Citizens’ Alliance said its leadership and general membership are dismayed by the arrest and subsequent charges levied on its spokeswoman, Nenneh Freda Gomez.

In a statement, CA said: “Nenneh, a patriotic and a law abiding citizen, was arrested with some of her staff and a journalist, taken to Senegambia Police Station and later charged at the Kairaba Police Station on two counts – criminal trespass and malicious damage of property – in her attempt towards reclaiming a property rightfully belonging to her and her partners.

“We wish to unequivocally stand in solidarity with our colleague, while calling on the police to immediately drop both charges and promptly release them without delay.

“In the same vein, we wish to remind the police that right to property and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights guaranteed in our constitution.”

By XINHUA

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday said 16 bodies of illegal migrants were recovered off the Libyan coast.

“Bodies of 16 persons were recovered as 2 boats arrived at Tripoli Naval Base on Monday evening. As many as 187 survivors were provided aid, some in need of urgent medical help by the UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee,” UNHCR tweeted.

“The passengers had set off from Zwara and Alkhoms (western Libya) the night before,” UNHCR said.

Due to a state of insecurity and chaos, Libya has been suffering since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and thousands of illegal migrants choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to European shores, many of whom died on the way.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a total of 26,314 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued and returned to Libya so far this year, while 474 died and 689 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route.

The Gambia Football Federation has issued a statement dismissing as unfortunate and misleading claims millions of dalasis went missing at Football House.

GFF is currently implementing a FIFA-backed multi-million dollars football infrastructure project in the country. The projects seeks to bring the country’s football parks up to speed with modern football parks.

But claims have persisted millions of dalasis have gone missing and that the parks are yet to register any tangible transformation.

But in a statement on Monday, Football House said the claims are unfortunate and misleading.

Football House while sharing a breakdown of the project and how much money spent so far said: “It can be seen that GFF is yet to receive any money for Item No: 6 Refurbishment of existing grounds (Banjul, Brikama, Manjai, Serrekunda East and Serrekunda West) works estimated at USD1,200,000. The works done so far, plus payments to the consultants, and the procurement of two new sets of Artificial Turfs for Brikama and Banjul were paid from the GFF Covid Fund and GFF Prefinancing from our operational support and short-term Bank Loans.

“In light of the above, it is unfortunate and misleading for anyone to claim that millions of project monies went missing at Football House. The GFF is on record in the various media outlets through its competent authorities for making clarifications and shedding light on the state of the said projects, which we thought would have cleared anyone’s doubts about them.

“We would like to happily state that not at anytime did a single dime, either from FIFA or any of our partners has ever gone missing at the GFF since the current leadership ascend to the leadership of Gambian football. This has been proven in the numerous audit exercises that the federation undergo annually (three audits exercise by External auditors: two for FIFA Funds and one for the general audit).

“However, the recent video documentary by Citizen’s Network Gambia (CNG)titled: “The GFF and the Missing FIFA Millions” is misleading and far from the reality. Prior to the publication of this documentary, the FIFA Development Manager for Africa Mr. Solomon Mudege, on the 24th September, 2021, visited Football House for bilateral talks as well as to check the progress on the ongoing works. He expressed satisfaction with the progress, thus, unlocking the doors for us to access another stage of the disbursement of the funds. His visit will be followed by another visit by officials of the FIFA Dakar regional office in the coming days.”

By Amara Thoronka

Sierra Leone’s President, Brigadier (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio on Monday 11 October 2021 departed Sierra Leone for neighbouring Guinea on the invitation of the Military Head of State of the Republic of Guinea, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya.

The one-day working visit was characterised by discussions on security cooperation issues between the two neighbouring countries, the restoration of constitutional order in the Republic of Guinea and the ECOWAS democratic transition roadmap.

In a tweet, after the meeting of the two leaders, President Bio said:

“The people of Guinea supported Sierra Leone through our most difficult times. Our meeting today on security co-operation was very fruitful. We will continue to engage and support the ECOWAS transition framework.”

It should be noted that although the Republic of Guinea has been suspended by ECOWAS from all Community activities due to the military coup, ECOWAS member states are not prevented from engaging the Republic of Guinea on bilateral issues.

President Julius Maada Bio was accompanied to the Republic of Guinea by a four-man delegation including the Speaker of Sierra Leone’s Parliament, Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Professor David Francis; the Deputy Minister of Defence, Colonel (Rtd) Kellie Conteh; and the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Sullay Ibrahim Sesay.

Police have confirmed arresting Neneh Freda Gomez and two others for allegedly trespassing into a property under litigation.

“We can confirm the arrest of Neneh Freda Gomez and two others for trespassing into a property under litigation at the High court,” police spokesman Lamin Njie told The Fatu Network.

He added: “They have been charged with criminal trespass and malicious damage to property contrary to laws of The Gambia.

“They are currently granted bail while appropriate actions follows.”

Neneh Gomez, Gilbert Manga and Lamin Sey were arrested on Monday afternoon while trying to enter a property their organisation is claimin ownership of.

The property has been a subject of much row between Global HOMM and the government with the latter wanting the property as part of its preparations for the OIC summit next year.

The Ministry of Justice has issued a statement dismissing as false reports Global HOMM owns the piece of land in Bijilo that has been a subject of a huge row.

Global HOMM won a court battle over the property but the state has refused to surrender the property to the organisation who wants to build a hospital on the land.

Officials of the organisation were arrested on Monday as they tried to enter the property with cement.

The justice ministry has now issued a statement over the incident.

The ministry said: “The attention of this office has been drawn to reports circulating on social media alleging that the government is blocking the purported owners of a piece of land in Bijilo from accessing their property.

“The public is hereby informed that this is totally false and could not be further from the truth. This matter is a subject of ongoing litigation in two suits before two separate judges of the High Court. Out of respect for the High Court and the judicial process, this office is not at liberty to discuss matters which are subject to litigation. We will have the opportunity to shed light on the true facts of the matter once the courts have delivered their ruling on this matter.

“We invite the claimants in this matter to exercise similar restraint and abide by due process as opposed to seeking to litigate this matter in the media.”

The Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG’s) Kanifing Municipal Regional Command have arrested Momodou Saidy whom the command said is a ‘notorious’

Saidy, 58, was arrested on Friday 8 October with 21 wraps of suspected cocaine in Banjul.

“This is the third time that operatives are apprehending Momodou Saidy for drug-related offenses. He was previously arrested on the 1st February 2019 with twenty-one (21) wraps of suspected cannabis and on the 24th June 2020 with forty-three (43) wraps of suspected cocaine.

“On the matter involving the forty-three (43) wraps of cocaine, he was found guilty and fined by the court while the matter involving the suspected cannabis is still proceeding in court,” DLEAG said in a statement on Monday.

Police have charged Global HOMM country representative Neneh Freda Gomez and two others with assault and malicious injury to property.

Ms Gomez was arrested by police on Monday as she delivered cement to a property her organisation owns in Bijilo.

Global HOMM and state are at war over the property with the state wanting to use the property as part of its infrastructure projects for the OIC.

Neneh Gomez, Gilbert Manga and Lamin Sey were arrested and taken to Kairaba Police Station were they have now been charged with assault and malicious injury to property. They are yet to be released on bail.

Madi Jobarteh who visited the Kairaba Police Station wrote earlier: “This act is a blatant abuse of power and a direct infringement on the fundamental rights of citizens to their property and a violation of the freedom of expression and the media.

“The Gambia Government should stop harassing citizens. The State must protect the right to property. Above all, The Gambia Government must respect court orders and the rule of law.”

Police on Monday arrested The Fatu Network cameraman Ebrima Jammeh as he filmed dramatic scenes of police barring Global HOMM officials from entering their property at Bijilo.

Police blocked Global HOMM officials as they tried to deliver cement at a property the state has interest in to build a hotel for the OIC. The Fatu Network’s Ebrima Jammeh was arrested while filming the incident.

Jammeh explained that he was arrested and taken to Senegambia Police Station along with three Global HOMM officials.

“When we arrived, one of the officers who has D.O written on his arm said ‘f***** bring them down’,” Jammeh explained.

They were later transferred to Kairaba Police Station were Jammeh spent more than two hours.

The Station Officer of Kairaba Police Station Kawsu Ceesay asked his officers to release Jammeh after consulting the Commissioner of Police for Kanifing.

The Fatu Network’s editor-in-chief Lamin Njie met with SO Ceesay over the issue.

Editor Njie said: “He did not do anything wrong. In fact Ebrima was filming from the road which is a public space when he got arrested.

“I was at the police station for almost two hours and the SO told me he doesn’t even know why Ebrima was at his station. After Ebrima and I met him and explained everything to him, he went to the commissioner and later returned to say Ebrima has not done anything wrong. That he was there to do his job.

“I have viewed the video Ebrima took while his arrest unfolded and it’s unfortunate how the police behaved. One of them is seen grabbing his camera even as Ebrima tells him he should not do that.

“We condemn the action of the police and call on the state to ensure security officers respect the law regarding media freedom. I have also discussed the issue with the president of the Gambia Press Union Sheriff Bojang Jnr.”

On the occasion of International Day of The Girl, the Fatu Network shines the light on a young female soldier who is serving as a voice not just for girls and women in her community but also a leader of men too.

Sarjo Fofana teaches at Gambia Armed Forces’ early childhood education centre in Fajara, but beyond her official work, she is championing a host of community development undertakings in her native Jokadou Dasilami.

This year, she has led her male-dominated youth association into the cultivation of a mega water melon farm with a view to ploughing back the proceeds of the agricultural initiative to youth empowerment drives. That has been preceded by environmental conservation measures as well as helping to fix faulty taps in her community in NBR.

The young lady is pursuing an early childhood programme at The Gambia College

Bamusa Fofana

Thirty-four years, almost to the day, since the shocking killing of Burkina Faso’s then President, Thomas Sankara, 14 men are going on trial, accused of complicity in the murder of the man known as “Africa’s Che Guevara”.

The charismatic Pan-Africanist was shot dead aged 37 by soldiers during a coup on 15 October 1987, which saw his close friend, Blaise Compaoré, come to power.

Mr Compaoré is among the 14 accused but he is currently in exile in neighbouring Ivory Coast, where he fled after being forced to resign during mass protests in 2014. He has repeatedly denied involvement in Sankara’s death and is boycotting the trial.

Despite the passage of time, Sankara remains something of an icon across Africa – stickers emblazoned with his face adorn taxis across West Africa, while across the continent in South Africa, radical opposition leader Julius Malema cites him as one of his inspirations.

“For us, Sankara was a patriot. He loved his people. He loved his country. He loved Africa. He gave his life for us,” said Luc Damiba, secretary general of the Thomas Sankara Memorial Committee.

It was under his rule that the country was renamed – from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, meaning “Land of Upright People”.

Sankara himself led an austere lifestyle. He reduced his own salary, and that of all public servants. He also banned the use of government chauffeurs and first-class airline tickets.

Education was a key priority – while he was in power, the literacy rate increased from 13% in 1983 to 73% in 1987, and he also oversaw a massive national vaccination campaign.

He also redistributed land from feudal landlords and gave it directly to poor farmers, which led to a huge increase in wheat production.

Sankara called for a united Africa to stand against what he called the “neo-colonialism” of institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

He was once quoted as saying: “He who feeds you, controls you.”

He adopted an anti-imperialist foreign policy which challenged the dominance of France, which retained huge influence in many of its former colonies in Africa, such as Burkina Faso. His widow Mariam has accused France of masterminding his assassination.

“He remains my president. What he did for the population encourages us young people to do as he did,” a student at the Thomas Sankara University in Ouagadougou told the BBC.

An imposing six-metre high bronze statue at the Thomas Sankara Memorial Park in the capital, Ouagadougou, was unveiled in 2019, and then reworked last year following complaints about the first version.

Mr Damiba says that plans are underway to expand the park, including an 87-metre high tower overlooking Ouagadougou.

There will also be a mausoleum for Sankara, a cinema hall and a media library named after him. These facilities are expected to pass on Sankara’s revolutionary ideas to future generations.

Sankara’s radical left-wing policies have been criticised by human rights organisations as draconian.

A 1986 report released by Amnesty International revealed that alleged political opponents were detained without trial and severely tortured.

“I think he was too slow to accept the idea of pluralistic democracy and those who opposed him couldn’t talk to him and be heard,” said Serge Theophile Balima, who served as the minister of information in Sankara’s government.

Prof Balima added: “He wanted to give power to the people, so he delegated power to proletarians who were heading the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution [CDRs], who were recruited to moralise public and private life. In fact, they found themselves committing abuses which discredited his power.”

In an interview with the Africa Report website in 2020, former President Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, who was ousted by Sankara, described him as having “a share of cynicism and political Machiavellianism”.

His brother, Paul Sankara, said: “We’ve waited a long time, all along the 27 years of Blaise Compaoré’s regime. Under his rule we couldn’t even dream of the possibility of a trial.”

His widow filed a criminal complaint in 1997 over the murder of her husband, but it took 15 years for the Supreme Court to rule that the investigation could continue.

However, little progress was made until Mr Compaoré was overthrown in 2014.

The following year, remains presumed to be his were exhumed but DNA analysis was unable to confirm they were his.

In 2016, the Burkina Faso authorities officially asked the French government to release military documents about Sankara’s assassination.

Those archives were declassified and transmitted to Burkina Faso in three stages – the final one in April 2021.

Mr Compaoré’s former chief of staff General Gilbert Diendéré and 11 others are expected to be in the military tribunal. They face charges of “attacking state security”, “complicity in assassination” and “concealment of bodies”.

Diendéré is already in prison, after being sentenced to 20 years for his role in a failed coup in 2015.

Among the accused is Diébré Jean Christophe, the doctor who signed the death certificate, saying the former president had died from natural causes. He is charged with falsifying a public document.

The other man being charged in absentia is Hyacinthe Kafando, Mr Compaoré’s former security chief, for whom an international arrest warrant has been issued. He is accused of leading the group which carried out the killing of Sankara and 12 others.

There were fears that the trial could further destabilise Burkina Faso, which is already grappling with frequent attacks by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Mr Compaoré still retains considerable influence in the country and some analysts have warned parts of the military who remain loyal to him could stir up trouble.

On the contrary, President Roch Marc Kaboré hopes the trial will ease tensions and boost national reconciliation.

“I do not believe that such a trial can foster instability,” Mathieu Pellerin, a Sahel analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG), told French magazine Jeune Afrique in April 2020.

“Reconciliation is rarely achieved without justice,” he added

Credit: BBC

By Christian Conte

2020 was an exceptionally difficult year for everyone, but for Marie Sesay whose only son suffers from respiratory health challenges, the number of risk factors has been overwhelming. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic caused us to shelter inside and smoke from burning garbage and factories blanketed the skies, Marie’s 12-year-old boy, James, had a hard time breathing.

James’ life has regularly hung in the balance because of severe asthma. On his fifth birthday, he was so ill he did not respond to any medication, leaving his mother fearing the worst. “I will never forget how his tiny chest rose up and down in desperate movements, trying to fill his lungs with air,” James’ mum, Marie, says.

“Growing up with asthma was tough. Not because of the everyday symptoms such as wheezing, suffocation, dry cough, and the perpetual cold. It was hard because of the things he had to give up, and the things he couldn’t have,” Marie explains.

Asthma affects an estimated 300 million individuals worldwide.

Annually, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 15 million disability-adjusted life-years are lost and 250,000 asthma deaths are reported worldwide. Marie further reveals that James was only eight when a doctor friend advised that he stays away from his pet dog. The doctor suspected that he was allergic to him.

“James was born a healthy baby, but after a couple of months, it was evident that he had poor lung function. A range of factors could trigger his symptoms, such as dust, cold beverages, fur from animals and stuffed toys, smoke, exercise, and dry or cold air. Although his asthma wasn’t as severe as many other children it interfered with many aspects of his childhood life,” Marie says.

In the face of COVID-19 James is even more careful. His environment, however, hasn’t helped him much. He lives at Ferry Junction in close proximity to the city’s biggest dumpsite ‘Bomeh’. It is regular to see a thick quilt of smog wrapping itself around the environment, particularly on Saturdays when large amounts of garbage are emptied at the dumpsite. Doctors and environmentalists have warned that the deteriorating air quality could make the city’s Covid-19 problems even worse.

Medical Officer at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH), Dr. Sulaiman Conteh, says asthma attacks can be really frightening, but some people don’t seek help, despite advice to do so. He reveals that there can be a spike in asthma attacks in the harmattan season and in damp or dusty environments.

“Asthma is a serious global health problem that has become affecting all age groups. It is a chronic disease of the air passages of the lungs which inflames and narrows them. Its prevalence is increasing in many countries, especially among children. Although some countries have seen a decline in hospitalisation and deaths from asthma, it still imposes an unacceptable burden on health care systems, and on society through the loss of productivity in the workplace,” Dr. Conteh explains.

Asthma, he further notes, is caused by a combination of factors including genetic and environmental factors. The environmental factors include smoke, dust, and fog among others. The initial symptoms, he says, include consistent coughing, respiratory distress, (abnormal breathing) tightness of the chest, and wheezing.

Sallay Dumbuya is a Pediatric Nurse who has worked at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH) for over 25 years. She says it is still difficult to know the originating causes of asthma in children. However, if a child has a family history of asthma or allergies, or had a mother who smoked during pregnancy, they have a higher chance of getting asthma early in life.

“A respiratory virus, an illness that occurs in the lungs, is one of the most common causes of asthma symptoms in children 5 years old and younger. Although both adults and children experience respiratory infections, children have more of them. Some preschool children get viral infections often. At least half of children with asthma show some sign of it before the age of 5. Viruses are the most common cause of acute asthma episodes in infants 6 months old or younger,” says nurse Dumbuya.

She further reveals that infants and toddlers have much smaller airways than older children and adults. She points out that as a matter of fact, these airways are so small that even small blockages caused by viral infections, tight airways or mucus can make breathing difficult for the child. In the case of James, the symptoms are usually obvious, to the extent that every family member now knows when he is having an attack. In school, it is even more difficult. The constant worry has taken its toll on everyone, including James himself, who reveals how tired he is with the many hospital visits and procedures. “He can be coughing all night but there is nothing you can do,” says his mother Marie, looking rather frustrated.

According to Dr. Conteh, people with moderate to severe asthma may be at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. COVID-19, he continues, can affect the nose, throat, lungs (respiratory tract); cause an asthma attack, and possibly lead to pneumonia and acute respiratory disease. Meanwhile, nurse Dumbuya encourages people with asthma to be even more careful during the COVID-19 period as respiratory infections can be dangerous and even life-threatening.

One of the most common symptoms of severe coronavirus cases like asthma is breathing difficulty, so if the fresh air suddenly becomes more toxic, as it does around communities in the densely populated capital city of Freetown, these forces make it even harder for children and adults with asthma or other respiratory conditions to breathe.

Ultimately people with asthma or other respiratory health challenges who become infected by the virus might end up in the hospital with severe complications or worse dead.  James says he will continue to be more careful in this COVID-19 period as he works hard in school. He reveals his desire to eventually become a medical doctor who will be dedicated to helping children and adults suffering from asthma, whilst appealing to government to provide better, specialised health services to people living with asthma.

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights mentions health as part of the right to an adequate standard of living (art. 25). The right to health was again recognized as a human right in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Gambia Democratic Congress leader Mamma Kandeh has declared he will be the one in office come December.

“Barrow will lose this year and I Mamma Kandeh will be the one there [in office],” Mr Kandeh told supporters in Guigi over the weekend.

Mr Kandeh also attacked President Barrow by saying he will do everything just to be leader.

He said: “President Barrow has shown he can eat his vomit regarding the presidency. We have seen what he has done but we should not be surprised. He said when you are seeking the presidency you can say or do whatever.

“He said he sacrificed his son, so he can do whatever just to lead. You said you have six parties still you’re not comfortable.”

NUP presidential candidate Abdoulie Jammeh has declared that ‘it’s all over’ after thousands of citizens accepted the party’s invitation to attend the party’s first ever rally.

“What I have seen here I know it’s all over, I know Gambians want to come out of suffering. I thank you for the love you have shown,” Mr Jammeh told citizens in Brikama on Saturday.

NUP is one of the nation’s new political parties. The party in August tapped Mr Jammeh as its presidential candidate.

Mr Jammeh is the former director general of Gambia Civil Aviation Authority.

Nomination of candidates for the presidential election will begin on November 30 and Dr Ismaila Ceesay has insisted succesfully nominated candidates must subject themselves to at least one national debate.

“As we edge closer to nominations for the Dec. 2021 elections, successfully nominated candidates must subject themselves to at least one national debate,” Dr Ceesay said in a tweet.

According to the CA leader and presidential candidate, the stakes around the presidential election are ‘too’ high.

Dr Ceesay said: “The stakes are too high for us to get it wrong this time. And we have gone too far to turn around.”

The country’s goodwill Ambassador for Sport, Tijan Jaiteh, has engaged the Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the Gambia, Mamadou Barry, on issues central to the promotion and development of sport in the country.

Ambassador Jaiteh called on the IMF Rep to support sporting disciplines in the country as sport plays a crucial role in positively engaging the minds of youths and divert their attention from engaging in antisocial activities.

He added that sport is a powerful change agent that is used across the world to develop and transform nations and sporting personalities; noting that sport shapes the future of youths and helps in reducing their exposure to illegal and risky traveling to Europe and other developed parts of the world.

The Goodwill Ambassador highlighted successes and challenges in promoting sports and youth activities in various communities.

Welcoming Ambassador Jaiteh, the IMF Rep, Mamadou Barry, expressed appreciation for the courtesy visit, explaining that the IMF is supporting The Gambia particularly during the prevailing difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He underscored the importance of youth development in addressing economic challenges such as unemployment and poverty.

Speaking to Journalists after the engagement, Ambassador Jaiteh disclosed that the meeting was fruitful, and that discussions were centered around how to improve and mobilize support for the development of a sport training complex for youths who desire a career in sport.

President Barrow appointing the former Scorpion captain, Tijan Jaiteh, as Sport Ambassador is still being described by many sport lovers in The Gambia as appropriate as he is someone who has spent his whole life in sport.

INSIGHT With Amara Thoronk

Racism against blacks in Europe and America is no longer news to those who are sensitive to history and trending happenings. Though it is recently not as horrible as it was during the transatlantic slave trade, the practical and total end of racism against blacks continues to be a treasure surrounded by fierce lions in a forbidden forest.

From the civil rights movement in the 50s to the recent ‘black lives matter movement, there have been many movements and campaigns advocating for the dignity and respect of black people. Notwithstanding such, the world continues to experience untold discrimination against blacks in America, Europe and the Middle East. Blacks, irrespective of their current citizenships or nationalities, are historically and genetically believed and/or proven to have originated from Africa. Thus, this article is exclusive to what Africans and African countries need to do to fight racism against blacks other than just crying and expressing frustration.

One surest way to go is to make Africa a safe haven for black Africans. Africans encountering degrading treatment overseas are going through such experiences because they left their countries and travel to the West (sometimes via life-threatening means) just to make ends meet and possibly lift their families above poverty.

Also, in the entire globe, the best and advanced education, Technology, healthcare, infrastructure, trade systems, employment opportunities and other amenities or essentials of life are in the West and the Middle East. Through the aid of social media and the life-changing evidence of some Africans living abroad, these places continue to be seen by Africans as “Paradise on Earth” whereupon entry and residence their lives would suddenly change for good.

Travelling to the West and the Middle East is not only the dream of poor Africans but also the desire of the politically and economically endowed Africans. Most influential African politicians, business tycoons and civil servants boost the economies of those countries by visiting or sending their relatives there for educational, business, medical and touristic purposes. Africa continues to struggle in competing with other continents on all development facets as it wallows in poverty, deficiencies and snail-pace development.

The continent continues to import more than what it exports, as many African countries cannot even grow what they eat; literally, everything is imported thereby augmenting non-African economies.

In many parts of the continent, learning continues to be only theoretically driven with extremely few practicals in areas like engineering, medicine, pharmacology, Mass communication, law, information technology and more. Because of such deficiencies in enhancing practicals, many students graduate from universities with very little or no practical knowledge in their disciplines. Obviously, there are ramifications around that especially when such theoretically-loaded but practically deficient people occupy positions of trust which require practical abilities to enhance efficiency and productivity.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is another essential facet that continues to be a serious challenge in most places of the continent, like internet connectivity, off and online call, computer literacy and other basic ICT privileges are still not effectively efficient. Mobile and Internet service providers in most African nations only cover cities and regional headquarters, cutting off people in most rural settings from the communication world.

Healthcare in a good number of African nations continues to be weak and unreliable, as affluent Africans prefer travelling abroad for medical attention. Most of the healthcare providers are general practitioners with no defined speciality.

Also, other amenities and privileges like safe drinking water, constant electricity supply, transportation, good road network, hygienic market environments, food, shelter, clothing, job opportunities, disability friendly environments and more are still ineffective and challenging.

Interestingly, the continent has raw talents in sports, entertainment and innovation that are not supported to unleash their potentials, influence society and fly the flags of their nations and by extension the continent. Great and mind-blowing talents have died unsupported while others are on the verge of death due to little or no support from state and non-state actors. Surprisingly, if you check most Africans who are exponentially growing and shining in sports, entertainment and science in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and more, you would find out that they were either demotivated or unsupported to explore their natural abilities in Africa. Now they are naturalised citizens of non-African countries and are flying their flags high other than those of their native land.

Moreover, the economies of African countries are driven and controlled by external factors from the West. The legal tender (currencies) of most African States are constantly and consistently depreciating when placed in the global exchange rate market. It is incredibly astonishing to know that most African states have in excess the raw materials of the products they import. The continent still lacks the technical abilities to produce what it consumes, as the West continues to mine and ship minerals and other natural endowments from the continent.

The aforementioned realities are by no means exhaustive of the challenges or problems faced by the continent due to the absence of patriotism and the quest to get rich at the expense of one’s nation and people.

In view of the aforesaid, fighting racism against black Africans should not only be limited to anti-racism protests and campaigns. More importantly, the fight should prioritise the competitive development of the continent in all sectors. The racism fight will only speak volume when Africa becomes economically, politically, scientifically and infrastructurally reliant and competitive. Until the continent attains such status, blacks (especially those from Africa) will continue to be perceived and treated by the West as the inferior component in the global space.

The way forward is nationalism and Pan-Africanism. On the angle of nationalism, leaders and the led in African countries should understand that the ultimate and overarching objective should be the sustainable development of their countries devoid of all sentiments and alienation. On Pan-Africanism, African states through the African Union (AU) and sub-regional bodies should adopt and robustly enforce policies, protocols and treaties for the sustainable development and prosperity of the continent and its people.

About the author:

Amara Thoronka is a Sierra Leonean Journalist who currently works as Senior Editor at The Fatu Network

PDOIS leader Halifa Sallah addressed citizens on Sunday in Kerewan warning them against giving their votes without a purpose.

PDOIS leaders are on a caravan tour of the nation and the caravan entered Badibou on Sunday.

Speaking in Kerewan, Halifa Sallah who is PDOIS’ presidential candidate said: “I am someone who has been into politics for a very long time. You used to say election doesn’t remove a leader. For 52 years, this country did not change through an election. But five years back, 2016… People came together and how did it end?

“The person whom you know is powerful than everyone and has money more than everyone has gone. How did he leave? It was not the bullet that removed him, it was people’s votes. So if you do not cast your vote based on a purpose, it becomes useless. This is why people say ‘there is change but we are still suffering’.

“So if you do not use your mind and know how to use your vote and give it to someone whose mind survives on knowledge and heart survives compassion, such is the person that should be leader. If it’s not such a person, you will suffer. You will be born in poverty, grow up in poverty and die in poverty.”