The donation which was well received included three bales of blankets, bales of jeans and D20,000 dalasis worth of drugs to inmates.
The gesture was received by Director of Operation at the prison service, Mr Sowe, on behalf of his institution for onward delivery to the inmates.
Speaking at the handing-over ceremony, Mr Jaiteh, who doubles as the Cyprus Honorary Consul in The Gambia, hailed the significant role the security plays in maintaining peace and tranquility in the country.
“We cannot do our businesses without peace and tranquility in the country,” he said. “To this effect, I am thankful to the Gambia government for maintaining peace in the country and for creating the enabling environment for businessmen.”
He added that the gesture was necessitated by the cold weather to provide blankets to the inmates for comfort during the period.
“I am providing blankets, clothing like jeans and medicines to be delivered to the inmates who are there for one reason or the other,” he stated, saying: “Whatever may have been the reasons for their imprisonments should not warrant us to isolate them. Rather, we should support the prison authority in their rehabilitation process. I felt obliged to donate to the inmates and I believe these materials will be useful to them in protecting them against the cold weather.”
The reputable businessman took time to thank Gambians for their “relentless support” since the inception of his business, promising that he would continue to fulfill his corporate social responsibility by always supporting the needy and vulnerable members of the society.
On behalf of The Gambia Prison Services, the Director of Operation, Mr Sowe, thanked SK Jaiteh for the gesture, describing it as timely.
“Since, we were told about this donation, we were counting days and hours to be here,” he happily said. “The gesture is timely and will go a long way in helping the inmates.
“The government cannot do it alone and seeing the likes of Mr Jaiteh coming to complement the efforts of the government in all aspects is commendable. We are grateful and this shows the outstanding relationship between you and prison service which you have wholeheartedly cherished” Mr Sowe said to Mr Jaiteh in his vote of thanks.
He thanked Mr Jaiteh on behalf of the Interior Ministry and Prison Services for the donation, saying it came at a time the head of the institution was on a tour of duty to acquaint himself of the state of affairs in the prisons.
Mr Sowe was accompanied by the head of Medic at the Prison who also hailed Mr Jaiteh for the drugs, saying the donation would go a long way in supporting the well-being of inmates.
“The drugs we receive from the government are limited and we receive prisoners with different health conditions,” the Medic head said appreciatively. “These drugs will go a long way in stabilising the health conditions of inmates. I urge other businessmen to emulate Mr Jaiteh.” the Head of Medic expressed during the ceremony.
