(JollofNews) – ) – President Adama Barrow has today officially launched the National Development Plan (NDP) running from 2018 to 2021, with a resounding pledge to transforming the tiny West African nation into “a more progressive, vibrant and all-inclusive society.”
“Successful implementation of the NDP will ensure achievement of Government’s medium term development aspirations. It will also contribute to realisation of our global and regional commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and African Union (AU) Agenda 2063,” said the Gambian leader during a ceremony held under the Grand Tent at State House, Banjul.
Gambia is emerging from two decades of dictatorship marred by malgovernance that has plunged the economic sector into a complete lethargy. As development partners have renewed their commitment to support the new regime, the Barrow administration is pushing ahead with a development agenda that is expected to achieve a major milestone for the country.
He took the opportunity to indicate that his government inherited “frustrations and lack of opportunities” for the young people.
“This has driven thousands of our young people to undertake the risky journey, across the Mediterranean Sea in search of a better future,” he said.
He then added that many Diaspora Gambians were forced to flee the country for fear of persecution, “depriving the country of vital human capital and resources needed to fuel the growth for economic and social transformation of our society.”
However, Barrow said since coming to power, his government has undertaken many measures to address these challenges. Among the measures, we have urgently worked to stabilize the economy, restore public confidence in Government, strengthen democratic institutions and address the energy crisis.“That is why I tasked my Government to draw up a new National Development Plan (NDP) to provide greater clarity and focus for government action, citizens’ engagement and also for our development partners who are eager and stand ready to assist us,” he said.
Backed by a financing strategy, he revealed it would help to clearly articulate the financing arrangements for the effective implementation of NDP.
President Bartow expressed hope that Gambians will make happen as there is a popular demand to transform the country to better socio-economic conditions.
“With commitments and exercise of professionalisms in the way we manage government affairs, the developmental outcomes of this plan will be realized as outlined.”
Source: State House
Rhetorics and more rhetorics, aren’t they? What are the contents of the blueprint? In 3-4 years we cannot rely on these words for any socio-economic amelioration after hearing the same words in January 2017 which just faded away in thin air.
The provision for development funding is always there, but the implementation will be CORRUPTED by these SELFISH, CORRUPT, CORRUPTIBLE, INEFFICIENT bunch of UNQUALIFIED “administrators”.
Why don’t you find the contents of the document before you pass your verdict on its outcomes? That’s what we should all do. Partisanship should take the back seat for now, until we scrutinise the document and establish its relevance to our needs and strategies outlined to achieve stated objectives.
That is the difference between Yahya Jammeh and his die-hard supporters and the rest of mankind. Their sudden shift to take the mantle of moral high ground when ugly revelations are being revealed at the Janneh Commision, at the criminal trial of of the so called NIA 9. Who can be more corrupted or corruptible than Yahya Jammeh? Who can be more selfish, vile and unqualified than Jammeh? Efficient only in the art of robbery in grand style….149 landed properties, 14 Companies, countless bank accounts. Efficient in the art of brutality unimaginable…….Who ordered the killing of Dehda Hydara? Where is chief Manneh? the cries of the 14 innocent GAMBIAN students before their last breath. The agonies of their parents, siblings, classmates and their friends. Sirreh Jammeh and her brother( even their kinship with Jammeh couldn’t save them from his brutality). Solo Sandeng … tortured to death, while the other female detainees tortured, raped of their self worth. No lies, denials or propaganda can succeed in distracting the Gambian people from building a fair, just and progressive society for all Gambians irrespective of their tribe, religion or political affiliations. The die-hards will have a hard landing, cos the battle is won. YAHYA JAMMEH is history, a yesterdays man.
The contents should be manifested with the pronouncements on line.That’s the best way to inform the citizenry.
When the CORRUPT “Minister of Finance” Amadou Sanneh can wilfully accord his own accounting firm a government accounting contract without tender, when the corrupt Gambian Ambassador to The USA can fly on first class with his wife; who in his sane mind will trust the free-from-corrupt implementation of the socio-economic policies by this CORRUPT, CORRUPTIBLE, NEFATOUS and INCOMPETENT administration with a British Argos Illiterate Watchman in presidential attire at the summit of matters?
Baba,
Is it worth exchanging views with you? I’m seriously giving a second thought about the validity of exchanging words with you.
Surely Mr Soli, you will be alone in the ranting and raving. A distraught, disgruntled and disappointed soul, who is still fretting about the necessary removal, and sending into exile, of our one time murderous, sex pervert, going by the name of HIs Pestilence, Fake Professor Yaya AJJ Jammwh
He will eventually be extradited, and tried for heinous crimes committed against the Gambian people, and he and his foreign collaborators, including the Cassamance contingent will be served the justice denied to the Gambian people.
That’s your wishful thinking. I will never be alone. I’m with the thousands of silent Jammeh diehard supporters who will never come on line to argue your wishful thoughts. I represent those thousands.,
Alone in the wilderness of defeatism, haunted by the cries of the innocence downed to death by a petty callous criminal who called himself Sheikh Professor Doctor Asshole Journeyman Joker Jammeh. No ranting or raving can absolved Jammeh from his various crimes against our people. Those who tried and are trying to defend the indefensible by sugar coating Jammeh’s crimes with the laughable excuse of development will have a ruder awakening when their complicity in his crimes are manifested.
Rejoice our people to the knowledge that the cowards are returning to pay for their crimes and Jammeh will be no exception.
Mr soli it left to your disposal whether or not to change your views with me am not forcing you to change views with me ,I think it’s high time to go check your behaviour towards your fellow Gambians, your behaviour towards people is just crazy,because your comments are always full of hatred, look be matured enough and teach people about tolerance and how to be polite,finally you don’t need to think about sharing views but don’t also surprise if I counter attack you on impolite manners, good night.
Since this NDP has a continental dimension, as it also seeks to contribute to the realisation of MDGs and AU Agenda 2063, I would like to ask a question relating to an issue that is troubling me quite a lot, and I hope forum contributors and Jollofnews commentators will help me out.
The Gambia, like our counterparts in the AU, are signatories to the NPT (Non Proliferation Treaty) which commits us to the non pursuit of nuclear weapons and weapons technology.
The treaty is comprised of two bodies of parties: Nuclear Weapons States (NWS) and Non Nuclear Weapons States (NNWS) and ALL parties have made undertakings, either contained within the treaty or not, towards the fulfilment of the control of the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
For the NWS parties, they have made the undertaking not to use nuclear weapons against NNWS parties except in response to a nuclear weapons attack or a conventional attack in alliance with a NWS party. I am of the view that this undertaking by Nuclear Weapons States to exempt or protect Non-Nuclear States from attack with nuclear weapons formed the basis, assurance and rationale for our adherence and commitment to the NPT.
However, the NWS parties of the UK, France and the US have now indicated that they are no longer committed to their undertaking under the treaty and would use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states in response to such obscure phenomena as “state sponsored terrorism” , “attack against their national interest” or “state directed cyber attack.” Whatever these mean.
The recently unveiled “America First” National Security Strategy of the Trump Administration, not only commits to a nuclear first strike against a non nuclear state, but it is basically a call on the American People to prepare for war involving the use of nuclear weapons with “competitors” and “adversaries” (you know who they are), in the not too distant future.
In light of these realities and the current global tensions and trends, do members think Africa is still right to be committed to the NPT or should we withdraw and begin pursuing nuclear weapons for our collective defence, given our history at the hands of rogue past European and American States.
Least we forget, back in May 2016, when asked by a South African journalist in Nebraska about the threat of mass withdrawals of African countries from the ICC, Donald Trump said, amongst other things: “I think there is no shortcut to maturity and in my view, Africa should be recolonized because Africans are still under slavery.” And these sentiments have been expressed in various European capitals before.
Are we able to resist recolonisation if any future European or US Administration decides to do so? No, in my view and by being in the state that we are militarily, I think we are playing with our lives as dignified human beings. These politicians in power in almost all developed nations, have shown that, unlike their founding fathers, international treaties are not worth the papers they are written on, if they impede their hegemonic policies, and for us to continue believing in protection under these treaties is naivity that can be very, very costly for our peoples.
What does the forum think?
Bax your concerns and questions are very genuine ones indeed. Nevertheless, the premises of your assumptions (that Africa and Africans will ever be handed a fair deal in an international arena dominated by our old foes) is at best, naive.
I think Africa has to arm itself with a nitrogen bomb to deter and attack whenever the need arises. Without that, there is no guarantee, as Trumpf (that’s his real Surname) suggested, that we will not once again be enslaved and colonized en masse.
In the service of The Gambia and Africa, I remain.
Lamin…..Being handed a fair deal is not the premise of my assumptions, rather, what I’m trying to say, is that the undertaking by nuclear weapons states to protect us (non-nuclear weapons states) from nuclear attack, if we don’t acquire nuclear weapons, was the premise of the assumptions on which our countries signed up to the NPT. Now that these assumptions have turned out to be erroneous, due to pronouncements of the 3 most aggressive nuclear powers, is it time that we withdraw from the NPT and seek nuclear weapons? Thus, the cap of “naivity” doesn’t fit me.
I am an advocate for the pursuit of nuclear weapons status by a united and strong Africa, but I agree with Grim reaper, there’s preliminary work to be done.
Good shout Bax,
Yes Africa needs to arm itself, for all kinds of reasons,
But first, all blackmen and blackwomen need to study a course in solidarity, and not only study it, but also practice it on a fundermental level every nano of a second, once we achieve that, then we will be on track for a super nation to be respected.
Ps. Unity is strength.
Gentlemen, gentlemen. Hold your horses.
Where African nations cannot feed the hungry population, what’s the point in expending valuable resources and energies in nuclear and other weaponry.
I’d like to say that Africa does not have that LUXURY.
Where we go hat in hand, eroding our confidence in the process, begging for and borrowing resources to put our houses in order, the talk of arming our nations for deterrence is, at best, an exercise in trivia.
However, there’s the benefit that the discussions make for good debates together with jogging the lazy mind and triggering endeavors in science.
Let’s all be reminded that we do have more pressing matters that keep staring at us in the face EVERYDAY!
Aren’t you worried about global trends and the calibre of leadership in the West/USA and the emerging ones? How guaranteed is your security, affluence or high standards of living, if you can’t deter aggression against you? Without the ability to defend yourself, all the development that may be registered would be wiped out within the twinkling of an eye, if someone makes the decision to attack you, and they will always find an excuse to do so.
The example of Libya should be a wake up call to all of us: a country widely regarded as the most prosperous in the continent, it has almost been returned to the stone age. What use did all that security do for the Libyans?
Of course, Africa needs to do a lot to attain that status of political unity, at the very least, to even begin to work on deterrence, but I would say that Africa hasn’t got the luxury of postponing that decision for much longer. Let’s not be naïve Andrew, the world is heading towards an irreversible direction and when it emerges again, it will not be one where the African will have the choice of freedom, unless we can guarantee that for ourselves.
Let’s worry about feeding the nation and generating a surplus that will be put aside for a rainy day. It’s called security.
What we have in Senegambia is, Hand to Mouth.
Andrew, the nation has to stand up and feed itself, only the disable should receive help and support/assistant.
No Bourne, I never said that.
That’s your interpretation/deduction.
I have a background in the sciences and I’m still actively engaged in the scientific field.
I am also a strong advocate of the pursuit of science education and awareness in Africa.
However, the trend of the discussion spearheaded by Bax amounts, in my view, an exercise in philosophy, logics and semantics.
Under the nearly dire economic circumstances that prevail in most African countries, we must learn to tackle substantive issues and not expend much needed energies on wishful thinking
I wish to add that part of the reason that Africa, with the exception of South Africa, gets raw deals on the exploitation of mineral resources is that we still cannot claim to have gotten a head start on any of the associated technologies that will allow us to take charge and rightful ownership of our natural resources.
Where informed young Africans return home to give their quota and commitment to the homeland, the entrenched and incompetent old guard wouldn’t let go in the mistaken belief that they hold all the answers to our predicament. Frankly, African leaders spend too much time and resources on their own selfish agendas while national priorities suffer and fall by the wayside.
The reason that Niger, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and a host of countries will remain flickering flames unless the whole mindset changes.
La fête de la poésie.
C’est une
poésie pleine
de candeur,
c’est le son
de la neige
qui donne
la confiance
et un rêve
passager….
Francesco Sinibaldi