By Muhammed Sailu Bah
Activista the Gambia held its first regional congress for Banjul at the Banjul
City Council (BCC) on Saturday, 8th November 2014.
The board and management of Activista in consultation with Activista International and Action Aid The Gambia, recently restructured the movement to be able to achieve their goals as outlined in the Constitution of Activitsa, the Gambia. The main aim of Activista, according to the organizers, is to promote growth and development of social consciousness and dialogue to effectively combat hunger, poverty and other social injustice in the Gambia.
Saiba T. Suso, Programme Assistant at Activista said Activista is Action Aids’ global youth network which is established in 20 countries all over the world and it embarks on campaigns to engage policy makers in order to address issues that affect farmers and young people as well.
He said a lot of young people have benefited from Activista The Gambia by undergoing international training to build their capacities in various fields which, he added, will go a long way in helping them to develop and improve their lives as young people.
In his welcoming remarks, Sulayman Bah of the Banjul Youth Committee welcomed all delegates to the congress. He said young people should be involved in national development endeavours such as the activities of youth groups to get orientation on development related issues.
Jainaba Faye, the outgoing chairperson, highlighted the challenges Activista Banjul was facing. Among them, she said, was lack of proper communication which she said hampers the success of the network in Banjul. She also said that these challenges should serve as a lesson to the incoming executive.
Muhammed Sailu Bah, the Activista Focal person for Banjul, also reiterated the challenges highlighted by the outgoing chairperson and also urged the young people of Banjul to take up their responsibilities and increase their commitment and take ownership of Actisvita so as to make it the best network among the regions.
Muhammed Lamin Saidykhan, the National Activista Coordinator said Activista is established in all the regions of the Gambia and since the Banjul branch is in the capital city of The Gambia, the members should strive to make the Banjul branch one of the best regional networks. He urged the members of the new executive to commit themselves to the network and communicate in order to make the network successful in its endeavours.
Alagie Jarju, the chairperson of the congress who also doubles as the Board chairperson of Activista The Gambia, advised the incoming executive not to wait for the board to provide them with information, but rather request for it. He reiterated the challenges raised by both the focal person and the chairperson of Banjul and further assured that the board will positively respond to them. He also urged the executive to work as colleagues and keep personal differences out of their work. He further explained the rules and regulations that govern the congress.
This was followed by the nomination of the candidates and voting which was conducted through secret ballot.
There were two independent observers who assisted in the counting of the results. The other observers were the officials from Activista namely the National Coordinator, the Program Assistant and Board Chairperson. The following individuals were elected, namely Abdoulie Krubally as Chairperson, Oumie Ceesay, Vice Chairperson, Mai Hydara, Treasurer, Adama Ndure and Sainey Sissoho as co-opted members.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Krubally, the newly elected Chairperson assured the Activista members and board of their commitment and promise to deliver up to expectations. He further urged his colleagues in the executive to work closely with the board to ensure the successful implementation of their activities.]]>
