The
State Intelligence Service (SIS) graduated recruits at the Service’s
Headquarters in Banjul on Wednesday.
The
batch of officers are the first in conformity with its current transformation
and restructuring phase, geared towards repositioning, refocusing, recasting
and calibrating the institution to ensure a secure strong government, and a
safe and stable country.
The
graduation ceremony, which was presided over by the SIS Director General (DG)
Mr Ousman Sowe, marked the end of a six-week training course covering subject
areas pertinent to the day-to-day functions of the Service. The ceremony was
graced by the Deputy Director General, line Directors and staff of the SIS.
During
the course of the training, recruits were taught on relevant subject matters
such as Gender and Gender mainstreaming, Human Rights issues, including the
convention on the rights of women and children, refugee protection, counter
terrorism and counter espionage techniques. The course also addressed the three
major components of the learning process such as attitudes, skills, and
knowledge with regard to intelligence operations and coherence with upholding
and promoting peace, prosperity, freedom and democracy for all, consistent with
the values enshrined in the Constitution.
Cognizant
of ongoing reform and restructuring, under the dynamic leadership if the
Director General Mr. Ousman Sowe, the SIS training curriculum has been designed
to inculcate the core values of loyalty, dedication, commitment, and
professionalism in the delivery of the Service’s core constitutional mandate.
Readers
are reminded that whereas previously the emphasis on the use of Intelligence
was on the security of the state and the survival of the regime, now there is a
strong emphasis on human security and human rights and freedoms as enshrined in
the constitution.
Delivering
his keynote address, the SIS Director General Mr. Ousman Sowe, first thanked
The President of The Republic His Excellency Adama Barrow for approving the
training. He also thanked the training staff for sparing no effort during the 6
week training course to take the recruits through what was called a grueling,
knowledge seeking adventure so as to prepare them for the arduous task of
national duty.
To
the graduates, the Director General, urged them to never compromise on the core
professional ethics of courage, honesty and integrity, in view of demands for
reforms of public institutions most notably the Security and Intelligence Sectors
by Gambians as clearly expressed in the December 1, 2016 Presidential
Elections.
The
SIS DG expressed his confidence that the trainees have been inculcated with
adequate knowledge of basic human rights and skills to observe in their daily
dealings with the public as prescribed in the constitution and in line with
international standard practice.
He
wasted no time to call for cooperation as well as support from the SIS’s
Counterpart Institutions, Government Officials in the Executive, Legislative
and Judiciary bodies, NGOs, the powerful media, academia, all Gambians,
representatives of friendly governments and citizens of other countries living
in The Gambia, during what he called, ‘this teething period.’ to jealously
guard our newly found democratic values”. He added that all of us have a stake
in the security of this country and need therefore be ready to play our various
parts to ensure we feel safe in a turbulent environment.
Below
we produce an excerpt from the SIS DG’s address.
“...The
State Intelligence Service is in its infant stage. Our objectives are to serve,
not as oppressors of the people but protectors of their security and well-being
governed by policies that are ethical, honorable and in accordance with
fundamental human rights and freedoms as well as international best practices.
Whilst our operational techniques of covert collection of information are
secret, the rest of our intelligence activities will be open and participatory
so as to earn the confidence and full support of the public. That might not
have been the case before, but in any democracy it is essential that
intelligence services behave in an ethical and lawful manner and we cannot
afford to deviate on these values.
We
envisage building an intelligence service that is fully conscious and proud of
our democratic and constitutional foundations. We expect our intelligence
operatives, researchers and analysts to be highly trained and sophisticated.
The main function of our services should be the collection of true and relevant
information that can serve as a basis for first class decision-making on
security. Our intelligence services must rely on brains rather than brawn. We
must be effective and efficient and deliver quality products superior to those
ordinarily available. We are not and must never be another police service but
certainly with powers sufficient to carry out our core mandates on terrorism,
subversion, sabotage and all other threats to our national wellbeing.”
The
SIS DG, Mr. Ousman Sowe concluded by recording his profound thanks to all
counterpart institutions whose collaboration, cooperation and support have a
made significant contribution to the security of our country and people.
It
will be recalled that since his inception; the President and Head of State of
the Republic of The Gambia who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces, His Excellency Mr. Adama Barrow has renamed the defunct National
Intelligence Agency (NIA): the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and is
delivering on his promise of reforming and restructuring The Gambia’s
Intelligence Service to make it a vibrant national security institution that is
functional in the interests of the entire Gambian nation without prejudice.
It
is against this background that the SIS is engaged in not only training new
recruits but also conducting in-house and on-the-job training of its staff in a
bid to galvanize the institutions reform and restructuring agenda.
