Gambians
based in Norway recently donated some life shorts to Sand Beach Hotel, at a
ceremony held at the hotel ground.
Speaking
after the handing-over of the materials, Abdoulie Hydara, director general of
Gambia Tourism Board, thanked the donor, Mr Barry, and his children, saying the
donation was very important and timely.
Director
Hydara said most of the time when drowning happened the quickest result is to
be able to rescue and if that rescue was not done on time it would result to
death.
“We
now have a solution to our problem,” he said, adding that they want to
encourage people to work with them by providing training to the users of those
tools.
He
said they had been trying to sensitise the people who use the beaches and those
who use the swimming pools.
He
urged all the pool attendants to ensure they provide the tools to people using
the facilities and make ensure they use them.
Kefi
Barry, head of the family that donated the materials, said they were very proud
to make a donation as part of their contribution to national development.
Adama
Njie, director of Marketing at Gambia Tourism Board, said he was very touched
by the gesture, adding that it was not only for GTBoard but also for the entire
country.
Every
Gambian both within and outside should emulate the gesture, he said.
Momodou
Bah, director of Quality and Product Development, said the Gambia Tourism Board
being the custodian of the TDA, safety is their paramount concern, adding that
GTBoard is working with the Gambia Fire Services to protect lives.
“We
have witnessed unprecedented drowning over the past two years, which is
attributed to different things,” he said.