WORLD LEADERS INFORMED OF GAMBIA’S GAINS ON MDG

Despite these challenges, some African countries like The Gambia have made ‘impressive’ gains on some of the set goals; something that was made known by its president, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh, when he mounted the podium to address his counterparts. 

“My government is on track to achieving the education MDG target for net enrolment in primary education and literacy rate among the population aged 15-24 years,” he told the high-level forum. “It has made serious and informed policy reviews to prioritise basic/primary education, while expanding access to secondary, higher and tertiary education with emphasis on improving quality in all areas,” he indicated.

Informing that his government is also working diligently to ensure that the gap in gender enrolment disparity is closed by 2014, the Gambian leader announced that it also wants to provide free education and an equitable chance for all to be literate by 2015 and beyond.

Commenting on the Post 2015 Development Agenda, the president stressed that they must ensure that that scheme builds on the important progress of the MDGs as well as expanded to cover broader sustainable development issues as agreed in Rio. Commending the president of the General Assembly for the theme chosen for this year’s session; “The Post 2015 Development Agenda:  Setting the Stage”, he underscored that clear, time-bound, targeted and measurable global benchmarks are crucial if they are to realise their desired objective.

“Protecting African livelihoods,” he said, “requires international, regional and country approaches that recognise and act on the overlap of conflicts orchestrated by the foreign powers and severe weather hazards”.  

The Gambia, according to him, firmly believes that mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and putting an immediate end to the massive looting of African natural resources by Western multinational companies call for timely and decisive global response.  

“It is a challenge that should unite us, not divide us. The Gambia is of the firm opinion that Africa should play an active role in shaping the goals based on its own development priorities and common interests,” he reiterated.