It
is with great delight that I took due cognizance of the fact that Russia- one
of the greatest world powers in terms of sheer size, military might and
relative economic might is playing catch up and has used the first ever Russia – Africa Summit in
Sochi to announce its intentions for
Africa. If there is any power that is poised to reclaim lost ties and reconnect
with AFRICA is Russia. During the cold war, the Soviet Union had championed the
cause of Africa since the 1960s and the highlight in my view was the
establishment of the Patrice Lumumba Peoples Friendship University in Moscow in
1962 to train the future leaders of AFRICA in vast array of educational
enterprise including medicine, engineering, agriculture, veterinary medicine , International Law and
International Relations etc Invariably a lot of African students were invited
to further their education in various educational establishments in the USSR
including the author of this piece. Today these Soviet graduates are found in
virtually all sectors of human endeavour making their mark to advance the
development of AFRICA.
A
case in point the outgoing Managing Director of NAWEC Baba Fatajo and another
senior manager Bakary Kanteh both trained in Russia. The Permanent Secretary
Youth and Sports also studied in Russia including a leading veterinary expert,
now a lecturer in the University of the Gambia just to mention a few. Besides a
pool of Soviet advisers and technicians fanned out to various spots in Africa
to offer vital human resource support in that era. Sadly this vital cooperation
in education and other vital areas were reversed with the collapse of the
Soviet Union and the successor states including Russia did not have the
appetite to maintain and sustain this army of foreign students, thus the
scholarship packages seized in the early 1990s shortly after the collapse of
the Soviet Union. The Patrice Lumumba Peoples Friendship University was renamed
University of Russia.
With
the Sochi Summit Russia seeks to re-launch ties with Africa and according to a
keen observer “Russia is increasingly looking to Africa as a region to project
power and influence”. I could not agree more given that Russia is increasingly
regaining its lost glory on the world stage and AFRICA in the calculation of
the Kremlin elite is the next battle ground for influence.
Given
that the Gambia is a small country, and can ill afford to engage in big power
politics, but as a sovereign state we have our interest to pursue in terms of
extending hand of friendship to all nations big or small based on the principle
of mutual respect and coexistence – a key principle in international relations.
.Our foreign policy should be smart and should seek to ensure that our national
interest in terms of economic development, human resource development and
security of our peoples is advanced. In my humble view Russia as one of the
world powers can play a crucial role in our national development endeavours in
many ways.
In
the area of human resources development Russia is a leader in knowledge
development and has cheapened education and knowledge acquisition and is a
leader in science and technology more so in aeronautics, medical sciences,
physics and petro chemical industry, not to mention armament industry which is
one of the best in the world. The government of the day should woo the Russians
to offer scholarships to young Gambians to further their studies in
engineering, medicine and related fields.
Another
area is Tourism and here I can expertly say that Gambia stands to gain by
engaging the Russians to open new exotic offering and opportunity for sun
starved Russians to bask in the sunshine of the Smiling Coast and follow the
footsteps of the Swedes, who way back in the mid 60 s of the last century
discovered this beautiful gem of a land and strait away fell in love, thus
setting in motion a chain of events that laid the foundation of Gambia Tourism.
The pioneering Swedes were attracted by the winter sun, gorgeous beaches, and
the agreeable climate, but the main magnet included the legendary hospitality
of the Gambian people, unsophisticated charm, social cohesion, religious
tolerance, exotic culture and above all the friendliness of the locals and on
top of all these is the culinary and gastronomic delight as well as the majestic
River Gambia.
Just
like the pioneering tourists from Sweden, the Russian tourists will also find
plenty of reason to savour the delights of the Smiling Coast in their droves.
However for this to happen their will be no short cuts and the hard work to
attract the Russians and ensure that we deliver as promised in terms of
developing the demand side products as well as the supply side including
increasing proficiency in Russian language must start now. Russian tourists are
very adventurous .AFRICA is a place TO EXPERIENCE Dikkaya priroda (wild nature)
dikki zivodni (wildlife) and other
exotic offerings in terms of culinary delight, unsophisticated charm as well as
trendy hospitality facilities and serene beaches.
In
the area of security Russia is a leader in terms of armaments and the military
industrial complex of Russia is one of the best. As such we could engage the
Russians to secure top notch and affordable armaments for our men in uniform.
In the midst of the security sector reform, it is my hope that Russia can be
engaged in providing vital logistical support in terms of military trucks,
jeeps and other gadgets to beef up our efforts in downsizing and creation of a
more professional army. After all it was Dmitry Yazov- one of the greatest
Russian generals who once famously said that “ Armia eto chast obsestva”-
meaning the army is part of society.
