Issued: Monday 26 March 2018
Mr.
President, last week you were amongst the African Heads of State who attended
the Extra-ordinary Summit of African Union Heads of State in Rwanda where the
African Heads of State witnessed the historic event of signing an African
Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) Agreement.
As
you rightly said in your speech delivered in that august gathering, “the aim of
this agreement is to boost intra-African trade to promote economic growth,
structural transformation and industrialisation of the African economies. To
take advantage of the Free Trade Area, we need to address the barriers that
continue to limit the growth of trade in all the regional groupings”.
Mr.
President, now that the agreement has been signed, African leaders should take
this opportunity to promote free trade and also used the opportunity to work on
having a common passport and currency.
Free movement of people and goods by air, land and sea transports should
also be made affordable and accessible. Visas between African states should be
abolished or African countries can be giving free three months visa to any
visitor going to any other African country.
Mr.
President, African leaders should reinforce their cooperation in all fields to
support each other and make this trade agreement a reality. African countries should also promote
agriculture, security, education, health, science and technology in other to
attain its goals towards developing the African continent.
Mr.
President, back to the home front, we are calling on you and your government to
put an end to this doctors’ strike which is getting out of hands. Your
government should try to solve this problem amicably for the interest of the
Gambian populace.
Health
is costly and many people cannot afford to pay for treatment at the private
hospitals and clinics where most of the doctors are working and seeing patients
presently.
Mr.
President, we are appealing to you as the head of state to invite them and
discuss with them to know what their problem is and see a way forward for the
health sector. The minister of Health,
PS Health, secretary general and head of Civil Services should all be invited
for a dialogue and work for the benefit of the whole Gambia.
Mr.
President, We are also appealing to the doctors to forgive and forget. Let them
bury the hatchet as we are all Gambians.
Let them resolve this problem quickly once and for all and forever.
Mr.
President, we welcome the move of the minister of Education, Claudina Cole, for
warning against any educational personnel found guilty of examination mal
practices to be punished. This phenomenon of examination malpractices is now
rampant in Africa and strict measures should be introduced to avert these
malpractices.
Finally,
Mr. President, the basic commodities and cement are going very high in the
country as a result of sky rocking of foreign exchange – something that your
government should address quickly to remedy the situation. Despite the tax
being reduced from 15% to zero, a bag of rice is still peg at D1, 170 to D1,
200. Cement is also very expensive. Your
government should act and make sure that the prices of some of these basic commodities
go down immediately especially the rice hence its tax was reduced since
January.
Good
Day!