Mr. Sanyang,

Thanks very much for your inputs concerning the aid that has been approved for The Gambia by the EU. Unfortunately I do not have any idea yet as to how much of this money would be put aside for technical or administration/expatriate use or for directly helping our rural poor in whose name the money was sought for in the first place.

Having said that, I would like to explain some of the reasons why I applaud this aid as well as what I hope it would be used for. According to the EU release, the money is meant for poverty alleviation and rural development. This allows a lot of room for manoevre which, in my oppinion, can be both good and bad. Good in the sense that it allows for a change of strategy, approach as well as goals. Bad in the sense that it may allow the diversion of a much needed aid, given in the name of our rural poor, to projects that do not benefit them in any way or to private bank accounts.

Over the years, the government has done a lot for our rural poor. This, they did without much assistance from the EU. This D810 million is by far the largest single grant that has been given to the country as far as I can remember. The time frame over which the money is expected to be spent (5 years) also means that the success or failure of any project initiated with this money can be seen very quickly.

Another reason why we could jubilate stems from the fact that a lot of research and hardwork must have gone into the proposals sent to Brussels. This same strategy can be used for scouting for loans and grants from other potential sources.

Since coming to power, the government has interveaned in a big way in areas long neglected, but absolutely necessary for poverty alleviation and rural development. The construction of feeder roads, bringing clinics and schools closer to communities, the proliferation of community radios, the provision of watering holes for livestock, construction of first class wells, provision of farming machinery and inputs such as fertilisers and small loans, construction of mini-stadia and community centres, bringing phones and energy supply to rural towns and villages, all help towards alleviating and possibly eradicating poverty from our midst.

In addition to these efforts, I would also like to see the rehabilitation and upgrading of all rural development institutes and skills centres. These should go hand-in-hand with sustained civic education, forest management, encouraging the diversification of our agricultural produce and continued reclaiming of farmland lost to saline intrusion. The Catholic Relief Services (CRF) are doing a wonderful job in this area by encouraging farmers to grow sessame as an alternative cash crop. The production of this cash crop, which pays much more than groundnuts and easier to market, is increasingly attracting farmers throughout the country. Production have increased significantly over the years, from a few hundred tonnes per annum to several thousand tonnes. Cotton farming should also be encouraged as well as community gardens such as the Banjulunding and Bakau community gardens.

These are my thoughts for now.

On a personal note, my views about events in the country is perhaps the same as most others. However I cannot and dare not claim that I love The Gambia more than any other, nor do I dare claim to have a monpoly of ideas to move us forward. As far as I am concerned we can either debate issues with respect so as to hear diverse opinions for the betterment of all or stiffle debates name-calling or resorting to insults. I personally prefer the former.

Have a good day, Gassa.