The
first batch of intelligence officers who were trained by the State Intelligence
Services (SIS), at its new Banjulinding academy has graduated on Friday.
The
graduation ceremony was attended by the Director General of SIS, Ousman Sowe,
and senior management and staff of the agency.
Many
have described the new academy as one of the best on the region. It was opened
in February 2019 by the then Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service.
Officials say the graduates were trained in areas ranging from terrorism and
counter-terrorism, economic threat, crisis management, intelligence tradecraft
and human rights, among others.
Director
General Ousman Sowe described the event as another milestone in the history of
The Gambia, calling on the graduates to live up to expectation with a view to
enabling the agency attain its objectives. “The academy is built with the
objective to train our operatives to meet international standard. I can tell
you that it is one of the best academies in the region that have all the
necessary facilities.”
He
said capacities building training for staff remains a top priority for the
senior management of the SIS. “We want to create an opportunity where our staff
can build their capacities in national security issues in for them to meet
international standard.”
The
batch, he went on, comprises both men and women and that they are the first to
be trained in their new academy. He congratulated the senior management for the
achievement the agency has registered for the past two years under his
leadership.
He
called on the graduates to exercise professionalism and be objective during the
course of their work and reporting, while reminding them of the ‘No more
excesses’ at the agency and other human rights violations, as it is part of
their reform agenda.
The
SIS boss informed the graduates that the government and the SIS will continue
to endeavour and provide the most conducive work environment for staff, while
attracting the best and the brightest of Gambians to work at the agency.
He
said over the past two years more than 60 staff of the agency has been
sponsored to undergo studies in higher institutions of learning within and
outside the country.
“Some
of our staff are currently doing higher diploma, postgraduate, graduate among
others in various filed including economics, international relations and
foreign laws, crisis management, medicine among others.”
The
SIS, Sowe stated, is focusing on transformation in the context of reforming and
repositioning the SIS as the premier intelligence service in The Gambia. “The
Service’s relationship and acceptability both within and outside the country
has significantly improved.”
The
SIS, he concluded, will continue to work in the interest of the country and the
people. “It will be a service of people that is not based on region, ethnicity,
and gender among others. We will continue to focus on our mandate in providing
intelligence gathering, analysis among others to country. Our operatives are
24hours working in ensuring that the country remains in peace in order to
enable us achieve rapid socio-economic development.”
