Hon. Rohey John Manjang made the remarks on Friday 19 January at the Governor’s Office in Mansakonko at the opening session of the ministry`s annual retreat.
The objectives of the retreat are to assess the achievements and challenges faced during the implementation of the 2023 work plan and also review the 2024 annual work plan for the various departments, units and agencies under the Ministry.
“If you fail to plan then you are planning to fail,” she said, adding that [they] the workers have a lot to do for Gambians who are paying their salaries.
“To whom much is given much is expected,” she avers. “We are opportune to be given the privilege to serve; therefore, we need to deliver as expected.”
She said a lot was achieved in 2023, but the Ministry must do more to deliver for the Gambian people. “Let`s serve with only the purpose of having The Gambia develop. Individually we can achieve successes, but collectively we can achieve much more,” she inspired the workers, saying: “We have a responsibility to deliver. Sometimes unexpected things may come our way but we have to find ways around the man-made challenges and overcome them.”
She also said that smart targets that dictate everyone’s responsibility must be established.
“We cannot deliver without specific targets,” the minister stated.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, Ebrima Jawara in his remarks on the occasion, said with the calibre of staff at the retreat, they expect fruitful and rich discussions to set them for 2024.
He also described the retreat as timely, saying at the end of it, they would have set the ball rolling to achieve their targets for 2024. “We will introduce key performance indicators for all unit heads to ensure the Ministry achieves its aims and objectives,” PS Jawara challenged the staff.
