MORE THAN TWO MILLION SPENT ON UPLIFTING FIRE-RAVAGED FILLING STATION

After a heavy inferno destroyed Brikama’s Elton filling station in June, 2012, the Oil Company’s general manager disclosed that two million and six hundred thousand dalasi (D2.6M) have been spent to give it a facelift.

According to a source close to MarketPlace, Bakary Jammeh, the general manager of Elton
Oil Company, Gambia Ltd, has disclosed the damage done to the station during the fire incident was estimated at D2M, but it has cost his company D2.6M to mend the dent.

The fire damaged the Elton canopy and pumps and also spread to some shops in a neighbouring compound. The restoration process of the canopy has been completed while the restoration of the eight shops is ongoing.

Whilst he said that almost all works to have all equipments and material back in place have been completed, he added the “next step is to work with the Office of the Governor of the West Coast Region to compensate the owners of the eight shops that were also affected by the incident”.

The fence that separates the station from Sillah Kunda has been adjusted in order to withstand and contain any emergency, he added.

“That fence was a good containing factor to the fire not reaching Sillah Kunda.”
The incident that sparked a wave of panic in Brikama, occurred on the 7 June when fire broke out from an engine of a tanker truck that was discharging fuel. Many shops were destroyed.

MINISTERS LEAD TREES TRANSPLANTING TO RESTORE LOST FOREST RESOURCES

Two Cabinet ministers were among over 300 volunteers from the communities of Kangfenda and Kanilai, including members of the Wood Re-exporters and Forest Users Association of The Gambia, who embarked on Mahogany transplanting exercise, aimed at “maintaining the country’s forest cover by replacing the cut trees”.

Fatou Ndey Gaye and Solomon Owens, ministers of Forestry and Environment, and Agriculture, respectively, took the front steps in the exercise that showed the transplanting of 800 Mahogany trees along the Kangfenda-Kanilai Highway in Foni Kansala.

Fatou Ndey Gaye

Minister Gaye said: “The exercise is very important for the environment. If we kill and exhaust all the trees we have today what will the children use in the future? We would have caused a lot of problems for them.”
Through initiatives by the president, the country aims to plant one million trees every year.

On his part, Solomon Owens also described the initiative as important. He said that one will see the big difference when comparing the environment 42 years ago and today. He lamented that most of the trees are gone, pointing out that the disappeared trees are not the cheap and small ones, but trees that are very expensive.
Whilst he recalled that a report published 10 years ago stated that despite all the efforts put into tree planting every year, the survival rate at the end of the season is always less than 10%.

Minister Owens

Also speaking at the closing of the exercise, the acting director of Forestry, Sarjoh Fatajoh, said the objective of the tree planting exercise was to replace the ones that were cut. He stressed on the need for a proper security mechanism to ensure the survival of the planted trees.

“Tree planting is a very important exercise because for years back there was more rainfall than we have now and human beings cannot live without trees and there cannot be life without trees. Therefore, the importance of trees cannot be overemphasised. This is just the beginning. We are going to continue the exercise and it is going to be countrywide,” he added.

WESTERN POWERS PREPARING INTERVENTION IN MALI

According to eyewitness reports, Islamists recently tore down at least four mausoleums in the Malian world heritage city of Timbuktu. Members of the rebel group Ansar Dine are also alleged to have desecrated the graves of the saints Sidi Mahmud, Sidi Moctar and Alpha Moya and destroyed the mausoleum of Sheikh al-Kebir, which is situated close to the famous mosque of Djingareyber, south of Timbuktu.

The chief prosecutor of the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Fatou Bensouda, called for an immediate halt to all violence and condemned the destruction that had taken place as a “war crime”. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called on the UN Security Council to approve the dispatch of a rapid deployment force of 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers in the region. Former colonial power France also demanded immediate intervention by the UN.

A MAP OF MALI



These developments in Mali, whose population of 15 million numbers amongst the poorest in the world, are a result of the political turmoil that emerged after a military coup in March 2012. The coup ended the rule of President Amadou Toumani Touré, who was replaced by Army Captain Amadou Sanogo.

The coup followed the country’s destabilization by thousands of Tuareg fighters who had supported Muammar Gaddafi against foreign intervention troops in the Libyan war. After Gaddafi’s defeat, they returned home heavily armed and, in many cases, traumatized. Facing catastrophic living conditions, they joined forces with the radical Islamists of Ansar Dine and conquered several cities in the north of Mali, among them Timbuktu, and in April proclaimed the Islamic Republic of Azawad.

The Army attributed its coup against Touré to a lack of support for their struggle against the Tuareg tribes. The insurgent troops imposed a nationwide curfew, temporarily suspended the constitution, and indefinitely postponed the presidential election that had been scheduled for March 2012.

coup leader Capt. Amadu Sanago



In late March, the ECOWAS countries posed an ultimatum to the new rulers demanding the reestablishment of constitutional order and the re-imposition of the old government. They threatened to close their borders with Mali, stop trade and block Mali’s accounts with the West African Central Bank.

The coup’s leader, Amadou Sanogo, reacted by reestablishing the constitution, promising democratic elections and handing over civil power to former parliamentary president Dioncounda Traoré. After fierce fighting in which Traoré was injured, Sanogo was once again able to gain the upper hand and took over as transitional president.

Mali’s significance for the imperialist powers has less to do with its economy than with its geostrategic position. It borders on the economically important countries of Northern Africa and on Western African countries with vast resources. It is regarded as a hub for exercising economic and political influence in the region.

Former president Touré, who came to power in a coup in 1991, enjoyed US military and economic support for many years. According to figures released by the US government, Washington backed Mali with $138 million in 2011 and planned to increase its support to $170 million in 2012. A joint military manoeuvre between US forces and the Mali army took place in January.

The new ruler is by no means unknown to the US government. Sanogo took part in language training courses in Texas from August 2004 until February 2005. In 2007, he was schooled by the US Secret Service and trained as an infantry officer in Georgia for five months.

Interim president Joncounda Traore whose Palace was stormed, returned home from receiving medical treatment



It is quite possible that Sanogo’s coup was arranged in cooperation with the US government. However, imperialist forces will not be happy with the result because Mali’s north is still in the hands of the insurgents. A future UN intervention supported by the US cannot be excluded, because for Washington, Mali is particularly important from the standpoint of containing Chinese influence in Africa.

Just as the international intervention in Libya was aimed in part at denying China access to North African oil, a military intervention in Mali in cooperation with the US would target Chinese influence in the country.

This influence has grown in recent years. Chinese direct investments in Mali increased 300-fold from 1995 to 2008. Mali ranks with Zambia, South Africa and Egypt among African countries where China has made its largest investments.

In addition to the United States, France also has an intense interest in its former colony, and is just waiting to “rescue” the country’s cultural heritage with a military intervention backed by the UN Security Council. France wants to preempt a new competitor in the battle for spheres of influence—Germany, whose imperialist appetite is steadily increasing. In Germany, a “Sahel Task Force” was launched in February with the remit to attend to “political, security and economic issues in the Sahel region,” which includes parts of Mali.

TENSIONS AT CHINA-AFRICA SUMMIT

The Chinese leadership held its latest summit with African countries last week, attended by six heads of state and ministers from 50 countries. In a bid to boost its influence across the continent, China agreed to provide $US20 billion in credit, doubling the amount it offered at the previous Forum on China-Africa Cooperation three years ago.

Sensitive to Western criticisms of “Chinese neo-colonialism”, President Hu Jintao insisted in his speech to the forum that “a new type” of strategic partnership between China and Africa had been established. “We should oppose the practices of the big bullying the small, the strong dominating over the weak and the rich oppressing the poor,” Hu said. He pledged that China would be “a good friend, a good partner and a good brother”.

Hu listed what China had done for Africa: $15 billion of preferential loans, 100 schools, 30 hospitals, 30 anti-malaria centres and 20 agricultural technology demonstration centres, as well as the training of 40,000 African personnel and 20,000 scholarships.

Beijing has directed the state media to counter the “neo-colonial” charges. The Xinhua news agency declared the accusation was “biased and ill-grounded”, because the Sino-African relationship is based on “equality and mutual benefit … fact is more convincing than rhetoric.” It insisted that China has provided “Africa with much-needed products and technologies, and a vast market for its commodities.”

Accusations of Chinese “colonialism” by the US and European powers are motivated by nothing else except concern for their own strategic and commercial interests that are under challenge from Beijing. Africa was carved up between the imperialist states in the nineteenth century, and ever since the continent’s natural resources and cheap labour have been the preserve of US and European corporations. The major powers now aim to maintain the status quo and shut out China.

Last year US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took a thinly-veiled swipe at China in a speech in Zambia that warned of a “new colonialism” threatening Africa. “We saw that during colonial times, it is easy to come in, take out natural resources, pay off leaders and leave,” she declared. The criticisms are part of the Obama administration’s offensive to undercut Chinese influence in Asia and around the world.

As part of this campaign, the Obama administration is building up its military presence in Africa. Last month, the Pentagon approved the deployment of 3,000 US troops across Africa in 2013, as part of its “regionally aligned force concept”. At present, 1,200 US military personnel are stationed in Djibouti.

The US and its Western allies have already used military force to undermine China’s position in Africa. The NATO war that toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi last year also cost China some $4 billion in investment. The division of Sudan into two countries, which was orchestrated by the US and its European allies, was also aimed at undermining China. Beijing had developed Sudan into a major oil supplier from the 1990s.

President Hu’s defensive remarks at the forum were aimed at countering criticism not only from the Western powers, but also within Africa. While still small by comparison to Western powers, China’s investment is not benign but is aimed at furthering the demands of Chinese capitalism for raw materials, markets and profits.

A CONVERGENCE OF ASIAN & AFRICAN LEADERS




Even South African President Jacob Zuma, who has been a key African leader pushing for closer ties with China, warned of “unsustainable” trade relations based on the export of energy and raw materials to China and the import of cheap Chinese manufactured goods. “Africa’s past economic experience with Europe dictates a need to be cautious when entering into partnerships with other economies,” Zuma said.

Zuma is facing growing calls for protectionism at home. Congress of South African Trade Unions official Tony Ehreinrich told the BBC in May that in Western Cape alone, 120,000 jobs in the clothing industry had been lost over the past five years. He demanded that Chinese exports be kept “out of our markets”. The unions have recently concluded a deal with South African textile manufacturers slashing the wages of new workers by 30 percent, in the name of maintaining competitiveness with Chinese imports.

To alleviate the “unbalanced” trade, China has agreed to import more non-mining products from Africa, as well as to invest more in African industry, rather than just mining and infrastructure.

Underlying the tensions at the forum is the rapid growth of China’s economic relations with Africa. In 2009, China overtook the US to become Africa’s single largest trading partner. Two-way trade hit $166 billion last year, with a trade surplus in Africa’s favour due to surging exports of minerals, oil and agricultural products. China’s foreign direct investment in Africa has skyrocketed from under $100 million in 2003 to more than $12 billion in 2011, mainly in infrastructure, often to facilitate the shipment of raw materials.

Speaking at the New York Forum Africa conference last month, Gao Xiqiang, vice-chairman of the China Investment Corporation, emphasised the real driving forces behind China’s economic involvement with Africa. “Wherever there’s profit to be made, capital will go there. There’s not much difference for Chinese capital, as compared to any capital in the world,” he said.

Gao insisted that China was not competing with American capital, whose capital market accounts for almost half of the world total. “Despite all the income investment in Africa, China only accounts for a few percentage points, whereas the Western powers have been here for forever and they account for more than 90 percent, especially the minerals and resources investment. So we don’t compete; we come here to cooperate.”
Gao’s appeal for cooperation undoubtedly fell on deaf ears in Washington. Amid a worsening global economic crisis, the US is not willing to countenance any challenge to its economic and strategic dominance in Africa or any other corner of the globe.


The author John Chan writes for the World Socialist Web Site

GAMBIA: TOURISM SECTOR SHINES DESPITE BOTTLENECKS IN GLOBAL ECONOMY, SAHEL REGION

The Minister of Tourism and Culture of The Gambia has appreciated the trend of the tourism sector saying it is undergoing “tremendous transformation”, despite the turbulence in the global economy, exacerbated by political turmoil in some parts of the Middle East, North Africa and in the Sahel.

Minister Fatou Mas Jobe-Njie was speaking during the recent Ecowas Tourism Ministers’ Summit hosted by The Gambia at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi, where she said “this tremendous transformation” came as a result of the dynamic changes at the global level, which has necessitated the adoption of certain reforms at both global and national levels to meet the challenges and stay competitive.
The global economic meltdown coupled with regional and sub-regional crises have affected tourism in many parts of the world, albeit its resilience in some countries, she added.

Fatou Mass Jobe



Despite this situation, the tourism minister said, it is gratifying to note that at the level of ECOWAS, some very pragmatic, robust programmes and projects have been ongoing and are underpinned by a consistent consultative process.
Commenting on the level of development of the tourism sectors of ECOWAS states, Minister Jobe-Njie noted that while some countries have relatively successful tourism industries that contribute significantly to the national economy, others are only beginning to experience some modest development in their tourism sectors, with some being affected by ongoing conflicts.

“In spite of these disadvantages, the potentials for our sub-region to emerge as a hot spot tourism multi-destination remain huge,” she added.
In terms of experience, the minister said The Gambia hopes to be at the forefront in terms of sharing best practice and experiences.
“This is borne out of the fact that Gambia has over the years laid a solid foundation for its tourism sector and over the course of time accumulated a wide range of expertise in terms of tourism management and planning as well as in responsible tourism development.”

Hon. Jobe-Njie said a lot of strides have been registered in responsible tourism, citing the development and setting in train of a “responsible tourism policy, to articulate a functional eco-tourism policy”.
This is also vital since The Gambia is serving as host to the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT); and institutionalising an interactive and unique partnership between the public and private sectors in terms of responsible tourism partnership.
The event availed sub-regional tourism authorities the opportunity to share best practises on some of the nomenclatures of tourism in the continent.

EU SACLES UP AID TO THE SAHEL AMIDST FINANCIAL SAGA IN EUROPE

Despite the ongoing financial crisis that has made it difficult or impossible for some countries in the eurozone to re-finance their government debts without the assistance of third parties, the European Union, which is in the epicenter of this crisis, has buried its heads under the rubble and gone ahead to increase its humanitarian funding to the Sahel by €40 million.

This aid package, known as humanitarian aid, has come just weeks before the food crisis is set to peak across the region where 18 million people are in danger from hunger.
This package brings the European Union’s response to the food crisis in the Sahel to €337 million.

The funding increase has come just as the European Commission is hosting a high level gathering on the Sahel hunger crisis.
International donors, representatives from Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Nigeria, as well as international and local organisations are in attendance.

Among the delegates are Valerie Amos, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Nancy Lindborg, assistant administrator for Democracy at USAID.
The meeting intends to launch a new partnership on strengthening the resilience of the Sahel to future crises. The initiative, called AGIR Sahel (Alliance Globale pour l’Initiative Resilience), has one core aim: to make sure the people in the Sahel can better cope with future droughts – a catch 22 situation that has left many Sub-Saharans reeling in poverty and hunger.

Kristalina Georgieva, the European Commissioner for International Cooperation,
Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, said: “This funding is about saving lives in an emergency. It is our last chance to get to people when the crisis peaks. Right now people across the Sahel are starting to scrape the bottom of empty grain stores.
“Their only remaining options are to sell their animals, farm tools and eat the grain they should now be planting for the next harvest. This funding is aimed at preventing people having to make these desperate choices. The result is that they will be more resilient for future shocks that may occur.”

Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs



Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs added: “In today’s world, it is difficult to accept that some people don’t have enough to eat. This can be prevented by working with Sahel countries and international partners to put in place sound agricultural systems to prevent future crisis. Yet such resilience cannot be built overnight. The AGIR Sahel Initiative will bring together all the key players in this challenge and give people in the region hope for a more stable future in the long term.
The EU will play its part by focusing its aid on agriculture and food security in the coming years. ‘This is one of the key foundation on which we can build sustainable and inclusive growth.”

The European Commission is the leading humanitarian donor in this year’s Sahel food crisis. It has reached nearly 7 million people with its funding. The Commission provided support as soon as the warning signs for hunger began to flash in 2011, and has remained at the forefront of international efforts to reduce emergency needs leading up to the peak of the crisis in the coming weeks.

The €40 million of funding proposed today will go towards blanket feeding programmes for children and distribution of food to the poorest households. Where food is still available on local markets, the funding will be used to distribute money to people to buy food for themselves.
Part of this funding will also help to provide food, water, health care and shelter for the estimated 400,000 Malians displaced by conflict.

THE SITUATION BACK HOME IS ALARMING

Gambians are grappling with inflation in food prices at local markets, amidst reports that the raining season has delayed this year. People are finding it difficult to keep their heads above water and electricity availability – which may help minimise poverty by an iota – has become a chimera.

However, the European Commission has contributed €6 million (D240 million) to the World Food Programme in The Gambia and Senegal to address the rapid deterioration of the food security and nutrition status of the countries’ most vulnerable people.
The funds will pay for the distribution of five thousand metric tonnes of rice in The Gambia, where the WFP estimates that approximately 206,000 people in the 19 most affected districts are in need of emergency food assistance due to crop failure exacerbated by high food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty levels, sources revealed.

Targeted food distributions will take place from July onwards. The rice will be provided by Brazil as part of a “twinning” project, allowing developed and developing countries to cooperate to maximise the impact of WFP contributions.
Cargo of Brazilian rice will arrive more rapidly and is up to 30% cheaper than rice bought through regional or international procurement.
The National Disaster Management Agency will be involved in the implementation of this emergency response, which will focus on the West Coast Region, North Bank Region, Lower River Region, Central River Region and Upper River Region.

ACCESS BANK HOLDS AGM WITH TOTAL ASSETS, CONTINGENTS GROW AT D991 MILLION

Access Bank (Gambia) Ltd on Wednesday held its fifth Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the bank’s head office along Kairaba Avenue. Started with a required quorum, the meeting witnessed the Chairman board of directors of the bank, Bai Mattar Drammeh, declared total assets and contingents to have grown by 7.7% from dalasi 920 million in 2010 to dalasi 991 million as at end December 2011. “The bank implemented turnaround strategies that resulted to operational profit (before credit loss) of GMD3 million compared to a loss of GMD16 million in [the] year 2010. However, the high level of non-performing loan was a challenge and resulted to further provision,” he said. Mr Drammeh pointed to the global economy slow recovery and said fears of recession “remained prevalent with a rash of sovereign rating downgrades across Europe”. However, as emerging and developing markets like Gambia continue to outperform the global economy growth benchmarks, Mr Drammeh pointed that the country’s economy in particular was “challenged with the poor harvest season” that left thousands of Gambians surviving on bread and water. The Gambia’s central bank was not left out in creating a climate of steady economy growth, despite u-turn global economy growth. Mr Drammeh was clear when he added: “The year was characterised by government policies that ensured better fiscal discipline to tackle the decline in government revenue. “This reflected to improved fiscal position that has moderated inflation, interest and exchange rates. GDP grew by 5.4% and inflation hovered around 5% in year 2011.” Oladapo Fajemirokun as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Mr Drammeh continued: “The year continued to be challenging for banks as they focused on cleaning up their balance sheet due to high level of non-performing loans. The focus of the banking industry is to meet the new regulatory minimum capital of GMD200 million by [end] December 31, 2012.” Bai Mattar Drammeh, who also serves as the president of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry went down memory lane to accentuate some of the undertakings Access Bank Gambia Ltd has been able to carry out. “The bank continues to demonstrate strong leadership role in discharging its Corporate Social Responsibility in the areas of education and health.” At the climax of the meeting, the Board appointed Oladapo Fajemirokun as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Mr Fajemirokun, who has fifteen years of experience in corporate, development, commercial banking, and oil and gas, replaces Mr Oleka Ojiogo, who has worked six years with the bank in the country, two years of which he serves as a managing director.

GTTI EXHIBITION: GAMBIAN STUDENTS SHOWCASE TALENTS

Whilst technical education is taking upward swing, burgeoning into a well-embraced venture, the young ones that have joined the enterprise have proven the necessity of the course. Few days ago when the students of Architect and Draughtsmanhsip of the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) held their 2nd annual Arts and Architectural Exhibition at the institute, The Gambia was made to see that Gambian students have talents. A drawing that depicts Aminata Hydara The head of Architectural Draughtsmanship Section, Mrs Aminata Hydara, said time was ripe for the draughtsmanship discipline to produce technicians for the country, save for the fact that discipline was lagging behind, compared to other areas of technical studies. With the realisation of the importance of architectural education on the “creative and aesthetic processes”, she pointed, “it was thought necessary that the architectural draughtsmanship programme be commenced in the institute”. The exhibition exposed talents and creativeness of Gambian students, who brought in spotlight drawings, designs and earth-constructions viewed by thousands of people. The course is broad, but more significantly, it is an avenue for self-employment among the teeming youthful population of the country, Mrs Hydara said. “While also developing students’ creative abilities and understanding, the primary emphasis of this course is building technology and the communication of the design and production [of] information. “This course prepares the student to operate as an independent practitioner as well as to work as a member of a team. The graduate will be qualified to work within organisations on both the design and sides of the industry. “To prepare the student for a particular vocational role and at the same time lay the foundation for cultivating the abilities for a higher level of studies. The necessity of being properly informed the power of rational thought and creative imagination and the importance of understanding the broader context with regard to society and the environment will all be incorporated. By being stimulating and challenging, the course will offer the student the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally,” she opined. Architectural Draughtsmanship is growing into being one of the most marketable disciplines, because many have cherished the embodiment attached to it: a well-regarded course with a potential of self-employed venture. In an inspiring speech, Kris Powers (Amie Ceesay) a third-year Peace Corpse Volunteer who lectures in the school, told students to bear stoical and work hard, knowing that the longest day will come to an end. She advised the students, saying: “The world has many lessons to teach you. I consider the world, this Earth, to be like a school and our lives the classrooms. And sometimes lessons on this Earth come dressed up as detours or roadblocks, and sometimes as full-blown crises. “It’s being able to walk through life eager and open to self-improvement and that which is going to best help you evolve, because that’s why we’re here, to evolve as human beings, to grow into being more of ourselves, always moving to the next level of understanding, the next level of compassion and growth.” Amie Ceesay, Aminata Hydara and Minister Jammeh on the high table In what appeared to be one of her last public speeches before ending her voluntary service, Amie Ceesay said: “I chose to join the U.S. Peace Corps to serve my country. What I’ve learned from working here with all of you, is not only am I serving my country, I’m also serving yours as well. All of you have taught me many things about life, things that you can’t learn from a book and I hope that you have also learned a few things from me. The Gambia has become my second home.” Youth and Sports Minister Alieu Jammeh was among the dignitaries that graced the annual occasion.

FATE OF SUN BEACH HOTEL IN LIMBO

While the management of Sun Beach Hotel and its staff have failed to break barriers over demand for forced-vacation and salary payment, the hotel manager has said he would “close the hotel”, a source closer to MarketPlace has revealed. According to our source, the manager said he would close the hotel and if the matter is taken to court, it would prove futile. The source also said that majority of the staff have spent almost 10 years working in the said hotel but are still paid a paltry D930. “We used to call our salary ‘half past nine’ because we are paid only D930 a month,” the source explained.

Sun Beach Hotel What used to be an environment conducive for Chefs, barkeepers and cooks in a hotel with one of the best beaches of all the resorts coupled with a picturesque curve of fine white sand with thatched umbrella shades, is on the verge of closing. Our source said the junior staff have resolved that “no staff will go on unpaid leave”, but must be paid their entitlements if the hotel is to be closed. “It is just like history is repeating itself. Last year, some staff went for leave without being paid and when they resumed, their services with the hotel were terminated,” the source noted. The Management has told more than one hundred staff of the hotel to “go” on vacation for almost half year without their pockets being filled with rewards for their labour. Now the hotel management is in bad times, as reports have it that the hotel “cannot operate”, and management is considering “closing the hotel”, which used to have one of the best tourist accommodations in The Gambia, blending in with its surroundings, brightly and colourfully decorated.

A panorama view from the hotel Whilst the Management is considering a redundancy and ultimately closing the hotel, the fates of some of the staff are hanging on the balance as on Monday 21 May 2012 a meeting was convened with heads of departments, which resulted in the heads of departments informing the junior staff that Modibo Taal – the manager -- made a decision that staff should proceed on vacation for five months without salary until October 15, 2012 – this is the last straw that broke the camel’s back. It would be recalled that an online newspaper reported a letter supposedly written to President Jammeh by the staff of the hotel, alleging poor working conditions. Daily Observer was quoted as reporting: “A crisis broke out Thursday (exact date not confirmed) between the management and the junior staff of Sun Beach Hotel and Resort at Cape Point in Bakau, after the manager of the hotel, Modibo Taal, told 104 staff to go on vacation for five months without salary.” “The generator is faulty and the swimming pool sometimes has problems. The pool does not contain chlorine, that is why tourists are running away from the hotel,” Dembo Camara, the barkeeper, who has worked with the hotel for the past ten years, was quoted by the Daily Observer as saying. The Sun Beach Hotel started in 1971 under the name of Sunwing which was one of the Swedish Vingresor's portfolios. This changed in 1999 when Airtours, having acquired Vingresor, had it re-named. It was designed by Peter Gibbons and renovated in 1989. Sun Beach, located in the Cape Point, has some facilities such as a mini-market, craft market, a few small restaurants, exchange bureaus and a tourist market, within walking distance. Whilst the Atlantic Ocean and beaches have become major impetus for hotels in the country, Sun Beach Hotel has enjoyed lots of opportunities over the years, as it is situated in a hoteliers' ideal location, facing the Atlantic Ocean's beach and the river-mouth. Meanwhile, efforts to reach the manager were unsuccessful. However, when approached, the internal manager, Hamat Bah, said the issue “is an internal matter”, according to Daily Observer. Mr Tall has however denied the allegation of mistreating workers, describing it as untrue, false and misleading. “I spend my money and time just to keep them [the workers] at least for the season but what they are saying is totally wrong,” he said. “I work twice with the hotel but the shareholders are not contributing and I alone cannot operate the hotel,” he explained further, adding that he had even written to the shareholders about the situation of the hotel but there was no response. The only alternative is to close during off-season, which is something, he added, is un-peculiar to Sun Beach Hotel alone. He explains further: “What I said was since the hotel is not having customers, the staff should go for a voluntary leave. Some accepted and others did not. I personally reported the matter to the Labour Department to look into the matter to make sure that the staff rights are secured and protected.”

REPORT HOLDS AFRICAN GOV’TS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTINENT’S MISFORTUNES

Chronic food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa stemmed from decades of poor governance. Regimes bent on amassing wealth absorbed the region’s resources into patrimonial power structures. Self-serving elite, quick to amass wealth from graft and patronage, have stood between leaders and the people, monopolized state revenues and emptied the countryside, but they have provided neither employment nor industry. These are among the highlights of the latest UNDP-Africa Development report. The report was made available on May 15 after its embargo elapsed. Africans are not fated to starve - provided that governments move decisively to put in place appropriate policies and support mechanisms. Famine, starvation and food insecurity are preventable. The shameful scenes of feeding tents and starving children that have been associated with sub-Saharan Africa for far too long can be eliminated once and for all, Tegegnework Gettu, UNDP Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director, Bureau for Africa, was quoted in the report as saying. The report, which is the work of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), argues that sub-Saharan Africa can extricate itself from pervasive food insecurity by acting on four critical drivers of change: greater agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers; more effective nutrition policies, especially for children; greater community and household resilience to cope with shocks; and wider popular participation and empowerment, especially of women and the rural poor.

Tegegnework Gettu Gettu said: “A well-nourished and empowered population, in turn, is more likely to seek education, participate in society and expand its productive and human potential. With the right policies and institutions Africa can sustain this virtuous cycle of higher human development and enhanced food security.” The report highlights African governments’ lacunae, whilst laying emphasis on daily violation of people’s dignity, “with many governments not fulfilling their basic responsibilities of protecting their citizens from hunger”. The chain of food security that runs from availability through access to use comes under constant stress in a region vulnerable to the impacts of erratic weather, volatile food prices, and conflict and violence. Agricultural productivity remains low— much lower than in other regions. Many sub-Saharan African countries are net food importers and even depend on food aid during all-too-frequent humanitarian crises, the Report explains. The report, entitled ‘Toward a food secure’, observes that misguided policies, weak institutions and failing markets are the deeper causes of sub-Saharan Africa’s food insecurity. “For decades the policies of national governments and international institutions neglected sub-Saharan Africa’s rural and agricultural development in favour of urban populations,” the report states. “Their damaging legacies include ineffective postcolonial industrialization plans that exhausted development resources, leaving agriculture behind. Structural adjustment programmes aimed to close budget gaps but instead created large human development deficits, especially among the vulnerable poor and skewed allocations of national revenue and foreign aid that overlooked agriculture and nutrition.” Despite some improvements since the mid-1990s, the report holds governments responsible for sub-Saharan Africa’s smallholder farmers’ giving up the struggle to compete against the world’s most formidable agricultural systems, citing heavy subsidies and other factors as bottlenecks. “African governments continue to [put] burden on domestic agriculture with high, arbitrary taxes while bestowing subsidies, incentives and macroeconomic support on other sectors. Meanwhile, many developed countries have moved the other way, heavily subsidizing agriculture long after its role as a development driver has passed, giving their farmers a tremendous advantage in international trade. Sub-Saharan Africa’s smallholder farmers, sidelined by biased policies and squeezed by failing markets, long ago gave up struggling to compete against the world’s most formidable agricultural systems.” How Food Insecurity Persists amid Abundant Resources? The report argues that despite sub-Saharan Africa’s rich land and water resources, yet hunger and starvation are widespread. “This contradiction stems less from the continental availability of food and more from glaringly uneven local production and access and chronically deficient nutrition, especially among the poorest.” Food systems in a region vulnerable to the effects of erratic weather, volatile food prices, and conflict and violence, are some of the dynamics undermining the three interrelated components of food security: availability, access, and use.

Measured by agricultural production, food availability has gradually improved, but agricultural productivity remains low – much lower than in other regions. Most sub-Saharan African countries are net food importers, and many depend on food aid during all too frequent humanitarian crises. Even where food is available, millions cannot afford it or cannot acquire it because of underdeveloped markets and weak physical infrastructure. “But food security goes beyond availability and access. Proper use of food determines whether food security sustains human development. Insufficient access to safe water, energy and sanitation conspires with diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria to perpetuate food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa.”