OVER 20 PRESIDENTS DUE FOR INAUGURATION

By Lamin Cham More than 20 leaders mainly from West Africa and elsewhere on the continent are due to arrive in Banjul on or before February 18 to attend the inauguration of President Adama Barrow. According to credible sources close to the inauguration Organising Committee, almost the entire regional bloc Ecowas heads of state have expressed intention to attend in addition to several others from the other parts of the continent. Also according to our sources there could be several others from outside the continent and of course the many diplomatic and high level foreign delegations from regional continental and global organizations. “This could easily be the biggest gathering of heads of state in this country since the African Union summit of 2006. We have covered many areas and regular meetings continue to attend to every detail,” said our source. Other sources forecast a huge logistical nightmare for the Committee especially in controlling the crowd at the Stadium, where the event is planned to take place. “From the look of it the Stadium may even look small and the organizers must consider either issuing invitations only for entrance or put up giant screens around the stadium and major centers to lift the pressure on the Stadium,” one sports event organizer observed.]]>