President
Adama Barrow has acknowledged the concerns of the Gambia Women’s Bureau, saying
his government would do all it can to continually support women.
He
also donated D100,000 to the former executive director of the Gambia Women’s
Bureau, Ida Fye-Hydara for her wellbeing and dedicated service to the cause of
women in The Gambia.
Speaking
at his office to members of the Women’s Bureau,
President
Barrow thanked all Gambians for bringing about the change of government.
He
called on the women to reflect on the situation of the country and the
personality cult built around the former President Jammeh.
Despite
being perceived as powerful, he was removed because the people came together
and the women took a strong stand during that process.
President
Barrow acknowledged the concerns of the Women’s Federation and encouraged them
to be patient. He cited his story as a
businessman, saying that with determination there will be no limitation.
He
said his government inherited a bad economy and urged women to build confidence
as well as continue to strive harder.
He
promised them that his government will do their best to bring down commodity
prices, adding that no development can take place without democracy.
In
recognizing the critical role of women in governance and society, the Gambian
leader acknowledged the importance of gender representation and reminded them
of the presence of strong women’s rights activists in his government.
He
further acknowledged the role some of the activists played in fighting for
justice as well as defending the will of the Gambian people during the
transition.
The
change, he said, was based on the principle of democracy to provide a
level-playing field for all to participate, including women.
President
Barrow concluded that despite the constraints, The Gambia has changed for
good.
The
Gambian leader pledged that the government will review the situation of the
former executive director of the Women’s Bureau Ida Fye-Hydara.
He
made a personal donation of D100,000 for Mrs Fye-Hydara’s personal wellbeing.
In
2006 an apex body of women’s groups from different socio-economic activities
formed the Gambia Women’s Federation to facilitate support and promote the
economic empowerment of women.
This
initiative was spearheaded by the former Executive Director of the Women’s
Bureau, Mrs Ida Fye-Hydara.
Since
its establishment, the Federation members are both urban and rural women
engaged in Fashion Design, Vegetable Production and Marketing, Fisheries,
Professional groups such as the Private Secretaries Association among other
small and medium-scale women entrepreneurs.
In
her introduction, the executive director of the Women’s Bureau, Mrs Binta
Jammeh -Sidibeh congratulated President Barrow for his election as well as the
nomination on women in his cabinet and in the National Assembly.
She
asserted that women played a critical role in the elections and appreciated the
support President Barrow accorded them.
The
president of the Gambia Women’s Federation, Fatoumata Jah, said they have five
thousand members countrywide.
She
elaborated on the projects they have embarked upon such as the building of a
women’s market worth eight million dalasis with a capacity of 600 shops.
She
highlighted some of the challenges they faced to complete the construction of
the market as planned.
So
far, a third of the shops have been completed and allocated while the remaining
two-thirds is affected by price inflation and the exchange rate of the
dollar.
Ms
Jah revealed the initiatives they started also included a groundnut oil
processing company, food and merchandise companies importing goods to The
Gambia.
The
Federation has also been supporting members through revolving fund from the
contributions of its members.
She
revealed that its plan includes opening regional markets in the rural areas.
The
Women’s Federation President asserted that the companies they initiated have
been affected by poor groundnut harvest, lack of cold storage facility for food
products.
Other
constraints included the incomplete market, lack of fencing, electricity and
water supply. They also lack
transportation to reach out to its rural members.
Despite
the challenges, Ms Jah said, the Federation member organizations are creating
employment and taking up their social responsibility to plough back to society.
One
of the members, Ndey Awa Khan, informed the meeting that the Gambia Women’s
Federation is non-partisan and only groups can be members.
She
said the purpose is to ensure that proper support is provided to empower
women’s economic activities and promote light industries that will add value to
local products.
Mrs
Khan further appealed for The Gambia to negotiate with the United States
government to bring back AGOA for them to reach out to the American
market.
She
finally called for Gambians to promote local designers by patronizing
them.
The
West Coast Region coordinator of the Federation, Binta Sabally and Aji Mariama
Secka alias Aunty Yam Secka both paid tribute to the former executive director
of the Women’s Bureau, Ida Fye-Hydara, for her hard work and the initiatives
she took to bring the interest of Gambian women to the fore.
Aunty
Yam further appealed for her consideration to be given to her plight.
Source:
Office of the President
