The latest intervention by the government of the republic of China on Taiwan in The Gambia shows the ROC giving a much-needed boost to the country’s new Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE), which is a most highly welcomed development.
The Taiwanese government through its ambassador in Banjul last Thursday presented a cheque for US$384,963 (equivalent to D92.5 million) to the Gambia government.
The funds, we were told, are for the procurement of vehicles for the various government departments, with a view to enhancing mobility and complementing the country’s efforts in attaining the PAGE.
With this latest gesture, Taiwan once gain has proven to be a true and realible partner to The Gambioa’s development endavours.
Over the years, we have seen the country enjoy ROC benevolence, particularly in education, health, agriculture and infrastructure development.
This latest huge donation of money, when fully utilized would, no doubt, boost the attaininment of the PAGE by enhancing the mobility of many government departments.
Mobility has been a challenge for most government institutions, but with this latest intervention by the Taiwanese government things should improve greatly.
Even though the two countries are thousands of miles apart geographically, the ROC has found in Gambia an exceptional ally in Africa, and in the international arena.
Other than this latest intervention, ROC annually provides hundreds of thousands of dollars to The Gambia’s health and other national priority sectors.
We must emphasize that all ROC assistance to this country is intended for good causes.
Consequently, we hope that the vehicles when purchased will be well taken care of, so as to enable them serve for long in our endeavours to attain the PAGE.