FAO’s Babagana applauds Gambia’s leadership for national honour

Below is the full text of his letter.

              I have the greatest honour to refer to the special reception held by Her Excellency the vice president on 27th of August 2013, on the occasion of my official departure at the end of my tour of duty in the country, and more importantly, the very special award of the Insignia of the Commander of the National Order of the Republic of The Gambia, Your Excellency conferred on me at the event, in recognition of my performance during the course of my tenure as the Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to The Gambia.

It is with unexplained delight and very deep gratitude that I respectfully express profound thanks on my behalf, my family, staff of FAO representation and all those who in diverse ways within and outside the country made my sojourn in The Gambia worthy enough to attract the attention of Your Excellency, to the extent of conferring such a prestigious award to me.

I retrospect with great pleasure on the happy moments I have had in The Gambia, particularly the adoption of the first National Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy for the country, successful implementation of the Smallholder Commercialisation project, the project on MDG Initiative, programme on Control and Prevention of deadly cattle disease Contangious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, the protracted preparation but successful approval of The Gambia National Agriculture Investment Plan (GNAIP) and Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) as well as the convening of the first National Farmers Conference in the country.

These milestones would definitely not have been achieved without Your Excellency’s noticeable keen interest in the activities of the FAO, admirable leadership, personal and active participation in the Agricultural and Natural Resources sector, and of course, fatherly advice and example to the young. All of these attributes influenced greatly the excellent relationships and unshaken support I received from so many sources such as; the government, officials, NGOs, private sector interests and of course, my fellow farmers especially the women farmers, who in total made my work most enjoyable and fulfilling.

I take this opportunity to assure Your Excellency that the award will remain with me as an inspiration to greater commitment to service, and a beacon of direction for the rest of my life.. I have no doubt about the strong motivation this decision of Your Excellency will have on others in my and  related fields, to attain levels of proficiency in their duties and responsibilities, and produce results that will attract such recognition at the highest levels possible in a country.

Once again Your Excellency, kindly accept my sincere and profound thanks for your decision to honour me at such presidential levels. May Allah grant you the best of health; provide you continued guidance and profound wisdom to his glory and the welfare and prosperity of the people of The Gambia and beyond.

Yours faithfully,

Babagana Ahmadu