Receiving the SGIAD Gambian chapter members at State House recently, the vice president also spoke of strong brotherly bilateral contact between President Jammeh and President Macky Sall, adding that such executive contact filters down to ministerial and other government functionaries. She urged members of the SGAISD to help bring the University of The Gambia and the University of Senegal together in an intellectual and intelligent forum as well as exchange visits that would add value to the Senegambia integration in a “progressive and a sustainable manner”.
Dr Njie-Saidy also spoke of the critical role of the trade unions and urged SGAISD to bring the unions and other pressure groups on board and for the association to extend its programs to the regions for the greater good of Senegambian integration. “For true integration to happen we need to involve everyone especially our religious, cultural, civil society and traditional leaders, and we must be prepared to build bridges over our differences in order to enhance the relationship between the two countries and its people”, she said.
She assured members of GAISD of government’s support and paid tribute to the late Dr Alieu Badara Saja Tall, who was one of the identified speakers by SGAISD for its Great Senegambia symposium holding next month.
Abdou Salaam Jammeh, secretary general of SGAISD-Gambia said the association was founded on September 21st 2013 in Mbour, Senegal with the collective resolve to bolster the historic and immortal ties between the people of the Gambia and Senegal.
He added that the association is a grass roots one, non- political, non-profit making and voluntary association with branches in the Gambia and Senegal. He added that the organisation recognises, appreciates and applauds the multi-faceted interventions of President Yahya Jammeh whose unalloyed support for Pan Africanism inspired and motivated the formation of the association.
Mr Saikou Bakary Jarju, president (SGAISD- Gambia said the people of The Gambia and the people of Senegal are condemned to live together as two countries, one people and that his association is very much indebted to President for his leadership and passion for a genuine and sincere Sene-gambian integration.
Jarju informed the vice president on the preparation for the Great Senegambia Conference slated for next month at the Paradise Suites Hotel and formally invited the vice president to deliver the key note speech on the occasion.
The meeting was chaired by Mr Lamin FK Jammeh, deputy permanent secretary, ministry of defense.
Both the police chief Yankuba Sonko and the director general of NIA Yankuba Badjie applauded the efforts of SGAISD and assured organisers that they would do their quota to ensure that the program is done in a peaceful and tranquil environment.
By Lamin Cham
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