The British High Commission Banjul is delighted to announce that at a ceremony on Thursday 17 November 2022, His Excellency David Belgrove OBE, British High Commissioner presented an honorary award on behalf of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Mr Pierre Gomez in recognition of his outstanding service to the MRC.

Pierre Gomez MBE (Honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) has been recognised for services to medical research in sub-Saharan Africa.

Pierre Gomez has given nearly 40 years of service to the MRC unit in The Gambia. He played a key role in establishing and sustaining surveillance systems which underpin important research discoveries such as the value of insecticide treated bed nets and seasonal malaria chemoprevention. This research has saved many lives across sub-Saharan Africa and helped establish the reputation of The Gambia as a centre of international research. Mr Gomez is known for his personal support and generosity to members of staff and the community in which he lives and works.

On receipt of the award Pierre Gomez said:

“I am very happy and grateful to be one of the recipients of the MBE Award today. This is a special honour for me and family, and most importantly my mother who has been of tremendous support to my career. This is a dream come true.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Brian Greenwood and Professor Umberto D’Alessandro for their unflinching support, inspiration and recognition over the years. I am deeply honoured”

“This award reminds me of MRCG’s efficiency and response during the Meningitis, Malaria and Measles outbreak 1980 and 1990 respectively. This outbreak affected children and women in rural Gambia. MRCG’s response to these incidents inspired me to take a personal decision in 1986 to commit my life to supervising and maintaining MRCG Unit’s Household Demographic Surveillance System HDSS platform in a bid to Safe Lives and improve health care across sub–Saharan Africa.

Physically I am here with you all, but in spirit I am in Buckingham Palace receiving this award. I would sincerely like to thank all the Executives and individuals who made this event a success.”

Background to the UK Honours System

As ‘fountain of honour’ in the UK, the British Monarch has the sole right of conferring titles of honour on deserving people from all walks of life, in public recognition of their merit, service or bravery. This includes honorary awards to non-British nationals who through their ties to the UK have made an outstanding contribution.
Throughout history, monarchs have rewarded those who have shown service, loyalty or gallantry with gifts or titles. Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, only members of the aristocracy and high-ranking military figures could be appointed to an Order of chivalry, but from then onwards appointments were drawn from a wider variety of backgrounds.
Nowadays the Honours system rewards service in a wide range of areas, recognising outstanding individuals in their respective fields.

Notes to Editors:

Pierre Gomez MBE would be available for interview about receiving the awards and the work for which they have been recognised.
If you would like to set up interviews or require further information, please contact Fatou Jassey, Press & Public Affairs Officer at the British High Commission: [email protected]
or on + 220 776 2138

END———————————————————

Regards,
Fatou Jassey | Press and Public Affairs Officer | Banjul
British High Commission | 48 Atlantic Road | Fajara | PO Box 507 | The Gambia
+220 449 5134 | mobile + 220 776 2138 | ECHO: 8265 2248 l

PRESS RELEASE

18 November 2022

By: Ousman Saidykhan

A High Court Judge has made a threat to the prosecution that they will see their case struck out if they appear late in her court again, in a murder trial involving one Kumba Sinyan, a Bakau native.

“This will be the last time you come late to my Court or else, I will strike out your case,” Justice Sidi K Jobarteh warns the prosecution.

The prosecution arrived in Justice Jobarteh’s court on Friday 18th of November 2022 for the continuation of cross-examination of the first witness, Deputy Superintendent Foday Conta, at about 11 minutes late in a hearing that was supposed to start at 10:00am sharp.

The prosecution apologized but said they were late because they thought the case was starting at 11am.

The defense counsel, S Twum had already finished her submission as at the arrival of the prosecution and their witness. She was given her submission on why the accused should be discharged over what she believed was the State’s unreadiness to prosecute her client.

“My lady, this is disrespectful to the court,” defense counsel said, asking the court to discharge the accused or admit her on bail.

Meanwhile, after the Judge’s warning, the cross-examination continued where the witness was asked how he came to know of the alleged murder incident. He replied that he was called by one of his juniors, sub-inspector Banja.
He was also asked whether the body he said he found in Room 111, in a pool of blood was lifeless at the time he saw it or not. He replied that he could not tell at the time.

The defense counsel also asked the witness whether the receptionist, who volunteered to say he knew who killed Lama, was the one who led them to the accused’s house. He answered “yes.”
The defense counsel put it to the witness that he acted illegally for not telling the accused what the arrest was about; and that it was unlawful for the police to take the accused’s phone to go through it.

The police witness replied that one of the reasons he told the accused she would be told what happened at the police station was because the accused was nervous. On the issue of the phone, he replied that the accused voluntarily gave him the phone.

The witness was asked why they didn’t go straight to the police station after the arrest of the accuse, but instead went first to the hotel. “We went to the hotel to confront the suspect with the body,” the Deputy Superintendent replied.

“It was unlawful to take her to the hotel and confront her with the body, traumatize her,” the defense counsel said.

The matter was adjourned to Monday, 5th of December 2022.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

The ruling on the “no case to answer” submission filed by the defense in the manslaughter trial involving Sainabou Mbaye and two others has been scheduled for the 6th December 2022 following the adoption of briefs on the 17th November where the defense counsel, Drammeh, argued that the prosecution has failed to prove charges against her clients.

“We submit that the charges are not proved because no prima facie (evidence sufficient to establish a fact or raise a presumption unless disproved or rebutted-Cornell Law School) has been made…the particulars of offence have not been made at all,” defense counsel, Drammeh submitted at the adoption of their briefs.

The defense filed the “no case to answer” submission on the 31st October and the prosecution also filed their reply on the 14th November.

The prosecution has called seven (7) witnesses in the trial, four (4) of whom were police officers, a doctor at Africmed, a neighbor of the accused persons and the mother of the deceased, Baby Muhammed. Despite the evidence of the seven witnesses, the defense team believes the particulars of offence have not been proven.

“Clearly, you need to prove that there was an unlawful act and that unlawful act led to the death of Muhammed (the deceased). I submit that none of the defendants unlawfully locked him (the deceased) in the vehicle,” Drammeh submitted.

The defense also submitted that most criminal offences have mens rea (consciousness of the perpetrator while committing an act), noting that there was no evidence of such in the case.

“When the first accused (Sainabou) was on her phone, you cannot say the child was under her care. The witness said she put the child under no one’s care. The brief of the state makes no reference to the mens rea,” she argued.

The defense counsel urged the court to uphold their “no case to answer” submission.

The State on the other hand urged the court to disregard the said submission.

It will be known on the 6th of December at 10am, whether the “no case to answer” submission will be upheld or otherwise.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Sulayman Sissoko, a farmer in Sinchu Njanko village in Niamina East is faced with the pain of losing huge income. Sulayman claims that one Pateh Bah believed to be a resident of Dippa Kunda and identified as a watermelon wholesaler took from him on credit the sum of D45,500 worth of watermelon and has since been unreachable for almost two months.

Mr. Sissaho who has a bumper harvest this season told The Fatu Network that the trust he has in his farmer friend pushed him to risk giving his watermelon to an unknown person.

“I don’t know the man, but my friend came with him to buy my watermelon at a wholesale price. He paid D78,000 and my friend (Bocarr) convinced me to allow the man to go with another D45,500 worth of watermelon and complete the payment later. Again, I was skeptical… I asked my friend how sure he was that the man will pay the balance without issues.

After giving him the watermelon, he promised to pay the money in three to four weeks. I believed that no matter what may have happened, in one month he would have sold the watermelon and paid the money,” the farmer explained.

He accused the watermelon wholesaler of manipulating them. “Now he stopped picking up my calls and this is very painful to me as a farmer,” he added.

Bocarr Baldeh, a friend of the Sissoho who was hosting Pateh (watermelon wholesaler) and linked him to his friend, expressed shock about the whole process.

“Pateh came here last year and bought our watermelons. So, I was convinced that he wouldn’t do such a thing to us. I took him to my friend who has a bumper harvest. But this is the greatest betrayal I have had, and now, I feel uncomfortable facing my friend,” he said.

Bocarr vowed to do everything possible to trace Pateh so that his friend can get his money. He (Bocarr) claimed that Pateh told them he is working with the Kanifing Municipal Council and that he is a strong businessman.

“I am leaving everything in the village to hunt Pateh in town. I wouldn’t mind doing anything because of the sacrifices we went through during the rains. Farming is very painful, and we will not sit and watch him enjoy our sweat,” Bocarr emphasized.

Watermelon is one of the most popular seasonal fruits grown and harvested in The Gambia. It is known for its sweetness and richness in an amino acid called citrulline that helps in blood circulation and lower blood pressure, according to health experts.

The season attracts a lot of buyers as farmers harvest the fruit across the country. Many people will go to farmers and purchase watermelon at a wholesale price and sell it in the urban centres.

By: Modou Touray
A group of farmers, who are staunch loyalists of former President Yahya Jammeh, have realised a bumper harvest in rice cultivation. The jubilant farmers have vowed to maintain the ex-president’s farming legacy.

The loyalists, who formed an agricultural-based association dubbed Champion Farmers, said their abundant rice yield will enable them to reduce the amount of money they spend on imported rice for feeding.

“Farming is an important legacy of ex-president Yahya Jammeh. During his regime, he made a national call for citizens especially the idle and employed youths to venture into farming hence affordability of imported rice is challenging to low-income earners.

“We were motivated by his exemplary move to lead farming himself. We decided to come together to engage in large-scale rice production. This is a legacy we vow to maintain forever,” said Alhagie Karamo Jammeh, leader of Champion Farmers.

The earliest harvested rice was cultivated in settlements within Niamina in the Central River Region (CRR). According to these motivated farmers, they are still determined to continue the cultivation of rice to feed themselves despite zero support from the current government, projects and non-governmental organizations.

“We depend on manual labour to cultivate rice and other processes needed before the harvesting period. The youth farmers have the zeal to change the mindset of people who see rice cultivation as a female activity,” Alhagie Karamo Jammeh explained.

He further called for help since most of the agricultural tools donated to them by ex-president Jammeh to enhance their rice production are damaged and beyond repair and urgently need replacements.

“In a tour of rice harvesting this year, we started in Niamima where we have over 200 youths participating in rice cultivation. Although some of them gave up and worked elsewhere because of frustration over hard labour due to lack of support.

“We have difficulties because we have no support with farming tools from the government. They perceive us as the enemies of the current government because we are still loyal to the ex-president who encouraged and support our farming ventures,” Alhagie Karamo Jammeh said.

He acknowledged that it is always their will to promote Jammeh’s back-to-the-land agenda, which encourages the cultivation of food crops with the motivational theme: Grow what you eat, eat what you grow.

“The government is not open to us. because they would not let us have an audience with them and show them the way forward and the importance of cherishing this initiative. Anytime we are embarking on a tour of our farms countrywide, we rent a vehicle and if that car is broken, we have to pay it back,” Mr Jammeh’s narrative

Mr Jammeh also highlighted the burden of transportation from farms to the Kombos to sell their produce of vegetables and food crops and called on the government for assistance.

By: Hadram Hydara

As the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 rolls around — and as the ambience and anticipation to see football’s megastars lock horns in the most prestigious association football tournament build up — The Gambia, like its neighbours Senegal, will be ‘participating’ in the World Cup, although in a different manner.

The Scorpions, Gambia’s men’s senior national team, did not qualify for the November World Cup despite their almost flawless run in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament which preceded this year’s much anticipated World Cup.

However, The Gambia will take part, represented by revered African and FIFA international referee Papa Gassama, veteran broadcast journalist and top-notch commentator Malick Jones, and what is heritage if it’s not celebrated? Alexander Bah, who is born to a Gambian father and a Danish mother will be ‘representing’ The Gambia as well, albeit donning the red-white strips of Denmark.

Papa Gassama, who has been a FIFA referee since 2007, and awarded best African referee three times, has already officiated in two World Cup tournaments (2014, 2018) and is on course to set the record as being the first African referee to officiate in three World Cup tournaments in a row. The 43-year-old officiated the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final and, in 2017 he was selected as CAF’s sole referee for the 2017 FIFA Confederation Cup in Russia.

Malick Jones, broadcaster and football commentator, known for his unique voice, will be at the World Cup in Qatar as a commentator for the English section of the directorate of Qatar Radio. Jones had commentated on matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. His Qatar assignment covers the duration of the tournament.

Alexander Bah, who currently plays for Primeira Liga side Benfica and chose Denmark over The Gambia, is mainly known for his speed, technique, and creativity. Bah, who is Gambian-Danish, is a versatile player capable of playing as a full-back or a right-wing flank. Bah will certainly line up for a European country in Qatar but as ‘Gambian’.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

The Gambia continues to wallow in food insecurity as figures rise from 13.4 in 2021 to 26.5 in 2022, according to the October 2022 National Food Security Survey (NFSS), which represents a little over 100% increment. The WFP deputy country rep said the situation has worsened, looking at the trend from 2011.

Over the past 10 years, the country has seen an upsurge in food insecurity. It only had a slight decline in 2016 from 11.1% to 8% in 2011. Since then, the Gambia has always seen sharp increase and now reaching double of the 2011 figures.

“We have one household out of 4 that are moderately food insecure; means that they have consumption gap or, need to use some irreversible coping strategies,” the WFP deputy country rep Malick Ndiaye said in a joint presentation with FAO at the IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook recently.

In terms of geographic distribution of food insecurity, CRR has emerged the highest where over one out of two households are affected by food insecurity, according to WFP. Malick Ndiaye said this is as a result of poor agricultural production; limited access to inputs; saltwater intrusion and others.

“That really, is kind of harming the capacity of households to produce what they need,” Ndiaye said.

The joint presentation by WFP and FAO recommended short and medium-term solutions like expansion of safety net to more vulnerable households; funding of livestock in the lean season amongst others as well as long-term solutions like prioritization of agricultural budget support; promoting food system and production etc.

By: Modou Touray

The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr Seedy Keita has said that the Russia-Ukraine war adversely affected the country’s growth prospects resulting in rising global commodity prices, falling remittances, a fall in international tax revenues and an increase in financing pressures.

Keita explained that the Government revised the 2022 approved budget in July to reflect the shocks in the macroeconomic conditions during the year.

“The new direction of government development policy will support recovery in light of the adverse impact of the Russia -Ukraine war and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2023 Budget is prepared with minimal new revenue measures in order to give respite to the private sector following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic and the devastating impact of the Russia-Ukraine war that affected businesses across the country.

“More emphasis will be placed on improving compliance in tax administration to ensure that what is lawfully due to government is collected and on time,” the finance minister stressed.

He added that due to the hike of food and energy prices coupled with other risk factors such as currency depreciation, an adjustment in transport fares and pump prices, headline inflation reached 13.3% in September 2022 up from 11.7% in June 2022 and 8.2 per cent a year ago.

“The inflation pressure will continue to increase in the near term. This is a result of global inflationary pressures. The medium-term, inflationary pressure will ease and return to its long-run trend by next year in response to the tight monetary policy stance of the Central Bank of The Gambia and easing of global supply chains,” he revealed.

Seedy Keita, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, made the statement on Monday while presenting the 2023 Estimates of Revenues, Recurrent and Development Expenditures for The Gambia, saying the Gambia in 2022 registered low revenue compared to what they were anticipating.

He tabled the 2023 national budget estimate for consideration and approval by the National Assembly. The 1997 Constitution and the 2014 Public Finance Act make it mandatory for the finance minister to table the budget estimates before the National Assembly. Section 152 (1A) of the Constitution makes provision for the National Assembly to consider and approve the Estimates of Revenues and Expenditures within 14 days.

“On agriculture, it is projected to continue on the growth path reaching 6.6 per cent in 2023 – primarily supported by crop production and fishing and aquaculture. The growth prospects for the industry sector are estimated to increase to 6.9 per cent in 2023 up from 6 per cent in 2022 – mainly supported by electricity and mining and quarrying activities. On the service sector, he said the recovery in tourism, transport and storage, finance and insurance will enhance growth, with the sector growth projected to reach 4 per cent in 2023 from 2.4 per cent in 2022,” he highlighted.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

A Banjul High Court judge has warned supporters to avoid his court if they have no business in the civil lawsuit involving renowned businessman Abubacarr Jawara and outspoken politician Momodou Sabally; the plaintiff and defendant respectively.

“Anybody that is not directly or indirectly interested in this case should stay out of my Court,” Justice Bakre said on Monday 14th November 2022 at the High Court annex in Banjul.

The judge’s warning was precipitated by a statement from the plaintiff’s counsel, Drammeh Esq, alleging that some supporters of the defendant make statements likely to undermine the integrity of the court.

“When a case is before the court, they are not supposed to be disrespectful…” Counsel Drammeh said.

The counsel for defendant, A. Fatty Esq told the court he is not aware of any utterances that will undermine the integrity of the court. But the Judge emphasized, looking at the crowded court, “if you are not a party to this case, stay out.”

Meanwhile, the case could not be mentioned today because the defendant is yet to file his defense to the summon. They still have about 10 days to do so. The case was adjourned to next year, 17th of January 2023.

Momodou Sabally, the defendant, was served with a writ of summon last month to answer to a lawsuit filed by Jawara. The plaintiff, Abubacarr Jawara seeks D8 million being damages for defamation and slander.

By Lamin Njie (Ministry of Transport)

Apart from the ongoing OIC project, the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure is currently implementing another important road network project in Kiang West, covering a total distance of 87km, funded by the government of the Gambia.

Construction work on the first phase of the project, which is to cover 39km, is progressing smoothly, starting from Sankandi junction to the interior of Kiang.

The ultimate aim of this first phase of the project is to connect major districts in Kiang, such as Kemoto, Tankular, Joly, Jali, Manduar, and the rest of the other settlements in the hinterland of Kiang, in a bid to bring them closer to the main south bank road of The Gambia.

When completed, the SanKandi–Karantaba road project will link Kiang and Foni along the Bintang bolong.

Again, the project is expected to connect thousands of communities in that part of the country in terms of trade, access to health care services, education, and agriculture among other issues.

This landmark project will not only benefit the people of Kiang and the Lower River Region but The Gambia as a whole. Gai construction company is the contractor.

By: Modou Touray

Ousman Manbureh disagrees with the common notion that school dropouts are failures, justifying that he is a successful electrician. Ousman decided to learn electrical skills after dropping out from school. He attended Jamisa Upper and Senior School in Brikama and was in grade nine at the time of dropping out.

“Success is not confined in the classroom; I am a grade nine dropout, but I decided to successfully undergo apprenticeship in practical electrical training, and I am now successful, having built a house, taking care of my family and financing the schooling of my kids and also training other young people to become practical electricians. If you cannot make it in formal classroom, switch over to informal skills,” he explained.

After his formal education desire crippled at grade nine, he took the risk of dropping out from the regular academic system to undergo an informal apprenticeship skills training in electricity. Against the wish of his family, he was determined to actualize his self-reliant dream.

“My father initially objected to my proposal but was latter convinced. He was sick and there was no one to give me financial support. In stress, I walked on foot to get to the National Water and Electricity Company sub-station at Farato were I attached myself to a mentor unofficially.”

Mr Manbureh asserted that opportunities for youth employment are minimal, forcing him to acquire practical skills at an early stage. A high number of the country’s labor force is without work or meaningful engaging for their livelihood.

Mr Manbureh’s family house in Brikama is almost 5 kilometers away from Farato. He occasionally gets a free ride to get there hence his family were more attentive to his father’s detoriating health conditions than his welfare.

“It was hard, but I pushed on to this level. I now operate my own business called Ous-Tech Solutions. Thank God because I get minor contracts of electrical and CCTV installations, house alarm bells, vehicle tracking devices, plumbing and other services. I cannot say I have succeeded hundred percent, but a lot has been achieved,” Ousman noted.

He said his slogan was to employ himself if the government could not employ him, a determination which he said has been realized. His current major challenge is securing major contracts from government and non-governmental institutions.

“I used to go around to offices, companies and institutions to tell them about my skills and gradually people started recognizing me. I manifest my skills well in electrical installations and CCTV camera operations and other practical skill.”

By: Dawda Baldeh

28-year-old Gambian judoka Faye Njie, who made history as the first Gambian athlete to ever win a silver medal at the Commonwealth a few months ago in Birmingham, is calling on the government, NGOs, philanthropist to support him to cover his traveling cost as the 2024 World Judo Championship gets closer.

Since 2015, Njie has been representing Gambia in several international judo competitions.

The silver medal winner confirmed to The Fatu Network that he is only relying on the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship which helped him to be integrated into France to be a full-time athlete.

“I’m grateful for that opportunity as it’s vital to be a full-time athlete at this level. The qualification for Paris 2024 Judo Championship lasts for 24 months and includes a lot of qualifying tournaments all over the world.

Traveling to these events costs quite a lot of money. My scholarship is meant to cover my living and training costs in France. Any support towards traveling to these qualifying events as well as to some international training camps is needed,” he emphasized.

It appears that the Judoka has not received any support from the Gambian authorities despite representing the country.

Recently, Njie took part in Baku Grand Slam Tournament in Azerbaijan and lost his first-round fight against his Belgian counterpart.

“I lost my first-round fight against my Belgian opponent. He was able to get a score at the end of the fight. Eventually, he won the bronze at that tournament. In my category, there were 36 athletes from 23 countries,” he explained.

Despite losing the fight, Njie said the overall performance was “not that bad.”

“I just made a critical mistake at the end of the contest which concluded the fight. Of course, I’m disappointed as I was expecting a better result, but at this level, mistakes can be unforgivable.

I should have been more aggressive to be able to get my attempts to score and prepared well my attacks. I will focus on getting rid of my weaknesses in order to get some versatility to my fighting,” he added.

The Gambian judoka assured that he will continue to work hard for his long-term goals which are to qualify for the 2024 Olympics and make the best performance of his career.

By: Dawda Baldeh

The Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MAJaC) has graduated about 40 students who completed their academic requirements from the advanced diploma level in its maiden graduation ceremony held at the OIC conference centre, Bijilo.

MAJaC was established in 2010 by The Gambia Press Union to strengthen democracy through broad-based and high-quality professional training for media and communication specialists.

Since its establishment, the school has been producing outstanding students in the areas of journalism and communication.

Professor Pierre Gomez, the Minister of Higher Education Research Science and Technology told the graduates that journalism is a noble profession and that the work of journalists helps transform the country.

Prof. Gomez added that the solution to the new generation for rapid development in TVET.

He reiterates his ministry’s commitment to making the Gambia heard in the subregion.

“Journalism is a noble profession that helps you inform people. Today you are all going home with the knowledge that you can use to help in the development of the country. The skills you acquired are very important.

You have the knowledge and skills that are needed in the journalism field. My ministry will continue to support TVET in the country. You should continue to work hard to achieve your desired goals,” Prof Gomez told the graduates.

Sang Mendy, the Managing Director of MAJAC, congratulated the graduates for completing their academic training. He tasked them to strive harder to make their dreams a reality.

“We are here to celebrate these young men and women who have completed their professional training and are ready to join the field of journalism and communication,” he said.

Mr Mendy stated that the school has continued to produce journalists who are working to strengthen democracy.

“From 2015 to date, the school has produced students who are occupying key positions in the media and communication specialists. Some are editors, senior reporters, and media owners,” he added.

He noted that half of the school staff are products of the school. Mr Mendy tasked the graduates to be the ambassadors of the school.

“MAJaC has given you much that you cannot fail. We will continue to monitor your professionalism. You must endeavour to achieve greater success. You must keep our flag higher.”

Mr Mendy urged the government through the Ministry of Higher Education Research Science and Technology to support TVET education in the country.

Modou Joof, the Secretary General of The Gambia Press Union, explained why MAJaC was established a decade ago.

“The Gambia Press Union began a pilot project to train professional journalists and it graduated about 12 students two years later. The purpose was to help strengthen democracy.

“Since 2018, four sets of badges have completed their advanced diploma courses. These are award-winning journalists in the areas of investigative, human rights, political, women and children, sport…,” Joof said.

Mr Joof urged media chiefs to sign the GPU collective bargaining paper to empower journalists and enhance quality journalism.

Muhammed S Bah, the President of the Gambia Press Union said the graduation marks a journey of hard work, dedication, and sacrifices by students and staff of the Academy.

“MAJaC is the only journalism school that produced [Gambia’s] first-ever female editor-in-chief. The Gambian media is MAJaC. There is no media house in this country that does not have MAJaC students. Remember to always comport yourself to the highest professionalism.

It is up to our generation of media practitioners to change the narrative that journalists are poor people,” he said.

Mr Bah further stated that journalists can change the narrative by maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and consistently telling stories that matter to people.

Various speakers commended the graduates for completing their course and implore them to push hard and report stories that are of public interest. Several graduates were awarded certificates to recognize their outstanding work during their studies.

By: Modou Touray

Fatou Fatty, the wife of Bakary Bojang whose house was recently devastated by a fire outbreak has told The Fatu Network that his husband doesn’t have a bank account but adopted the traditional way of keeping bulky cash in the house which was entirely burnt.

The fire outbreak was blamed on a faulty electrical socket. The house, which is within the Bojang Kunda compound, is situated in Brikama Nyambai.

The victim’s wife, who spoke extensively to his medium, confirmed that his husband’s exact damages could not be quantified due to improper recording of assets and cash in his house.

“It will take years to recover from the devastating fire because everything including the unknown [amount of] cash is destroyed. My husband deals in vehicles, he even sold two vehicles recently and that money is also kept in his house. He has his own saving box which he controls. Normally, he saves money there and other amounts entrusted to him for safekeeping. It’s important to save your money at the bank, it is safer there and for situations like this,” said Fatou Fatty, Bakary Bojang’s wife.

She added that materials including chairs, vehicle spare parts, clothes, refrigerators, suitcases and other utensils and valuable household materials were destroyed.

“Some litres of fuel were kept by my husband for emergency use since the upsurge in fuel prices and scarcity. This magnified the fire thereby inflicting devastating damages on his family who struggle for years to purchase the necessary fixtures and fittings in the house and built it to standard. This is very severe, and the recovery process might take time.

“My husband is a traditional healer who cures people. His medicines were also destroyed. He keeps many materials related to his work, but all are damaged. The materials were brought from faraway bushes. Those undergoing treatment has to be delayed because psychologically he is not prepared to continue with their treatments. The damage really traumatizes him, Fatou stated.

According to the wife of the fire victim, the fire was difficult to contain due to different types of materials which were not properly arranged. This makes other materials easily catch the fire. It took time for the Fire and Rescue Service personnel to reach them.

According to his wife, youths attending a nearby entertainment show at the Brikama Jokor rushed to the scene. The extent of their rescue was minimal hence there were no proper means of putting out the fire.

“Most of the people residing at home here are females. We could not do much to put out the fire. It nearly burnt the next house, but we were quick with the help of other youths from outside to stop that,” Fatou told TFN.

The victim of the fire outbreak Mr Bakary Bojang looks emotional and could not directly narrate his ordeal: “I believe in what God destined,” he said.

Currently, Mr Bojang stays with his family in a tiny house pending the reconstruction of his damaged house.

By: Hadram Hydara

The World Bank has reported, according to statistics from The Gambia Poverty and Gender Assessment 2022 report, a 53.4 per cent climb in the poverty rate in the Gambia largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the report, the national poverty rate declined from 48.6 per cent in 2015 to 45.8 in 2019 before the COVID-19 crisis.

However, there is a great disparity between rural and urban poverty in the country, with almost seventy (70) per cent of rural inhabitants being poor as opposed to just thirty per cent (30) among urban dwellers.

“Poverty rates remain more of a rural phenomenon — 7 out of 10 rural dwellers are poor; compared to 3 out of every 10 urban dwellers. However, the larger share of poor people lives in urban areas in the more populous Southwest, mainly in Brikama.”

The report further states that to mitigate the pandemic’s effects, some households resorted to migrating from urban to rural areas and splitting large households into smaller sizes as observed during the pandemic’s peak in the second and third quarters of 2020.

“It is important to note that there was significant progress registered prior to the pandemic in improving key indicators of welfare such as school attendance, maternal and child health, and access to water and electricity. The report provides insights to inform the recovery agenda from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as mitigating the spillover effects from the ongoing war in Ukraine,” said Feyi Boroffice, World Bank Resident Representative.

Although, despite the surge in poverty rate, the report states that there are already signs of recovery which can be maintained with strides in improving the quality of education, maternal and child health, etc.

“… Preliminary estimates indicate that per capita GDP growth recovered, from a decline of 2.4 per cent in 2020 to growth of 1.2 per cent in 2021. Projections suggest that this could have reduced poverty rates in 2021 from 54 per cent to 53 per cent. According to the report, the recovery can be sustained if The Gambia makes strides in improving education quality, maternal and child health, access to water and sanitation, electricity, and school attendance.”

The report urges investments in agricultural productivity, recommends resilience to weather shocks and increasing river salinization, and supports the tourism sector by improving infrastructure, diversification, etc. This, it states, will help mitigate poverty and help the poor.

The report further added: “The report outlines the necessary reforms to leverage The Gambia’s youthful population and discusses gender differences in health and learning outcomes as well as in access to labour market opportunities to inform the design of well-targeted reforms to uplift the lives and livelihoods of the poor,” said Sering Touray, World Bank Poverty Economist.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

A pressure group dubbed ‘Coalition of Progressive Gambians’ has on Wednesday 9th October 2022 cancelled their scheduled November 11 protest; instead, they will now embark on dialogue with the government after series of consultations with Supreme Islamic Council and other bodies.

“…the general public is hereby informed, the planned November 11, 2022 peaceful demonstration is postponed with the commitment to continue the dialogue between the two parties,” a joint statement of the pressure group, Supreme Islamic Council and different government institutions reads.

‘Coalition of Progressive Gambians’ planned to embark on a nationwide protest demanding the government to address the high cost of living, promote transparency amongst others.

Another group called ‘Gambia for five years’ had since reached to the Coalition’s plan. They said in a statement that they would also take to the streets on November 12 to counter planned November 11 demonstration as they believe all the countries are facing hardship.

The Supreme Islamic Council (SIC), who were the main mediator said they were concerned about the group’s plan of conducting the demonstration throughout the country which was why they intervened to solve the problem.

“Their demands are important; but demonstration is not the only means to solve it. It can be solved through dialogue and consultation,” Supreme Islamic Council’s President, Essa Darboe told journalists in a press conference at SIC headquarters.

A meeting of Coalition of Progressive Gambians’, SIC, Peace Network and government institutions such as the Ministry of Interior, Office of the IGP, Ministry of Information and others revealed there was consensus on two points.

The first one was assurance given by the government that they are willing to dialogue with the pressure group and the second one was that the SIC and Peace Network would continue being the mediators between the coalition and the government.