The Standard: First of all, how would you describe the state of the APRC party, of which you are the national mobiliser?

Yankuba Colley: Very, very good. We are very well-placed, above everything, above every party in this country. We are stronger today than ever before.

After weeks of preparations you were supposed to have a congress in Kanilai which was cancelled at the eleventh hour. Is all well in your party?

That is nothing. For us, even if we want we can do the congress tomorrow. Everything is well in APRC. We do not have any problem. We decided to go to congress. We put everything and all our plans together. Financially, we are fine… again, what is the problem? I do not think we have any problem. It was postponed for a reason and the reason is not something one would hide. We are doing it in Kanilai and we are doing it in a proper way. We have gone round the country. You can see the enthusiasm that we have received from the provinces. You can see the people are very happy about it. We were well-received and everything went fine. And for having the congress, APRC is having no problem. It has coincided with some programmes and those programmes we feel we could not do together with it. That is the reason but nothing else.

So what are these reasons?

I have been telling journalists that APRC is a very well-organised party. It is well-structured at all angles. There is nothing wrong anywhere. Everything is fine.

But it might have an adverse impact on the confidence of your supporters that a party of your muscle and clout is making such a sudden U-turn? 

We do not have any problem whatsoever, to God! It is only the change of date. We only felt that we should change the date and that’s all. I cannot recall the date but I know it is going to happen in April.

There has been mounting concern about the expulsion of MPs from your party deemed not to be toeing the party line like Cherno Cham of Lower Niumi, Yahya Dibba of Kiang West and Dawda Manneh who automatically lost their seats in the National Assembly?

Dawda Manneh has been convicted of drug peddling. Should we maintain that person in our party? Answer my question.

My opinion is immaterial, yours is… So how about Cherno Cham and Yahya Dibba?

I told you this party is a very organised party. We have disciplinary groups. We have a committee on discipline. If you violate the party rules of course you can face expulsion. That shows you how well-organised the party is because it is not afraid of kicking one of her key members out. That can simply tell you how strong we are. When you act in a way that does not conform with the party regulations and rules… There are no sacred cows in the party. So that is why all those people were expelled. They went against the rules of the party.

What rules were violated?

They went against the rules of the party. Some of these things are not to be said out. We will not talk about some of them but I would tell you that if you don’t violate the party rules, nothing happens to you.

You are a ruling party that is supposed to be a paragon of transparency. It seems you are shrouding certain things in secrecy?

No, no! Remember, the person you are dealing with also has a family. Some of it should not be that open; they have a family who have to be protected also. We need to protect the family, remember that. We are just like the Muslimhood. If you do not pray, you are not a Muslim. If you offend a law in Islam you will be expelled automatically.

But why do you have to offer protection to somebody who has violated your disciplinary code and done something potentially adverse to the national interest?

Why did I mention that of Dawda Manneh – that he is convicted of drug trafficking? I mentioned it because it had come to everybody’s notice that he went to court. The others you are talking to me about, they have not been to court. They were internally punished. And we will not wash our dirty linen in public.

Don’t you think your party’s ability to expel members who automatically lose their seats constricts and constrains the APRC-dominated National Assembly to serve as a check on the excesses of the executive?

That is happening. Are you not aware of the PEC/PAC? Are you not seeing those checks that are going on? Even the president has gone to the assembly and said that there are no sacred cows. For us we believe in these three systems of government: the legislature, judiciary and the executive. And each is doing its work without any problem, without any interference.

But that seems devoid of basis in reality because a more than casual observer will see that there has been increasing emasculation and strangulation of the independence of the judiciary. The recent sacking of the Chief Justice Agyemang is a case in point?

You see… me I would not touch on that. But the system in place is that if you don’t do anything nothing happens to you.

The Secretary General, Momodou Sabally, has been appointed APRC Secretary General. What added values does he bring to the party?

A lot. Remember, Sabally is our own. I call him ‘Sunu Buss’. We trained him and now he is serving us. So there is nothing new in the party system for Sabally. He started from the scratch. He was educated from the scratch and he got all what he has here. Sabally is the party-trained one who knows the policies of the party. Sabally’s coming is greatly accepted by all quarters of the party.

How impressed is the party with his performance so far?

In fact, there are lots of improvements since he took over as the secretary general of the party. There are lots of things he has done right now.

Such as?

A lot of it …some not to be mentioned. He has made the system more vibrant. He has made all the parts of the party machine work very very well.

You talked about greater vibrancy in the party, does that include the sacking of the women’s mobiliser Aja Ndey Jatta and youth mobiliser, Pierre Minteh?

No, no, Aja Ndey Jatta is not sacked. They were not sacked but retired. Remember Aji Fatou Sallah was retired.

But they have not reached retirement age. In fact, they are relatively young?

Pierre is not retired. It is just a change of policy, just a change of position. That’s all.

Don’t you think the fact that he had to be changed is indicative of the fact that there’s something wrong somewhere?

Maybe… it is possible. But all that I can tell you is that these positions are not permanent. You will be there for some time and somebody comes in. Remember the former national mobiliser was Yankuba Touray. He started it and gave it to Antouman Saho; Antouman gave it to Balla Jahumpa. When Balla left, it was returned to Antouman. When Antouman left again, it was given back to Yankuba, then it came back to Antouman and to me. So positions change. Before, Babou Gaye Sonko was there, another person came and then Pierre came and Babou came back again. So that is not a problem. There is no position that is static.

How would you assess your own performance as the national mobiliser?

I don’t know.  I will always leave that to the people and the leadership. I will never assess myself… No. That’s not fair. If you ask anybody even if they are not doing well they will say ‘I am doing good’. You leave people to judge who you are and what you do. I cannot talk about my performance. All what I know is I am doing my best.

You have been described by your detractors as ‘semi-literate’, ‘incompetent’ and ‘devoid of the much needed charm and experience’ to be the mayor of KMC and national mobiliser. What would you say to such critics?

Every person is entitled to his opinion. That is okay for me. I like people who criticise me. I like people who talk about me. For me I know between me and Allah I have been schooled. I know I have been schooled though I know I didn’t attend university. I am not a university graduate but I have sat in a college in the UK. At least I understand a little and when it comes to performance in the KMC, I think I can raise my hand and say what I have done, there is no mayor who has been in this position who did that. And whatever the critics may say, they are entitled to it. They are entitled to their opinion. If I told I am not that competent and cannot deliver, I would not have been the national mobiliser.

Which brings me to the next question. How woud you assess your administration of the affairs of the KMC?

KMC is moving. We do not have any problem. Everything is fine.

There have been reports of financial constraints for KMC. Your staff’s salaries are sometimes allegedly not paid or delayed and you owe huge debts to banks?

Let me tell you about that. Tell  me, are the super powers, the Americans, are they not in debt? So what is the problem of taking a loan to provide services for your people and paying back to them? What is wrong about that? Everything that we do is transparent. We have very good checks and balances here both in our accounts.. and you know KMC. You cannot take money from KMC just like that. That is not true. And paying of salaries that’s not true. There is no month that comes when we don’t pay salaries.

But salaries are sometimes delayed?

We collect from the people and then come to pay. We do not have a big deposit of oil which we are going to pick and receive money somewhere. All the salaries are paid before the fifth day of every month.

There is also the perennial problem of the Bakoteh dumpsite?

I think that is solved. You did not visit it. Go there and see. You will know that it is solved. There is no more smoke. We have done everything that we could. For us, rubbish collection is everybody’s business not only the municipality’s. Let me tell you if you travel you will know it is a global problem.

Why did it take you so long to fix the problem?

It did not take so long. We looked onto the problem; we discussed the problem and came up with a solution. That’s it.

The APRC government has been accused of harassment of opposition supporters?

For me anything that the president does is right.

But he makes mistakes.

I know whatever he does, there is a reason behind it. I give him that full support. For me, whatever the president does is fine. He is somebody who sits and thinks before he acts. And anything that he does is for the benefit of this country.

Anything else?

Only to ask you people to give him the support that he needs .He needs to be supported. 

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Ebrima Jawara said this yesterday at the closing of a three-day seminar on ‘How Journalists can help in the fight against food insecurity and poverty in The Gambia.’  

The seminar was organised by the Network of Agricultural Communicators – Gambia (Nac) with funding from the Danish Food and Agriculture Journalists (DFAJ).

Jawara, who is a son of the former president said, ‘the media plays a key role in reporting and analysing the state and advancements in the agricultural sector.’

He said agriculture also remains a top priority of The Gambia government whilst encouraging journalists to maintain ”­a healthy relationship” with the Department of Agriculture’s communications, extension and education service.

”They have a wealth of experience, information and invaluable archive materials that is relevant to your field of journalism. The Ministry of Agriculture’s website is also another tool that the media and other stakeholders can use to get information on farming related matters,” the permanent secretary told media practitioners as well as other key stakeholders in the agric business.

He further admonished journalists: ”You are accountable to the general public and have a responsibility to report in a balanced manner that tells the truth with a touch of sensationalism to boost your sales. After all you must make living. Carefully proof read your stories. Enroll in short courses on writing and English. A single word used incorrectly in a sentence can have a tragic consequence. Use the Internet to collaborate information given to you by your sources. Do not personalise issues. Issues that become personal ignore logic, the truth and will cloud your judgment. If need be, stay away from stories that are too personal to you. Difficult to do, but try and condition yourself.”

He assured Nac of The Gambia government’s support and encouragement to keep up the momentum as ”they disseminate vital information to the stakeholders in the agriculture sector, contributing their just quota to our food and nutrition security. We rely on the media to know what the players in the agricultural sector are doing to provide affordable, wholesome food to the citizens. Therefore, we depend on you for credible information right from the source.”

 

Author: Sainey Marenah

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But on Tuesday, the commissioner of administration at the police, Abdoulie Sanyang wrote to the NRP administrative secretary informing him that permission had not been granted for the NRP request “due to the numerous activities going on in the said region during the period mentioned..” and advising on the option of rescheduling the meetings.

But the NRP leader Hamat Bah was displeased and summoned a press conference at his bureau on Kairaba Avenue, yesterday accusing the Inspection General of Police of delaying his party’s convention slated for May. 

Bah who lost all the presidential elections he ever contested and latterly his parliamentary seat, told reporters: “We have applied for a permit to the Inspector General of Police in order to hold our convention and our meetings in Upper River Region for a period of ten days. But  unfortunately  we have received a letter from the police  indicating that our  permit has not been granted  due to  the numerous  activities  going on  in the said region  during the period as mentioned in our programme  schedule,  and  we are asked to reschedule our programme. We will reschedule our programme but it will not stop us to exercise our political mandate. This is a serious blow to our party…”

He said it was the second time his party has been denied permit recalling that they were once given a permit to hold a rally but later they were denied to hold their rally. 

 

Author: Baba Sillah 

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With funding from the Danish Food and Agriculture Journalists (DFAJ), NAC is currently training local journalists in the battle to win the fight against food insecurity and poverty in The Gambia on the theme: ‘How Can Improved Agricultural Journalism Help Fight Poverty and Food Insecurity in The Gambia.’

The three-day seminar is underway at Djeliba Hotel in Kololi aimed at equipping journalists on the dos and don’ts of agricultural journalism and how the media can contribute in helping to reflect the voices of farmers.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the representative of DFAJ, Mr Finn Asnaes said: “The conference is the result of a multi-annual cooperation between NAC and DFAJ.  A partnership, whose first concrete result was a 10-day training course, which was planned and carried out in cooperation with GPU in November 2012.

“It was ten days training that gave the participants new ideas and inspiration on how to improve their journalistic work. It is a statement that I can make at this time point because last week on our research trip into the country, I met some of the participants and they confirmed that they started seeing things in a new perspective and hereby have been able to make better programmes,” he explained.

 “Danish and Gambian cultures are different, however, I believe it is important to have the opportunity to exchange thoughts and ideas. It is in the dialogue between different attitudes and perceptions that new ideas and methods emerge thus creating progress for all. In Denmark, education and information have been the key to the Danish agricultural success. But we also spent many years on developing it. DJAF is an organisation that has existed for more than 110 years. Cooperation between agricultural journalists and communicators has secured training, knowledge-sharing and thus more relevant and targeted information.”

Another factor that contributed to the development of Danish agriculture is the co-operation between farmers; not only cooperation on knowledge transfer, but on building large cooperative enterprises such as slaughterhouses, dairies, commercial companies supplying commodities to the farmers and others taking care of global exports and research institutions, a work that Danish farmers began 150 years ago, he said.

Amadou J Jallow, the president of the Network of Agricultural Communicators in The Gambia explained: “The project is divided into two activities. In the first activity, NAC and our Danish partners, Danish Food and Agricultural Journalists, from the 3rd to 6th March, 2014 dispatched a four-man delegation to embark on a nationwide research trip to farmer communities and community radio stations within the country. The trip was intended to establish the currently missing links between the farmers and journalists, knowing the importance of the media as a tool for development.”

The successful completion of this seminar bears a huge interest on NAC and its stakeholders, as it will be a determining factor of the network’s prospective access to funding from our Danish partners.

“As stakeholders in the agriculture sector, we should try as much as we can to genuinely conduct ourselves and represent the best interest of our people. We must all focus attention on the promotion and enhancement of the best agricultural practices. NAC, as relatively young as it is, with its committed executive and members, has a vision to transform our agricultural methods by offering trainings to agriculture journalists of the best reporting procedures on agriculture and provide expert advice to the farmers with a view to empowering and helping them to improve their yields,” he said.

His words: “The fight against poverty and food insecurity is a formidable challenge that cannot be achieved in isolation. So we come here today to remind ourselves about the solid urgency of NOW.  Journalists as major contributors to development of the nation must bear in mind that our single and responsible reportage on agricultural matters can bring to light a robust change in the sector.’

He commended Per Henrik Hasen, a member of the board and international secretary of the DFAJ for his effort in the possibility of this project.

Benjamin Fiofor, representative of Farm Radio Canada, Sana Camara representative of the Gambia Press Union and Madi Ceesay of ActionAid, The Gambia all urged the trainees to take the training seriously and apply skills acquired in their respective newsrooms.

Author: Sainey MK Marenah

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According to reports, the Agreement for Reception for Technical and Logistics Organization of the 55th Ordinary Session of the organisation has already been signed by Eduardo de Jesus Beni and Mary Maboreke to the effect in Luanda.  The secretary general of the Angolan Foreign Ministry announced that with the signing of the document, “the Angolan government will create the conditions to host the 55th Ordinary Session” scheduled for next month.

 

‘A prestige for Angola’

The Banjul-based ACHPR annually conducts two sessions, the last of which was held last November in Banjul. Eduardo de Jesus Beni told journalists that the holding of the meeting in Angola will be a prestige for the country, given that his government has been working for some time to host the event. “I’m going back to the commission with good news… the ground is prepared and all conditions are ready to carry out this 55th session,” said Maboreke Mary, a Zimbabwean.

 

Set the ball rolling

The commission’s leadership has always argued that countries have not been expressing interest in hosting the sessions, which was one of the reasons why it stayed in Banjul despite calls that it should be moved elsewhere.

Observers believe this move has set the ball rolling for rotational hosting of the session. Subsequently, the honour and privilege will be extended to only those with good human rights records.

 

Author: Sanna Camara

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Signed by Mr Alieu Ngum in June 2006, the then Minister of Trade, Industry and Employment, this convention deals with the transfer and manufacture of small arms and light weapons in the sub-region; the transparency and exchange of information regarding them, as well as operational mechanism, institutional and implementation arrangements among other things in and within Ecowas member states.

“Ratification needs to be done in the legislature and the president then assents to make it law. Then the legal instrument which was signed by the president, is then forwarded to the Ecowas Commission,” explained Mr Oluwafisan Bankale of the Small Arms Division of Ecowas. 

Mr Bankale revealed that the convention entered into force on 29th September 2009 “because that was the day the ninth instrument of ratification was made by Benin thereby meeting the two-thirds requirement of Ecowas member states. It is commitment for implementation of all provisions in the convention that leads to domestication which enables provisions of the convention to be reflected in national laws.”  He also said that ratification provides opportunity for support from Ecowas and from funding partners.

Deputy permanent secretary, ministry of Interior, Assan Tangara, revealed that the process of ratification has begun in The Gambia, with the establishment of a National Commission of Small Arms at the Ministry of Interior. 

Mr Yusupha Dibba, permanent secretary, Ministry of Defence said The Gambian leadership has always exercised openness and dynamism in dealing with small arms and light weapons. “However, it is not just government business. Small arms and light weapons are everyone’s business,” said Dibba, noting that early warning systems and disaster mechanisms, terrorism, drugs and banditry are all related with small arms and light weapons.

He maintained that The Gambia is committed to Ecowas protocols on peace and security as manifested in country’s peace building and conflict resolution profile.

A publication, Disarmament Forum which looks at the transfer of small arms and light weapons in West Africa, argues that “the uncontrolled movement of small arms and light weapons in West Africa has exacerbated conflict, created a climate of insecurity and undermined development.”

“During armed conflict, there is a continual circulation of arms between factions, as arms are captured and stolen by all sides. Small arms and light weapons also circulate through raids on police and military armouries, leakage from stockpiles and the desertion of soldiers,” the publication revealed.

Experts have also warned that locally-made firearms also constitute a major problem. “Blacksmiths have a significant role in the manufacture and circulation of firearms in Ghana, and this trend is spreading to other states in the sub-region. When one conflict ends, SALW are recycled or sold on for use in new or ongoing conflicts or crime,” said Mr Bankale.

According to the Ecowas expert, small arms and light weapons have a significant impact on West Africa. “They have escalated the intensity and impact of intra-state armed conflicts. Even when conflicts end, small arms proliferation makes it easy for fighting to recommence. Small arms continue to be used in criminal activities and ethnic and political rivalries. They are the primary tools used to kill, threaten and intimidate civilian populations in West Africa. They play a significant role in abuses such as rape, enforced disappearances, torture and forced displacement,” experts warned.

 

Author: Sanna Camara

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She said the fair has its share of success stories which the media has not focused on. “A Senegalese trader for example took some soap commodities from the fair here and started distributing it in Senegal. Today, that trader has specialised in distributing the soap beyond the frontiers of The Gambia and Senegal. This is one example of how trade fairs facilitate trade and networking for businesses,” she said.

However, she admits that they have their challenges “which are usual” for such events. “We learn from these challenges each year and use the experience to improve on next year’s fair,” she pointed out. She further explained that the sanitary facilities at the venue have been misused by the public during the fair, resulting in the stadium management spending a lot of money on repairs and changing pipes that have been blocked by solid wastes.

Power cuts, according to Ms Prom, are also a national problem in The Gambia at the present times. “However, we are very grateful to Nawec for their support. We wrote to them after the first day’s power blackout and they have since been giving us constant electricity. When power goes off, we just call them and it comes back in five minutes,” she maintained.

Prices of stalls according to her, are determined by the expenses that goes into organising the trade fair. “GCCI pays for the venue of the fair, the construction of the stalls and dismantling them afterwards, cleansing, security services, electrical wiring and maintenance throughout the fair, publicity, among others. All these are factored into the cost of stalls,” Ms Prom said.

“Generally, trade fairs are expensive. GCCI takes part in trade fairs outside The Gambia and our delegates do not make much sales either. Rather they network and sometimes even barter their goods which can be sold when they return. The prices of stalls have remained the same since 2003 until this year when it was changed to reflect the new situation,” she added. She said the GCCI made a record in this year’s fair by registering over 250 stalls – the largest ever.

This newspaper ran a story in our Wednesday edition which highlighted the concerns of some participants at the fair.

 

Author: Sanna Camara

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According to reports reaching The Standard, Mr Sinara may have been stranded in Libya waiting for an opportunity to enter Europe through a Mediterranean sea route. However, his dreams of entering ‘Babylon’ crashed to a fatal halt when armed bandits attacked their residence in Ghadames, an oasis town 462 kilometres to the southwest of Tripoli, near the borders with Algeria  and Tunisia . 

“Sinara was killed when armed men came to attack our neighbourhood on Saturday, about midnight in Ghadames, Libya,” explained Bakary Jammeh, a native of Illiasa, Baddibu and former resident of Bundung Borehole who was a roommate of the deceased. 

“The police promised to give us the body … for proper burial. Alfusainey was shot in his head and stomach while trying to close the door from the attackers who terrorised our neighborhood in the middle of Saturday night.

Condolences have been pouring on facebook where the news was announced on Sunday. “Libya is an outlaw country at the moment. Every man is a king… and can do what he or she wants to do. And it is not the police who are doing these but the criminals. Everyone has access to guns – both young and old,” said a friend of Mr Sinai from Libya.

Alfusainey Sinara’s remains were interred at a cemetery in Ghadames yesterday attended by many Gambian and African migrants reports said. 

Neither the Libyan Embassy in Banjul nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Gambia could be reached for comment on the matter yesterday.

Author: Sanna Camara

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SGAISD is a bilateral grassroots organisation with chapters focused on creating awareness among the two people on the great historical and cultural ties that bind the people of the two countries.

Saikou Jarjue the president of SGAISD Gambia, told The Standard that some 70 Senegalese intellectuals, students, journalists, unionists, professors and members of the Senegal chapter of SGAISD are expected to converge in Banjul to join their counterparts in the two-day meeting dubbed, ‘The Great Sene-Gambian Symposium and Conference’ to be held at ‘Penchami Hall’ in Paradise Suites Hotel, Kololi.

”The objective of this conference is in line with our vision that the unique oneness and integration of the people in these two nations should survive any misunderstanding between their governments. Our mantra is ‘one people in two countries’,” he said.

The meeting, he said is split into two sections. The first day, Friday 25th April 2014 there will be a symposium featuring four university students from each country. “They will be drawn in two groups of four for which two Gambian and two Senegalese students will stand for the motion and the other two Gambians and two Senegalese against the motion, ”Is Senegambia integration a necessary tool for the socio-economic advancement of its two people?”. The debate will be done in the usual Senegambian spirit of one people two countries,” Mr Jarjue said.

The following day, the floor will be opened for erudite professors from both countries to deliver lectures on the theme, “The Historical Perspective of Senegambia: The Prospects and The way forward”. 

Among the professors to take the platform in the morning will be Professor Iba Der Thiam of Senegal, a renowned politician and a visiting lecturer at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar and Dr Pierre Gomez, Dean of the School of Social Science and Humanities at The University of The Gambia. 

The afternoon platform will be taken by Professor Ibrahima Thioub, history professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, and Dr Saja Taal, political science professor at The University of The Gambia.

At the end of the symposium and conference, the president of the association’s Gambian chapter, Mr Saikou Jarju and the president of the association’s Senegal chapter, Mr Ebou Ngum will sign “The Banjul Declaration of The Senegambia Integration 01st edition 2014” for onward transmission to the presidents of both countries through their respective foreign ministers. The event will be covered extensively in Gambian and Senegalese media with all major channels (RDV, RTS, 2STV, & TFM) in Senegal and GRTS expected to provide coverage in addition to newspapers and other FM radios from both countries.

 

Author:Lamin Cham

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Dr Agossou Georges, herbal doctor from Benin described the trade fair as “fairly good”, but said “the problem is the lack of sales as many people are not coming to the fair.” He said during the fair, they learn from their business counterparts from other countries which are very good for business operators.

Dr Sylvester, another participant from Benin also shared similar sentiments, arguing: “This year’s trade fair is more organised than the previous years.  I guess it was due to publicity that is why people are turning up.”

He said they have been making sales even though it cannot be compared to the trade fairs of other regions or countries. “Gambians are nice and hospitable people who are peaceful and good. This is very good,” he said.

Sane Cisse, a regular trade fair goer from Niger said: “I have been coming to The Gambia for Trade Fair since 2005 but this year’s fair is not as good as the previous years due to lack of serious sales. The previous trade fairs are better than this year’s simply because people are not coming as usual to buy our products. The organizers should have opened the gates early and close late to give more time to those who want to buy.”

Essa Bobb, a local participant from the Salam Batik stall stated: “There have not been any active sales for us this year but thank God we are managing with the little we have. Previous years were better than this year’s trade fair. The stalls are expensive while sales are low compared to other fairs.

“We are dealing with textiles, which is not a priority for many at this time because some are thinking of feeding their families first. The fair is generating some income for people despite low turn-out and lack of active or serious sales,” Bobb said.

Tina Quaye, participant from Ghana also shared her feelings with The Standard, saying: “The trade fair has come far. The problem we have here is that the stalls are small in size and it is all occupied by local businesses.”

She said one stand for international participant cost US$500 which she considers too high considering the low sales they are making at the fair. She added: “Sales are coming small and we cannot meet our demands, we are paying our hotel bills, and feeding among other constraints.”

Besides the depreciation of the dalasi against the dollar which is also affecting their business operations, “It is a bit difficult for some of us here. As we speak, we have to leave our hotel because we cannot continue to pay for hotel accommodation without making sales at the fair.” 

The Ghanaian trader also decries the poor toilet facilities at their disposal suggesting that there should be mobile toilet facilities at the fair stationed at strategic locations. She also suggested that a permanent structure be erected which can serve as a permanent venue for the fair to ensure sustainability and productivity. This she added, will minimise cost.

Madam Serwa Tosu, another Ghanaian participant expressed similar sentiments stressing that “this year’s fair is not encouraging because we are not meeting our needs. More publicity is needed to ensure that people come out in large numbers to buy our products.” She also complained about the washroom which she said was in a bad state.

Momodou Lamin Keita of Jabot Laboratory, which is offering free counselling and guidance test for HIV at the fair, also spoke to The Standard. “We are offering free testing and counseling for HIV. We are sponsored by NAS to carry out this task and the charges are free for all and sundry above 18 years,” Keita said, calling on the general public to capitalise on free testing.

Pa Matarr Mbye, customer service supervisor at the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation, spoke about the recent BPI and SSHFC housing project which he said will commence soon.

“BPI are our partners from United Arab Emirates and our aim is to build modern housing units in The Gambia that have never been seen here. We have seen people building houses without apartments for sale but for this project, we have apartments for sale like the semi-detached  story building – single and twin houses,” Mbye said.

He said they are working on the pricing of the new housing project but assured of “reasonable and competitive prices”.  Dilating on the type of buildings that BPI and SSHFC will build, Mbye explained: “Emerald Style One is strictly composed from single and twin houses, all of which will have access to the main road and facilities. Our plans are to build and beautify The Gambia like Dubai and will build 500 houses at Brusubi extension phases 1 and 2. We are here for Gambian people to provide them affordable housing needs.”

Muhammed Bou Hadboh, a Lebanese participant from Mali, expressed frustration about the low sales of their products: “I did not expect things to be like this here but unfortunately, things are going bad for my business.”

 

Author: Sainey MK Marenah

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 “This is normal because the national associations are given money on behalf The Gambia and therefore it should be fair enough for the Gambia sports regulatory body to know how those monies are spent. This is transparency and good governance which is the new vision we are implementing at all organs of the ministry,” he said.

Another matter the minster emphasised, is the frequent complaints of sports associations taking people abroad in the name of sports, but with the intention of monetary gains and therefore abusing the name of The Gambia for their selfish gains. ”This is grossly unacceptable and the ministry and the NSC have and will continue to be very harsh in dealing with any such cases,” he warned.  The minister said sports has a powerful effect in the lives of the people and therefore even the common man in the village has a stake in it. “So when the passion for it went wrong, or is misdirected, it could even have political dimensions,” noted.

Minister Jammeh said if the officials of the NSC could take all the punches and battering from the National Assembly on the way its finance is handled since its inception, it is only natural that the NSC also require institutions under its purview to conform to similar transparency ethics.

He said that is why he was pleased with the firm stance the outgoing council members took during turbulent times because they were convinced that they were protecting the national interest and those of the athletes.

But the minster admitted that wherever transformation happens, there is bound to be resistance hence the occasional noise within the fraternity. “However, what is important is for one to be focused when one is convinced that one is serving the nation,” he said.

Minster Jammeh reminded the incoming board that the challenges ahead are huge but they can count on his ministry’s support to empower them in their mission.

The permanent secretary at MOYS, Ouleya Camara, paid a glowing tribute to the strong resolution shown by former chairman, Bun Njie, and his team and urged the new members to  be firm, pledging that the ministry would give them all the support needed. She said Gambian sports must graduate from its current state of pretension to real championship and trophy winners. Other speakers included NSC executive director Abdul Aziz Titao Mendy.

 

Author:Lamin Cham

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Speaking to The Standard yesterday afternoon, Mr  Waidat of Gampetroleum Company emphasised: “There is enough fuel in stock in the country. There is no shortage of fuel here.” 

However, earlier in the day, The Standard contacted a number of fuel retailers about the seeming shortage of petrol at some pump stations in the country.  A senior manager at Elton Oil Gambia ltd told The Standard although their managing director is out of town, answers to the questions we are asking could be found at Gampetroleum Company. “They are the sole suppliers of fuel to all fuel stations in the country,” said the man before politely refusing an interview from this reporter.

The manager of the Gampetroleum depot at the coastal village of Mandinari, Kombo North, also confirmed that there is no fuel shortage in the country. “We import and distribute fuel to petrol stations after the station (company) orders it from our head office. And I can tell you this: there is enough petrol, gas and gasoline in stock currently,” he said.

Meanwhile, queues have started forming at petrol stations across Greater Banjul Area as fuel shortage speculations grow over the past forty eight hours.

“I went to an Elton station to buy petrol but they claim there is none. I went to Galp station where I wanted to buy D1,000. The pump attendant lady said she cannot sell that quantity because there is shortage of petrol in town. It took some convincing before she will agree to sell me D1,000 worth of petrol, after she initially sold me only D500,” said Lamin fatty, a car owner in Bakau.

Author: Sanna Camara

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