As many as 25 forestry staff were recently promoted at a ceremony held in Banjul.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdoulie Sanneh, Director of Forestry, thanked the Government of The Gambia under the leadership of President Yahya Jammeh for motivating the forestry staff.
According to him, motivation and good working condition in the department would encourage the promoted staff to work hard in their various capacities.
He said since he was appointed as the director of Forestry, his first priority was to uplift the working condition of forestry staff.
According to Mr Sanneh, the promoted staff deserved their elevation, commending members of the Public Service Commission and Personnel Management Office for the gesture.
Forestry Director Sanneh maintained that the said promotion was based on three hallmarks: performance, length of service, and qualification.
"My aim is to ensure that my staff live up to expectations, and the reason for this promotion is for them to give effective service delivery," he said.
He used the opportunity to reveal that prior to the recent promotions, there was another students' graduation at the Kafuta Forestry School, where 23 staff were promoted with effect from 1st March 2010.
"Another 30 recruits were also promoted with effect from 1st September 2010," he added, urging the newly-promoted staff to live up to expectations.
For his part, Ousainou Cham, the regional forestry officer of Western Region, praised the director of forestry for "the efforts he is making in transforming the department".