in Sweden expressed delight to be associated with Seigh. He said the week-long training will cover a wide range of areas on various topics such as; processing choice of paint for different surface, the process of paint manufacturing, different methods of application, maintenance of the painted surface, among others.

According to him, there are plans in place to ensure that they expand The Gambia’s paint production to a level of exporting paint to neighbouring countries. Mr Jerry, further revealed that in their plans next year they want to have a conference in the Gambia where by 40 experts in paint production from different countries in the world will attend. He described Mr Secka as a true friend who he had worked with for many years, he said Secka’s move to invest back home shows the love he has for his country and her people.

For his part, Seigh Secka, Proprietor and Managing Director of ALFHA trading enterprise said he was encouraged by his people and friends in Europe who know that he works with a factory that produced the most quality paint in Sweden. He said people call him to find out the best quality paint and also seeks advice from him, as to the best paint. According to him each time he comes to the country he sees house painted and the walls end up black.
According to him, his paint product is widely used in Scandanavia and other European countries. "Its main paints product is water base, suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. They are also guaranteed to be fungicides and spirogyras free and also environmentally friendly," said Secka.

According to him, the qualities of these paints are guaranteed to a minimum period of 5 years and will never peel off depending on their professional advice and by using their primier product for coating before painting.

On colours
According to him customers can always choose up to 1000 different colours from their colour chart. "We use our data system for mixing of colours enabling us to maintain the same colour choice of up to any quantity the customer may need and at all times.

Mr Secka used the opportunity to thank the Gambian leader for giving him an enabling environment to established business in the country.
He hailed GIPZA for their advice, showing him a way forward in business investment. Customers who wish to know more about ALFHA trading enterprise can contact the shop on the following numbers: 4378867/ 4393856
Nianija by-election date announced

The date for the Nianija by-election has been set by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). This was revealed through a press released signed by Isatou Jallow-Ndure, a commission member, and sent to media houses.

The full text of the release is reproduced below
Following the vacancy of the seat of the Nianija Constituency, the Independent Electoral Commission will conduct a by-election to fill the said vacant seat on Thursday 18th December 2008. Nomination forms will be issued out to the public from Monday 24th November 2008. Nomination of candidates will be held at the Janjanbureh Regional Office on Thursday 4th December 2008 from 8 O’ clock in the morning to 4 O’ clock in the afternoon. Campaign starts from 6th and ends on 16th December 2008.

Author: by Musa Ndow