Category: Government

State House, Banjul, President Barrow has tasked the new ECOWAS representative to The Gambia to work on mapping out strategies that will facilitate the easy movement of people, goods, and services across borders within the regional bloc and Africa at large.  “Countries should have the choice of transportation to improve the 12% trade within the continent.” The President made the remarks at the State House in Banjul when he received the Letters of Credence of the ECOWAS Resident Representative to The Gambia, Ms. Miatta Lily French.

 

The President further noted that ECOWAS member States should make the best use of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, in consolidating and addressing trade conditions.

 

On political stability in the sub-region, President Barrow told the new ECOWAS Resident Representative that he is optimistic that she would bring along new experiences to reinforce the Commission’s work and address unconstitutional governance in the West African States.

 

Speaking to the media after her presentation, Ms. French thanked President Barrow for the warm reception. She congratulated The Gambia for the current political stability in the country, given the ongoing political instability in some parts of the ECOWAS sub-region.

 

Ms. French also outlined some of her discussions with the President, which she said included activities of the Regional body in The Gambia, such as the West Africa Police Information Systems, the ECOWAS Regional Competitive Authority, and the Regional Stabilization Fund, which is currently financing some Projects in The Gambia.

 

Speaking on The Gambia’s position in ECOWAS, the Resident Representative said, ‘‘It is one of the smallest countries in ECOWAS but currently holding the presidency of the Commission, and I think that is a good opportunity for it to grow and to manifest itself as a force to reckon with.’’

 

Asked about ECOWAS’ plans and initiatives to tackle the food crisis in the Sub-region, Ms. French said West Africa could be food self-sufficient. However, the challenge is to increase production and ensure that cross-border trade is made easy and accessible in the sub-region. ‘‘It is for us to maximise our production and make sure that whatever is produced moves, and that is one of the concerns of the President; that we should be able to move things across borders so what happens in the West does not affect us.”  She concluded that it is a question of countries pooling resources together and getting the infrastructure right to support trade.

 

Source: Statehouse Gambia

State House, Banjul, President Barrow today outlined plans for implementing the recommendations of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission -TRRC during a discussion held with a leading expert on Transitional Justice, the US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, H.E Beth Van Schaack, at the State House in Banjul.  Ambassador Van Schaak called on the President to extend the support of the United States Government in bringing justice to the victims of the former regime.

 

After her meeting with President Barrow, Ambassador Van Schaack informed the media that The Gambia has an astounding reputation globally when it comes to International Justice. She hailed the TRRC as a model for the rest of the world. She applauded The Gambia’s efforts to file a case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice involving the genocide against the Rohingya Muslims minority in Myanmar.

 

Reporting further on the implementation of the TRRC, Ambassador Van Schaack said President Barrow acknowledges the importance of this process and emphasised the need for reparations to ensure that those found guilty of human rights violations by the Commission are held accountable.  She extended the US government’s support in this process, saying, ‘‘you are creating the state of the art of transitional Justice, and we stand ready in the United States to support your process’’.

 

 

The Ambassador also reported that she updated the President on the case of a former ‘‘Jungler’’ living in the United States. She said charges had been brought against that individual, six counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture.

 

Ambassador Van Schaack was accompanied to the Presidency by the US Ambassador to The Gambia, H.E Sharon L. Cromer, and other senior staff from the Embassy.

 

Source: Statehouse Gambia

PARIS, The French government has rejected allegations by the new military junta in Burkina Faso to the effect that they are supporting ousted leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

 

The allegation was leveled by the Captain Ibrahim Traore-led junta that took power on Sept 30 with a promise to restore security across the West African nation.

 

According to an Oct 1, statement read on national TV, RTB, a member of the new junta, Sous-Lieutenant Jean-Baptiste Kabre, said the former leader of the MPSR – name of the junta, had refused to leave power quietly.

 

Kabre alleged that Sandaogo Damiba was planning a “counter-offensive” and claimed further that he’s doing this from a French base.

 

In an Oct 1 statement from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, France denied the allegation and said it was not hosting Damiba in any of its facilities.

 

“France formally denies any involvement in the events underway since yesterday in Burkina Faso.

 

“The camp where the French forces are located has never hosted Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, nor has our embassy,” the statement read.

 

New junta leader Captain Traore’s announced the takeover of executive power and deposition of Damiba, barely 10 months after the later seized power from democratically elected Christian Roch Marc Kabore.

 

The junta dissolved the government and the transitional national assembly as well as imposed a curfew and closed all the country’s borders.

 

The overthrow was premised on continued deterioration of the insecurity situation even as terrorists continue to launch deadly raids on security forces and the local population.

 

Source: Nam News Network

ACCRA, The West African regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has condemned the Sept 30, 2022 coup that took place in Burkina Faso, where a new military junta overthrew another.

 

What started out as an exchange of heavy gunfire on Friday morning was confirmed late in the evening with a broadcast on National TV announcing the takeover.

 

In a statement issues from the ECOWAS Commission hours after the announcement, the bloc said it firmly condemned the incident at a time the Sandaogo Damiba-led junta was making progress on an orderly return to constitutional order by July 1, 2024.

 

The junta said a new leader – civilian or military will be announced in due course, but before that some measures put in place include dissolution of the government, the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT), and the Transition Charter as well as the closure of borders.

 

In a communique, ECOWAS noted that this new coup inopportune at a time when progress has been made, thanks to diplomacy and the efforts of ECOWAS for a methodical return to constitutional order no later than July 1, 2024.

 

ECOWAS reaffirms its unreserved opposition to any taking or maintaining of the power by unconstitutional means and demands scrupulous respect for the timeline already agreed with the Transitional Authorities for a swift return to constitutional order no later than July 1, 2024.

 

ECOWAS warns any institution, force or group of people who by acts would prevent the programmed return to constitutional order or would contribute to the weakening of peace and stability in Burkina Faso and the Region.

 

The ECOWAS Commission remains seized of the development of the situation.

 

A coup d’etat was announced by one Captain Ibrahim Traore on state TV flanked by fully armed and masked soldiers.

 

It came barely 10 months after the last one that removed democratically elected Christian Roch Marc Kabore from power. The Traore-led junta thus deposed Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba from power.

 

Reports of heavy artillery gunfire in the wee hours of Friday morning and heavy military presence in parts of the capital Ouagadougou raised fears of a takeover.

 

But the Presidency in a statement on Facebook said negotiations were ongoing and that an enemy was seeking to sow division between the people.

 

The state broadcaster went off for hours and returned to normal programming. But this evening, a group of armed soldiers appeared on the state TV to announce a takeover according to multiple reports.

 

The new junta announced that they have deposed Damiba as leader of the same coup vehicle that came into power in January, hence they are only taking over the leadership of the MPSR.

 

They cited the continued degradation of the security situation in the West African country as basis for their action.

 

They have also promised an immediate reorganization of the military with the view to halt the terrorist attacks and to restore durable security across the country.

 

Source: Nam News Network

State House, Banjul, President Barrow together with H.E President Nana Akufo Addo of the Republic of Ghana, Special Envoy, H.E President Goodluck Jonathan, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, and the Foreign Minister of Togo, Mr. Robert Dussey, a representative of H.E Faure Gnassingbé of the Republic of Togo held a closed-door discussion with Colonel Goïta, on September 29th, in Bamako, to chart a robust way forward in support of the democratic transition process in the Republic of Mali.

 

The mission was assigned by the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of the regional body to negotiate the release of the remaining 46 Ivorian UN Peacekeepers, arrested in Mali, in July this year.

 

The Mission is also part of ECOWAS’ drive to promote peace, democracy and development in the West African Sub-region. A report on the outcomes of the meeting will be submitted to authority in due cause.

 

Source: Statehouse Gambia

State House, Banjul, President Barrow received a briefing on a Report on a Survey of Potential Rice Cultivation Sites, and the Acquisition of land for investments at his office on Wednesday, 28th September 2022.  The presentation was in line with his Government’s drive to enhance productivity and food security, and opportunities for job creation for Gambians.

 

President Barrow expressed appreciation of the update and advised the Taskforce to expand the survey to a national scale that will provide bankable data for future and potential investors.  He urged the working group to also work on a standard template to harmonise the leasing of land for investment purposes as well as ensure the legal acquisition of landed property.

 

Following the presentations by Gambian Businessman and CEO of the Q Group, Mr. Muhammed Jah and his team, and CEO of GIEPA, Mr. Ousianou Senghore, a discussion followed with Government Technocrats and Officials from the Ministries of Lands, Agriculture, and Trade, as well as the Chief of Staff, Office of the President, Mr. Mod Ceesay.

 

The discussions led by the Minister of Lands, Honourable Abba Sanyang, centered on the processes for acquisition and allocation of land for agri-business, potential land for investment purposes in areas of agriculture, as well as industrial development.

 

Rice production was one of the priority areas President Barrow discussed with the Korean Ambassador to The Gambia, H.E. Kim Ji-Joon, when he presented his Letter of Credence to the President earlier in June. The President was pleased to get updates on the fruitful partnership between the Q Group and the Korea International Cooperation Agency – KOICA.

 

Mr. Jah reported that they have already identified 1000 hectares of land for piloting, on which they will start rice production for all-year-round farming.   The identification was based on the technical advice regarding the topology, structures and access to utilities that are suitable for mechanised farming, and he is optimistic to expand it to 10,000 hectares within four years.  The goal is for the country to feed itself from locally produced rice in the shortest possible time.

 

On the GIEPA presentation, Mr. Senghore emphasised the need for coherence and zonal allocation of land for industries and other investments nationwide.

 

The Lands Ministry guided the discussion on the legal acquisition of land and updated the meeting that it is working on harmonising its land criteria systems to combat double ownership, land usage, and related challenges.

 

Source: Statehouse Gambia

KAMPALA, Economic growth in the East African Community (EAC) is expected to further moderate to 5.3 per cent this year, largely reflecting increasing global commodity prices coupled with supply chain shocks, according to Deloitte, an international professional services network headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

 

Deloitte released the East Africa Macroeconomic Publication, themed ‘Resilience Through Tough Times’. The publication focuses on the economic rebound and sectoral resilience experienced across Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda in 2021 and 2022.

 

The region is struggling due to the damage from the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has magnified the slowdown in the global economy, which is entering what could become a protracted period of feeble growth and elevated inflation.

 

“East Africa’s GDP growth prospects are expected to moderate to 5.3% in 2022 compared to 6.4% in 2021 due to increasing global commodity prices coupled with supply chain shocks,” Tewodros Sisay, Deloitte East Africa Corporate Finance and Economic Advisory Lead, said in a statement.

 

“We believe growth will further be affected by downside risks stemming from political uncertainty, depreciation of local currencies and reduced agricultural yields leading to higher inflationary environment. Our publication highlights the impact of these factors both from a broader macroeconomic perspective as well as through a deeper sectoral lens. In this year’s publication we have also introduced a look at East Africa’s mergers and acquisition landscape, with a focus on major trends in 2022.”

 

Growth will be slowed significantly due to regional central banks stance to tame mounting inflationary pressure in their economies.

 

For instance, Uganda’s inflation peaked to 9% in August due to increases in prices of food and other commodities, triggering further monetary policy tightening (increasing interest rates) to 9% – the Bank of Uganda’s steepest increase since June 2018.

 

Further spikes in inflation are likely to see weaker domestic household consumption, investment expenditure as tighter financial conditions reduce disposable incomes.

 

Michael Atingi-Ego, deputy governor at Bank of Uganda expects inflation levels to “continue to raise” in the twelve months ahead.

 

Africa’s real GDP grew by 3.4% in 2021 compared to a contraction of 2.1% in 2020 due to a sharp improvement in global trade and commodity prices. It is expected to increase marginally to 4.0% in 2022 driven by private consumption and investment, continued expansion in the services sector and deepening economic integration.

 

On the other hand, East Africa’s GDP grew by 6.4% in 2021 from 3.1% in 2020 attributed to the global economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Deloitte East Africa Financial Advisory Leader Gladys Makumi noted that the geo-political conflict between Russia and Ukraine “is expected to see global real GDP growth wane to 3.2% in 2022 compared to 6.1% in 2021.”

 

Source: Nam News Network

Abdel-Fattah Al Burhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, the President of the Transitional Government of Sudan, called for more multilateral action to find sustainable solutions to global challenges and to reduce terrible repercussions for people worldwide, particularly in countries affected by conflict and in the least developed countries.

 

On the recent political developments in Sudan, he reiterated his commitment to peaceful transition to establish real democracy that includes fair, free and transparent elections at the end of the transition period, in order to establish a civilian regime that represents all Sudanese people.

 

The Sudanese President went on to share that starting in July, his country’s military was asked to withdraw from negotiations meant to solve the ongoing political crisis after last year’s coup, allowing revolutionary political forces to form a civilian government. This would be a government which would be independent and implement the rest of the remaining requests in the transition period.

 

He restated Sudan’s commitment to cooperate with UNITAMS in line with the UN Charter and its mandate set forth by the Security Council and in line with the list of requests presented by Sudan to the UN to promote the transition. He added that cooperation will continue with UNISFA.

 

President Al-Burhan stated: “In order to promote national understanding we have provided all the necessary support to the AU-IGAD-UNITAMS Trilateral Mechanism, this mechanism has done a lot of work, but has yet to achieve what was required of it. This has made debates on national consensus more complicated.”

 

Supporting regional peace

He highlighted how signing the Juba Peace Agreement lessened conflict in Darfur and provided some stability and security to the region. In Darfur, rate of voluntary return of the displaced people has also increased. The Sudanese leader appealed to the international community for help and assistance in entitlements under the Juba Peace Agreement.

 

President Al-Burhan stressed how Sudan is striving to improve security, development and peace in the Africa region, with South Sudan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Chad among other countries. He added that Sudan was the coordinator alongside the African Union to reach a peace agreement in the Central African Republic. Sudan is also working with stakeholders to maintain security in Libya.

 

Commitment to the SDGs

“We are fighting against organized crime too,” he continued, and said “Sudan is sparing no efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals because we are convinced of the importance of the outcome document and sustainable development agenda for 2030.”

 

In this regard, the Sudanese official pointed to the adoption of the “strategic document for poverty reduction for the period of 2021 to 2023” by the transitional government.

 

External debt and support to refugees

Mr. Al-Burhan said that the external debt “is a stumbling block” for his country and limits its efforts to continue achieving economic and social development. This also hinders the implementation of the sustainable development goals.

 

He added that Sudan had qualified to benefit from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, appealing to “the international community and brotherly and friendly countries to fulfill their commitments they made in the Paris and Berlin meetings, noting that Sudan has completed all the legislation required to benefit from debt relief.”

 

Regarding the four million refugees in Sudan, Al-Burhan called for greater international support to address the situation of refugees and local communities hosting them.

 

He concluded by highlighting another priority of Sudan: the need to control the spread of small arms and light weapons.

 

Source: UN News Center

State House, Banjul, 21st September 2022: Addressing a forum on Tuesday, 20th September on mobilising climate financing on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York, President Barrow said countries should raise investments and focus on saving and protecting lives, and the ecosystems.

 

The President cited the recent floods as ‘one of the worst’ in The Gambia’s history, which affected more than 50,000 people due to the country’s one-meter rise in sea level. He added that the rise could submerge 50% of the city, including the country’s only deep-water seaport.

 

‘’As the impact of climate change could cost developing countries between 1% and 5% of their GDP annually, it is imperative to raise investments and focus on saving and protecting lives and ecosystems.”  President Barrow detailed.

 

He added that climate financing is a challenge for many developing countries and investing in it could create difficult options for many Africans.  “Countries like The Gambia would have to forgo investments in poverty reduction and other development priorities to shift attention to climate action.’’ President Barrow stated.

 

Highlighting how The Gambia has shown leadership and taken a progressive position on climate action, the President said the country has increased budgetary allocation to address, particularly climate adaptation, resilience and mitigation. He added that the focus is now on mobilising private sector investment to cater for the urgent mitigation needs, especially in renewable energy.

 

 

While stating that The Gambia will be the host country of mitigation projects aimed at protecting the planet, President Barrow solicited international support to realistically implement the Climate Change Long Term Strategy 2050.

 

The President raised several concerns including the provision of long-term predictable funding that allows for capacity development, and risk integration, and promotes climate finance for gender-responsive climate actions, as well as effective and equitable finance delivery.

 

He also observed that international climate finance entities, especially multilateral funds, should revisit their procedures and policies, and prioritise the needs of developing countries.

 

Source: Statehouse Gambia

(NEW YORK, U.S.A): IGAD Executive Secretary, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Arrives in New York for the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77).

 

The Executive Secretary, leading a delegation of IGAD directors and Programme managers, will meet Strategic partners, high-ranking officials from the U.N., Government representatives, and other institution heads to deliberate on matters of mutual interest.

 

Accompanying the IGAD Executive Secretary are:

 

Director of Peace and Security Division

Director of IGAD Climate Change and Prediction Centre

IGAD Head of Mission to South Sudan

Director of IGAD Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICEPCVE)

and Director of Planning, Partnerships, and Coordination.

This year’s theme, “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.” as coined by the U.N., stems from the recognition that the world is at a critical moment in history due to complex and interconnected crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, humanitarian challenges of unprecedented nature, a tipping point in climate change as well as growing concerns about threats to the global economy.

 

The IGAD mission to UNGA 77 aspires to find and focus on shared concerns regarding the Persistent Drought, Humanitarian Situation, Economic Fragility, and Regional Security to build a more sustainable and resilient region for all and future generations.

 

The delegation will be in New York from the 20th to the 25th of September, 2022.

 

Source: Intergovernmental Authority on Development

State House, Banjul, 20th September 2022: H.E President Adama Barrow, on Monday, 19th September 2022, received the Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Nahyan Bin Mubarak, while in New York to participate in the UNGA77.

 

During the meeting that was meant to strengthen the already existing relations between their two countries, President Barrow emphasised the importance of partnerships that would enhance the livelihoods of Gambians, saying, “We want partners who would invest in areas that would impact on the lives of our people.”

 

On his part, Minister Mubarak expressed his country’s desire to partner with The Gambia for the mutual interest of both countries.

 

The two leaders discussed the UAE’s participation in the use of port operators in the maritime domain, ratification of the UAE and The Gambia treaty, agricultural development, funding of OIC projects, and the situation of Gambian detainees in the UAE.

 

Source: Statehouse Gambia

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — South Africa’s state power utility, Eskom, has implemented its highest level of nationwide power cuts to reduce pressure on the grid after two more of its aging power plants broke down.

 

South Africans will be forced to go up to nine hours a day without electricity, putting a severe strain on Africa’s most industrialized economy.

 

The energy crisis is so severe that President Cyril Ramaphosa is cutting short his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to return home and try to find solutions to the electricity shortages.

Ramaphosa, who is currently in England for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, had just held an urgent virtual meeting with the concerned ministers to find out what led to so many units tripping, his spokesman Vincent Magwenya told VOA.

 

“He further wanted to understand what could be done immediately to resolve the current state of loadshedding which is devastating to businesses as well as households,” Magwenya said.

 

On Sunday, officials from state power utility Eskom warned that the country could be heading for even higher stages of what’s known here as “loadshedding” — scheduled blackouts to save energy.

 

Stage Six, the worst level seen so far, and which was last implemented in June during South Africa’s winter, allows for some 6,000 megawatts to be cut to avoid total collapse of the national grid.

 

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said loadshedding might have to be ramped up to Stage Eight, but that “total blackout” was not an imminent risk.

 

“I think we are doing our level best to avoid a total system collapse, that is why we have to impose loadshedding,” de Ruyter said.

 

For ordinary South Africans, loadshedding makes all aspects of daily life difficult, from having to plan when to cook, to making sure they always have gas lamps or candles available for when homes across the country are plunged into darkness.

 

And for small businesses that can’t afford to get generators, the cuts are devastating.

Jeanette Mmelwa is a hairdresser at a small Johannesburg salon which was empty on Monday morning. She says there’s no electricity to run the hair dryers, so no clients are coming in. Mmelwa works on commission, so isn’t earning anything.

 

“I am concerned because of this loadshedding my boss can one day just say, ‘No, I can’t take this anymore. We’re not making enough money, so we have to close.’ I am worried about that,” she said.

 

Things are even worse at home, said Mmelwa, who has a young son.

 

“Waking up in the morning and there’s no lights, now you think, ‘What is he going to eat before he goes to school?’ So yes, it’s very stressful,” she said.

 

The current electricity crisis has been brewing for a decade. The cash-strapped and debt-ridden power utility relies on aging coal plants that are prone to breakdowns.

 

Corruption has also weakened the utility considerably, said independent political analyst Ralph Mathekga.

 

“The problem with loadshedding is that ours is self-created, it is about corruption, inability to turn things around and fight against corruption,” Mathekga said.

 

If South Africa’s energy crisis persists, there will be massive damage to the economy, which has already been badly hit by the pandemic, with the official unemployment currently at 33.9 percent.

 

Source: Voice of America