President Barrow Inaugurates 20MW Power Plant in Brikama

President Barrow Inaugurates 20MW Power Plant in BrikamaAs part of activities marking The Gambia’s 56th Independence Anniversary, President Adama Barrow today inaugurated the new 20Mega Watts Power Plant Installed in Brikama, West Coast Region. The more than $28 million project, jointly funded by the Islamic Development Bank and the Government of Gambia, aims to resolve power capacity gaps in the country and serves as a catalyst for achieving and sustaining a daily supply of electricity throughout the country. President Barrow stressed in his statement that the power plant stems from his government’s conviction that, by raising living standards and reducing poverty, electricity is a key driver of economic growth.“The project stands out as another means of accelerating the country’s key infrastructure investments to empower Gambian citizens through access to essential services, ” he observed. Underscoring that his government remained committed to the NDP’s targets, the President said that most of the blueprint’s priorities were met and the energy roadmap for 2017 has been fulfilled. He added that the goal of 2025 for access to energy for every household in the country is achievable.The Managing Director of Nawec, Nani Juwara stated that the power plant will significantly narrow the electricity demand and supply gap in the Greater Banjul Area. He added that the recent developments in the power sector will considerably reduce the cost of energy in the country. Bellow is the full text of the president,s speech; The Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly,My Lord, the Chief Justice,Cabinet Ministers Present,Senior Government Officials and Service Chiefs,National Assembly Members,Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps,Local Government Authorities,Venerable Religious Leaders,Members of the Media,Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a delight to preside over the inauguration of the new twenty (20) Mega Watts Power Plant installed here in Brikama. It is a source of joy to observe that the event is being held as part of the activities marking the Fifty-sixth Independence Anniversary of our dear motherland. The occasion adds to the ample evidence of my government’s commitment to our 2021 Energy Roadmap and National Development Plan. The addition of twenty (20) Mega Watts to our electricity generation capacity will significantly address the country’s power capacity gaps and serve as a catalyst to achieve and maintain regular electricity supply for the entire Gambian nation. Ladies and Gentlemen, This Power Plant project results from the Government’s belief that energy is a key driver of economic development. Thus, it has to serve a leverage to raise living standards and reduce poverty in the country. The project stands out as another means of accelerating the country’s key infrastructure investments to empower Gambian citizens through access to essential services. It is only through such huge development strides that we can attain and sustain the level of economic growth we desire. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, The rapid increase in the generation capacity of NAWEC and the expansion of its service within the past four years has been quite tactical.We are convinced it takes such innovative strategies to rekindle hopes and uplift the living standards of our people. The increasing demand for power, arising from the expansion of economic activities in the country, also makes it compelling for Government to redouble efforts in the energy sector. The strategy is to gradually replace the old generator sets with reliable ones and maintain a single national grid. Besides providing sustainable energy for all, it is equally necessary to work towards cost-reflective electricity tariffs in a systematic manner and within the right regulatory framework. We remain committed to the socio-economic development objectives as outlined in our National Development Plan (NDP), the AU 2063 Agenda and the AU/EU partnership for Green Transition and Energy Access. Accordingly, the energy sector has a critical role to play for the realisation of these development mileposts. To this end, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy is establishing an Energy Platform to exploit sustainable energy solutions in order to propel agricultural development, facilitate trade and promote digital inclusion, among other objectives. We are also working with our development partners to mitigate the effects of climate change, increase our renewable energy uptake and improve energy efficiency in our homes, institutions and businesses. Let me stress that my government will keep up the momentum of infrastructure development countrywide. To stir economic growth, we need good roads, bridges, schools and hospitals to name a few examples, and all these developments require regular and reliable electricity supply. Therefore, this occasion marks a key milestone for the nation in the long quest for steady power supply. Alongside increasing the generation capacity of electricity are other projects to step up access, and expand the transmission and distribution network within a reinforced and reliable system. These measures will improve supply, increase customer connections and support investments. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,My government is aware of the fact that despite significant improvements on access to electricity since 2017, there remains a considerable portion of our population without electricity supply. To address this, in collaboration with our development partners, Government will, in the next three years, create access to over six hundred and eighty-five (685) communities countrywide. Our target is universal access by 2025, which is earlier than the 2030 Sustainable Energy for All target. I am happy to observe that, so far, most of the priorities of the NDP and the 2017 Energy Roadmap have been successfully fulfilled. This puts the energy sector on a firm footing for bigger successes. We will continue to encourage private sector participation. With these reforms, I am confident that our 2025 target will be attained. Against this background, a comprehensive Energy Master Plan development is being developed to set the pace. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, At this juncture, it is worth mentioning that the overall cost of this Power Plan Project is Twenty-eight Million, Four Hundred and Forty Thousand US Dollars (US$ 28.44). We are indebted, therefore, to the Islamic Development Bank for providing Twenty-five Million, Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand US Dollars (US$ 25.22 Million) of the cost. We convey special thanks to the President of the Bank, His Excellency, Bandar Hajjar and his staff for their unflinching support to The Gambia. Furthermore, we appreciate the efforts of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the Board and Management of NAWEC and all stakeholders for the success of the project. However, I urge the Board and Management of NAWEC to re-double their efforts in boosting their generation capacity to support the Government’s initiatives across the country. Having said this, we express gratitude to the contractor, STX Heavy Industries of South Korea, for undertaking the works successfully.We recognise also the efforts of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs for facilitating the Government’s counterpart contribution of Three Million, Two Hundred and Twenty thousand Dollars ($3.22 Million). As a government, we commend all those who contributed to the success of the project. Ladies and Gentlemen, I renew my government’s pledge to continue on our development endeavours to power our homes, industries and economy into a brighter future. As we pursue our 2025 “Energy for all” agenda, I ask all citizens to remain vigilant and protect the infrastructure provided for you, and make the best use of the services put at your disposal. With renewed zeal and hope for a brighter future for all Gambians, I now declare the Brikama Plant Project officially inaugurated. God bless The Gambia!

Deportation Rumor Is Misinformation By Media _ Dr. Isatou Touray

The Gambia’s Vice President, Dr. Isatou Touray, has dispelled what she called misinformation carried by the media that the government signed deportation deal with Swiss authorities. Madam Touray made this remark on Friday afternoon, 12th February, 2021 when the Switzerland Vice President visited her. With regard to her visit to Swiss, VP Touray said: “My visit also triggered some misinformation at the time I went there. I can remember the media carried so much information saying that we went to sign ‘deportation’ of Gambians. It is not true and I want to dispel it here. It has nothing to do with deportation. Migration is broader than deportation and that was not what we went there for, and is not an issue.” She added: “Migration is a development matter and it is not about deportation alone, it deals with development of issues in terms of how we deal with our country and other countries.” Nonetheless, VP Touray said the visit was a very important one for the country, saying it marked the beginning of a strong partnership and trust between the two countries. She said they were there to sign two important agreements; one of them was migration matters and the other was air space agreement. “We also had other discussions with regards to bilateral and multilateral issues and to reconsider as a partner because Swiss is already known for its democracy, human rights, and process in development,” she said. Madam Touray added that Swiss is a small country coming out of a difficult situation and they need to look for partners that they can learn from, share best practices and also move together to make the world a better place. Iqnatio Cassis, Vice President of Switzerland, said his propose of meeting The Gambia’s Vice President is in regards to a meeting they had in Bern, where a Gambian delegation went to Swiss to sign an agreement and they decided to meet again in order to operationalize their Sub- Saharan Africa Strategy for Swiss for the next four years. “We started our trip by North Africa and went up to Mali, Senegal and we decided to have a stop here. We already discussed most of the issues in Bern last month to find operational ways in order to strengthen our relationships,” he highlighted. Among the issues they discussed, Cassis said, were bilateral operation in peace and security, human rights, detention- where they will visit the prisons to look at the conditions of the center of the population, and water management. He said water is a very important source of richness for The Gambia which needs capacity building in many ways in order to make it work out to give value addition to the country. Commenting on remittances, Swiss VP said because of Covid-19 remittances is decreasing. He thanked Gambia’s Vice President for welcoming the Swiss delegation to the Gambia. SHARE

Deportation Rumor Is Misinformation By Media _ Dr. Isatou Touray

The Gambia’s Vice President, Dr. Isatou Touray, has dispelled what she called misinformation carried by the media that the government signed deportation deal with Swiss authorities. Madam Touray made this remark on Friday afternoon, 12th February, 2021 when the Switzerland Vice President visited her. With regard to her visit to Swiss, VP Touray said: “My visit also triggered some misinformation at the time I went there. I can remember the media carried so much information saying that we went to sign ‘deportation’ of Gambians. It is not true and I want to dispel it here. It has nothing to do with deportation. Migration is broader than deportation and that was not what we went there for, and is not an issue.” She added: “Migration is a development matter and it is not about deportation alone, it deals with development of issues in terms of how we deal with our country and other countries.” Nonetheless, VP Touray said the visit was a very important one for the country, saying it marked the beginning of a strong partnership and trust between the two countries. She said they were there to sign two important agreements; one of them was migration matters and the other was air space agreement. “We also had other discussions with regards to bilateral and multilateral issues and to reconsider as a partner because Swiss is already known for its democracy, human rights, and process in development,” she said. Madam Touray added that Swiss is a small country coming out of a difficult situation and they need to look for partners that they can learn from, share best practices and also move together to make the world a better place. Iqnatio Cassis, Vice President of Switzerland, said his propose of meeting The Gambia’s Vice President is in regards to a meeting they had in Bern, where a Gambian delegation went to Swiss to sign an agreement and they decided to meet again in order to operationalize their Sub- Saharan Africa Strategy for Swiss for the next four years. “We started our trip by North Africa and went up to Mali, Senegal and we decided to have a stop here. We already discussed most of the issues in Bern last month to find operational ways in order to strengthen our relationships,” he highlighted. Among the issues they discussed, Cassis said, were bilateral operation in peace and security, human rights, detention- where they will visit the prisons to look at the conditions of the center of the population, and water management. He said water is a very important source of richness for The Gambia which needs capacity building in many ways in order to make it work out to give value addition to the country. Commenting on remittances, Swiss VP said because of Covid-19 remittances is decreasing. He thanked Gambia’s Vice President for welcoming the Swiss delegation to the Gambia

The TRRC Needs A Service Expert

have watched some key witnesses gave their testimonies at the TRRC with Lead Counsel Fatal. Admittedly some of Faal’s questions only required a “Yes” or “No” answer. However, some of the witnesses dive into an elaborative swim inviting sharky questions in their unnecessary paddle to safe shores. This got we wondering. Is the witness seat hot? Do they come prepared for a confrontation with Essa Faal? Are they intimidated by him? Or is it just Gambian to be elaborative? Sometimes I find Essa Faal overtowering but a witness worth his or her salt will be composed, focused and precise unless you have something to keep in a closet. The SIS as an Intelligence Agency has a significant role in collecting drug related information particularly exportation, importation, distribution and consumption in and outside the Gambia. They can assist in drug related investigation but should not be involved in the arrest and prosecution of drug cases. Essa Faal,s lack of functional security services experience sometimes affects his interaction with Security Offices. Their code of conduct and operations differs significantly from the civil servants. As such, it will be helpful to get a seasoned ex officer to help in questioning some of his witnesses.

IEC Clarifies Voter Registration Postponement

15 hours ago Yaya Dampha ALIEU MOMAR NJIE IS NOT DEAD About 30... - Gambian Talents Promotion | Facebook IEC CLEARS AIR ON POSTPONEMENT OF GENRAL VOTER REGISTRATION The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has issued a statement indicating the reason behind the postponement of the commencement of the General Registration of Voters which was slated on the 14th of January to 26th of February 2021. It is stated in the statement that IEC has been hindered by the lack of clearance from the GPPA which is required before the release of funds by the Ministry of Finance. The electoral body further stated that failure in obtaining clearance from GPPA posted some logistical challenges relating to the procurement of materials and equipment needed for the successful conduct of the Voter Registration.However, IEC, in a statement signed bythe commission,s chairman Alieu Momarr Njai, assured Gambians that the delay in conducting the Voters Registration Exercise would not affect the electoral calendar as there is still room to conduct the exercise on time according to the released. It could be recalled earlier in October 2020, GPPA warned that IEC’s plan to go against its advice to contract a Canadian Company with the supply of electoral materials and issuance of voters cards will be ‘illegal’ and a complete disregard of the procurement act.However, the Electoral Commission contracted this year’s voter registration and supply of election materials to Electoral Service International (ESI) despite the GPPA’s refusal to approve the proposal. ESI was competing with Dermalog, a German company, Ekemp, a Chinese company, and Smart business group, a Gambian company’.

President Barrow Receives Commonwealth Secretary General

Foreign Minister Dr. Tangara receives Commonwealth Secretary General Her Excellency The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland Q.C. Banjul, 7th December 2020: The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr. Mamadou Tangara, on Monday 7th December 2020 received the Secretary General of Commonwealth, Her Excellency The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland Q.C. in his office in Banjul. In welcoming the Commonwealth Secretary General, Foreign Minister Dr. Tangara commended her and the delegation for the visit to The Gambia. Minister Tangara informed her that The Government of The Gambia is committed to continue working closely with the Commonwealth to spur socio – economic development for The Gambia and all member states. He said partnership in the areas of Health, Judiciary and Education are crucial to the development Blueprint of the Government and extend his appreciation for the technical assistance by the Commonwealth in the areas of Human right, Rule of law, Good Governance, Education and Health. For her part, Her Excellency The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland Q.C. said her delegation is in Banjul to share with The Gambia opportunities crafted together for the country to tap and utilise. She expressed Commonwealth’s readiness to work with the Government of The Gambia in ensuring a better future for the youth and collaborate in the areas of Climate Change, Good Governance, and Rule of law and Financial Accountability. She used the opportunity to thank Foreign Minister Tangara for the accurate information he provided about the great achievements and initiatives taken by the Government during the past two years. In attendance was the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Saffie Sankareh – Farage and other staff of the Ministry. It could be recalled that The Gambia formally rejoined The Commonwealth on 8th February 2018 following the unilateral withdrawal of the country by the erstwhile President Yahya Jammeh. President Barrow this afternoon received the Commonwealth Secretary General Rt. Patricia Scotland at the Governor’s residence in Kerewan, North Bank Region. According to Secretary General Scotland, the President made several commitments in relation to adhering to the Commonwealth Charter, Values, and other issues of difficulty in The Gambia when his government decided to rejoin the organisation of former British Colonies. While expressing her impression about the progress the government has made, SG Patricia said she met with several government Ministers that are determined to make a difference and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. She particularly commended the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare on the issue of addressing domestic and sexual violence and advancing the rights of women and girls in the country to ensure their full participation. “We know that if any country is to be healthy and wealthy, we have to look after all our people and 50 per cent of our people are female, so taking advantage of the assets, the talents, the energy of our women and girls is going to be critically important for The Gambia.