BY Madiba Singhateh
The Mayor of Mbao in the Republic of Senegal, and the Mayor of the Kanifing Municipality, have met with the Minister for Youth and Sports and that of Local Government, on Monday 3rd July 2017.
The Mayor of Mbao, Mr. Abdoulaye Pouye, who hails from the Ville de Pikine, together with his delegation, made a courtesy call on the two Ministers, regarding their agenda on sport for peace between the two countries.
Speaking at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Senegalease Mayor said their journey to the Gambia was to inform their hosts about the programs held between the two nations regarding the issue of youths and sport.
He said last year the youths of Senegal came to the Gambia and spent two weeks; that during this period, the youths were engaged in sports and cultural activities.
Mayor Pouye said the most important issue in this sporting and cultural corporation is for the youths of both sister countries to be familiar with each other as they are future leaders of the sub region. Mr. Pouye said that it is through this familiarization that they will be able to understand each other because they are one people, divided by colonial boundaries.
Mayor Pouye said he was engaged in Senegal, before coming; that he had visitors from France and Italy but that his visit to the Gambia is more important because he was coming to his own people. He added that Africans have to unite in order to help each other. Mayor Pouye thanked the Ministry of Sports for accepting their invitation as he was lately informed.
The Mayor of Kanifing Municipality, Mayor Yankuba Colley, on his part said, the visit of his counterpart from Senegal is about involving the youths of the two countries in sporting and cultural programs and activities. Mayor Colley thanked his counterpart and assured him that his municipality will respond to the invitation and will be travelling to Senegal to participate in the sporting and cultural programe for peace, in the sub region.
Mr. Henry Gomez, the Minister for Youth and Sports on his part, welcomed the delegation and the idea of organizing a sporting programe for peace, between the two sisterly nations. Minister Gomez asserted that it is only in the Gambia and Senegal, that you will fine similarities in language, food, dress and so forth between the people of the two countries.
He said the backbone of a country, is it’s human resource and the two sisterly countries are blessed with a youthful population.
He therefore craved the indulgence of the youth to involve themselves in the development of the country. He said if the ‘back way’ syndrome is stopped, the youth of the two countries can be fully involved in the development of their countries.
The Minister thanked Mayors Pouye and Colley for the initative.
At the ministry of Lands and Regional Government, Mr. Buba Sayang, the Permanent Secretary also thanked them for the visit, and promised that his Minister will be involved in the sports for peace programe, between the two sisterly countries.
