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US Embassy observes election night

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:30:47 GMT

Thursday, November 06, 2008

The United States Embassy in Banjul, on Tuesday, observed the 2008 US presidential election night in the form of television broadcast, at the conference hall of Sheraton Hotel in Brufut.

Veteran politicians, diplomats, media chiefs, as well as officials from the Independent Electoral Commission,were among several people invited by the Embassy to watch live television broadcast as results of the historic US presidential election were announced.

In a way of gauging the stand of the two presidential hopefuls (John McCain and Barack Obama) in the Gambia, the organizers of the television broadcast sounded the opinion of the gathering, conducting an opinion poll sort of in the course of the night.

The Democratic presidential hopeful (now president elect), Barack Obama, defeated Republican presidential hopeful John McCain by 81 votes to 1.

Addressing the gathering, Brian Baohman, Charge D’Affair at the US Embassy, who stood in for the Ambassador, informed the gathering that the 2008 US presidential race has riveted the world’s attention. He observed that whether it was their economy, the environment, national security or the wars in Iraq and Afganistan, it was certain that they were facing challenges.

He said that the candidates, who presented clear choices of many of these problems they face, should be commended for their commitment as they had navigated the lengthy and tasking path to the White House.

The 2008 US election, according to the charge D’ Affair, had for many people in the US and around the world, restored their interest and belief in democracy, as candidates from non-traditional backgrounds have emerged to claim their seats at the table of power and responsibility in the US. This, he went on, showed that anyone could rise above the injustices of their past and rise to the pinnacle of power in the US, regardless of your race, gender or faith.

He told the gathering that they were expecting a higher voter turnout than it had been in the past, as many US citizens who never voted in the past were doing so for the first time this year, with the belief that their voices would be finally heard in this year’s election.

He said that for the past years, the world had been watching the American political scene - a messy, chaotic and, at times, brutal contest for power that was probably the most gruesome political test in the world.

"For all it flaws, however, it is also a sterling display of what we see as one of the most fundamental of human rights - the right for people to choose their own government, and to hold that government accountable through regular and transparent elections," he said.

The US Embassy Charge D’ Affair then pointed out that the two presidential candidates had engaged in rhetorical battle in debates, commercials, personal appearances, fundraising shows, among others, over the last few months, trying to portray to the American people why they and not their opponent, should be trusted with the power and responsibility of running the United States government.

Author: by Hatab Fadera

US Embassy holds poster exhibition

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:20:56 GMT

Friday, October 24, 2008

Barely 12 days before the forthcoming US presidential election, the Embassy of United States of America in Banjul last Thursday held a poster exhibition on democracy and a US cartoonist’s artistic impression of past US presidents at the US Embassy on Kairaba Avenue.

The exhibition significantly indicated so many relevant past political cartoonist, artistic pictures describing US presidential political history.

Brian Bachman, deputy chief of mission at the US Banjul embassy outlined the importance of some of the perspectives regarding both the US election and the cartoonist’s.

According to Mr Bachman, during the US elections and campaigns, basic human rights such as freedom of speech are seen without been jail. However, he added, on the US presidential campaign trial, one party would try to steal the secret of the other.

For his part, Baba A. Ceesay underscored the importance of the US artistic exhibition in The Gambia as well as the role of the artist. Mr Ceesay. He highlighted some of the shortcoming associated with artist in The Gambia, but expressed believed that it will be solve in the near future.

The exhibition session ended with question from school childrens invited.

Author: by Bekai Njie

In 2nd US presidential debate

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:12:47 GMT

Friday, October 10, 2008

DoSH slams a ban on infant formula milk

US Embassy hosts partners to video show

In the countdown to the United States’ presidential election, slated for November 4, 2008, the US Embassy in Banjul, on Wednesday, hosted a section of the Gambian community, those they described as partners in the propagation of democracy, to a video show of the second presidential debate, at the embassy, located on Kairaba Avenue.

National assembly members, veteran politicians, media chiefs, students, and various stakeholders in the election processes attended the presidential debate video show, which featured Democratic candidate, Senator Barack Obama, and the Republican senator, John McCain.

The video show, according to US Embassy officials, seeks to avail politicians, students, and other key stakeholders of a unique opportunity for thorough reflection on the United States presidential election processes and to further deepen their understanding of the policies of each of the candidates.

During the second presidential election debate, the two candidates, who answered questions in dwelled on a wide range of issues bordering on the welfare of the average United States citizen.

Prominent among pertinent issues that topped the agenda of their debate were better defence and security, the salvation of American citizens from the current economic crisis that is hitting their country, ensuring a better taxation system, promoting better health care services, energy and technology, as well as improving on the circumstances surrounding international humanitarian crises.

On a questioned posed to the presidential candidates on health care delivery system, Senator Barack Obama expressed his untiring resolve to improve the system by ensuring that consumer protection in the sector for the average American, if elected president. His rival, Senator John McCain, reacted by saying that he would ensure that the average American has affordable and better health care services if elected as the next president of the United States. From an outside perspective, both candidates seemed capable enough to be at the helm of affairs of the United States government, as they both thoroughly answered all the questions posed. But Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama, seemed to be more positive in answering questions than his bitter rival. Unlike Senator McCain, Senator Obama answered his questions directly, with encouraging solutions in the best interest of Americans.

At the end of the debate, the US embassy officials provided the platform for the audience at the video show to make judgements, comments or suggestions about the second presidential election debate.

Apparently, the judgement of the audience was in favour of the Democratic presidential candidate, who many described as the more credible candidate to be at the helm of affairs of the United States government. Some observed that the Republican candidate focused too much on his military career, which they indicated may not be a good election strategy to win the heart and minds of Americans. Others suggested the need for the US government to not concentrate on only the Middle East, but also on Africa.

Author: by Hatab Fadera

US Democratic National Convention official due in The Gambia

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:06:12 GMT

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

The US Embassy in Banjul has announced the possible official visit of Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for intergovernmental affairs for the Democratic national convention. This information was contained in a press release received from the Embassy. Mrs Gallegos is a member of the US Department of State Speakers Program. With the upcoming historic elections set for November 4, 2008, the authorities at the US Embassy aim to highlight the democratic process of elections back home in the US by inviting this speaker to The Gambia. Ms Gallegos’ landmark speech is set for October 14, at the Kairaba Beach Hotel, from 10-12pm and 2-4pm.

According to the release, Sky Gallegos most recently served as the Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Democratic National Convention in Denver. She worked directly for the Democratic National Convention Committee, which is the committee charged with the planning and production of the National Convention in Denver. She is also said to be the liaison to all of the elected officials, party officers and distinguished members of the democratic family that attended the convention last August.

Sky’s work with state and locally elected officials, the release states, spans the last 15 years and includes senior positions in government, corporate, non-profit and campaign arenas.

The release went on to say that during the Clinton administration, Sky worked directly with the nation’s states and locally elected officials while she served in the office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the White House, the US Justice Department and the Democratic National Committee. Most recently, Sky is reported to have been a partner with Hilltop Public Solutions, a public affairs, strategic communications and campaign consulting firm based in Washington DC. An experienced campaign veteran, Sky worked in the last three presidential campaign cycles and in off-year and mid-term elections in targeted states for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

In 2003, the release further stated, Sky was the national political director for the Edwards for President Campaign. In the general election, she was the California State director for Kerry/Edwards’ 04 where she garnered an 11 point victory. And in the 2000 Presidential election, Sky directed the western regional political effort for the vice president, Al Gore. As Western political director, she developed and implemented the political strategy for 12 western states including the successful campaigns in California, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and Hawaii.

Prior to the campaign, Sky was said to have been the Western political director for Vice President Gore’s Political Action Committee, Leadership ‘98 and in 1996, was the deputy political director for the California Clinton/Gore Campaign.

She has also had experience in building and managing coalitions between the public and private sectors to effect legislations. Sky helped start and then managed Ed Voice, a political advocacy organisation for public school reform in California. As chief operating officer and political director, Sky worked with the CEO to build a Board of Directors and an Advisory Board which includes business, education, political and community leaders from across the state. In its first two years, Ed Voice had a 99% success rate with the legislation it introduced.

With a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Stanford University, she is a native and resident of Denver, Colorado.

Author: DO

US Embassy staff give Ramadan largesse

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:50:50 GMT

Monday, September 29, 2008

The Holy Month of Ramadan is and month for caring, sharing and empathising with the poor and needy.

It was in recognition of this cardinal principle of Ramadan that the staff of the American Embassy on Friday, September 26, 2008, gave out a total of 350 kilos of rice to poor and needy people around the Pipeline Mosque.

Wrapped up in the American flag, the rice was divided into 5 kilogram lots, which according to Tashawna Bethea, Political and Economic officer, each bag is meant to feed a family for five to ten days. A total of 79 bags were distributed.

Speaking to the media, immediately after helping to distribute the bags of rice, the US ambassador to The Gambia, Barry L Wells, explained that the donation was not an official one but an initiative of American Embassy staff.

“Our staff are quite aware of the spirit of Ramadan and wanted to be part of it, to reach out to the poor and needy. Caring and sharing are part of the American value system,” he concluded.

Author: DO

US Embassy donates to SJF, refugees

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:32:12 GMT

Thursday, September 04, 2008

The United States Embassy in Banjul recently donated over US$80,000 to Saint Joseph’s Family Farm Centre (SJFFC) and some refugee communities in Foni at a ceremony held at the Saint Joseph Family Farm Centre in Bwiam village.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony, Mr Janko Fofana, the representative from the US embassy said that his office had been working with the beneficiaries through Concern Universal. He expressed delight about the successful implementation of previous projects in the region, such as the Gilanfari Nursery School project.

Yankuba Manneh of SJFFC reported that the donation was meant for the refugees from the troubled Senegalese region of Casamance and their host communities to have access to clean and portable drinking water, noting that part of the money would be used for the implementation of the Phase One project for the rehabilitation of twenty hand pumps and the re-digging of eight wells within the refugee communities in the Western Region. He then urged the beneficiaries to close ranks and ‘unite’ in the interest of development.

Author: by Amadou Jallow

US Embassy capacitises students

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:12:06 GMT

Thursday, August 21, 2008

As part of its public outreach programmes, the US Embassy in The Gambia, on Tuesday, continued its free internet research training for students in senior secondary schools within the Greater Banjul Area.

The training was held at the embassy’s conference hall, located at its premises along the Kairaba Avenue.

Stephen M Mallinger, the information resource officer at the US Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, delivered a presentation on internet research techniques. Mr Mallinger, who is also the regional officer for 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, told the Daily Observer that this training is part of the US embassy’s outreach programmes to the public.

“We are anxious to work with the youths and the cultural community. We are fortunate that The Gambia’s official language is English, therefore, the American online information resources are quite appropriate for The Gambia,” he said.

For his part, Mohammadou M Njie (Papa), the public diplomacy and cultural affairs assistant, thanked the students for responding to their invitation.
He advised the students to work hard and make the best use of the knowledge gained.

Author: by Assan Sallah & Adama Kah

US Embassy praises Mandinaba youth

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:56:28 GMT

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Tashawna S Bethea, political and economic officer at the United States Embassy in Banjul, has commended the Youths and Women of Mandinaba for the successes they have been registering in Kombo East, in collaboration with the US Peace Corps Volunteers.

Mrs Bethea also promised the US embassy and the US Peace Corps office's continued commitment towards supporting the community based projects and initiatives in the areas of skills development.

Mrs Bethea was speaking, yesterday, at the Mandinaba Community Library, while on a tour of projects initiated by the US Peace Corps volunteers. According to her, Peace Corps are very important in African societies, adding that they focus on developing the capacity of the local people.

Mr Kawsu Sanno, chairperson of the Mandinaba Youth and Sports Committee, said the ‘Nafaa for All Initiative’ is a project that was initiated by his committee, in collaboration with a Peace Corps volunteer, Lesley Copeland. He added that the project is in three phases, one of which was the establishment of the library.

According to him, the library project as the first phase is currently playing a pivotal role in empowerment and enhancing of sustainable quality education.

Mrs Kaddy Sanyang, chairperson of the Mandinaba Women Recycling Group (a group that engages in recycling waste plastic bags into valuable materials like bags and wallets) said Lesley Copeland, a Peace Corps volunteer in the village, initiated the group. According to her, they were trained by one Isatou Ceesay, a Peace Corps consultant who taught them how to recycle the waste plastic bags.

“With only sixteen members at first, we quickly understood the techniques used in the skills within a week,” Mrs Sanyang said. She then pointed out some constraints faced by her group, including the issue of a meeting ground and suggested the possibility of having a skills training centre.

For his part, Mr Ousman Bah, Wings of the Dawn representative in The Gambia, said that his organization is a charitable organisation based in Forth Worth, Texas, in the US. According to him, Wings of the Dawn aims at improving the level of education in African countries like The Gambia, Nigeria and Mozambique.

He went on to say that the organisation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mandinaba Youth and Sports committee in 2007, and that since then they have donated two consignments of books to the Mandinaba community library. He said that those books have benefited almost all the Lower and Upper Basic schools in Kombo East.

Ousman Manneh, the library assistant at the Mandinaba Community Library said: “Since the establishment of the library, it has been playing a pivotal role in the development of the schools in the area, by improving the reading standards of the students.”

According to him, the library has contributed in raising the rate of passes in examinations among students. He further pointed out that the library used to offer classes for students and organised fora for them to discuss burning issues like teenage pregnancy, the reasons for students failing their exams, and drug and alcohol abuse, which are the major problems in our society.

Author: by Amadou Jallow

US embassy gets new protocol assistant

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:52:39 GMT

Monday, August 18, 2008

Mrs Elizabeth Sosseh Khan, the former community liaison officer at the US Embassy in Banjul has been appointed protocol assistant.

According a press release from the embassy, Mrs Khan obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland at College Park, in The United States of America. She has worked with various reputable companies both in the USA and The Gambia during her professional career.

She will be responsible for the full range of protocol functions. This includes the handling of all protocol matters for the ambassador and deputy chief of mission with officials of the government of The Gambia, the diplomatic corps, key members of the local community, and other contacts as required.

Author: DO

US Embassy unveils five-year visa validity

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:45:19 GMT

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

The US Embassy in Banjul has unveiled a longer validity visa of up to five years for eligible Gambian applicants.

“US State Department, in cooperation with the US Department of Homeland Security, will now issue B1/B2 ‘tourist’ visas valid for up to five years at a time, a dramatic increase. Currently, Gambians may only qualify for a visa valid for up to two years,” a press release from the US Banjul Embassy stated.

However, the release drew a difference between a visa validity and the length of stay granted to visitors to the US.

“The length of stay granted by the US Department of Homeland Security to travellers will remain the same, despite the change in visa length. Most travellers are granted up to six months in the United States, although the understanding is that most travellers will depart the United States within a few weeks of arrival, as they originally stated in their visa applications.”

The US Embassy noted this latest development will allow qualified applicants to travel to the United States without having to renew their visas frequently.

“This will reduce the costs to Gambian travellers, as they will have to pay fewer visa application fees and will save time in going through interviews at the embassy. It will also reduce the workload on US Embassy staff, allowing them to devote more time to first-time applicants,” the release stated.

Similarly, American citizens will now be eligible for five years validity tourist visas to The Gambia, which should help in boosting the tourism sector, according to the embassy.

Author: DO