Demba Kandeh
Correspondent, The Gambia
On Tuesday 28 August 2018, President of the Republic of the Gambia, Mr Adama Barrow received members of the International Association of Ahmadi Architects and Engineers (IAAAE) at State House in Banjul. The team of engineers was led to State House by the Amir of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, The Gambia, Mr Baba F Trawally.
“We have tried to bring in water for remote villages of The Gambia and the rest of Africa. Also, we want to bring electricity so that people can benefit from these services which Allah has provided through these avenues,” explained Akram Ahmedi Sahib, Chairman of IAAAE.
The team was at State House to discuss plans to expand their humanitarian services to The Gambia through technical and engineering support. According to Ahmedi Sahib, this came on the backdrop of instructions from Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa to help develop Africa further.
The Chairman of IAAAE noted that his organisation has very good, highly qualified, African engineers and architects who are ready to transfer the requisite skills and knowledge needed to empower young people into meaningful self-reliant ventures. He observed that there is a skills gap in The Gambia in the areas of architecture, artistry and technical skills, which he hopes his organisation can address, emphasising that their ultimate goal is skills and knowledge transfer.
President Adama Barrow said he was honoured to have received the delegation. He lauded them for creating investment opportunities in The Gambia. President Barrow hailed the track record of the Jamaat in The Gambia for providing quality services in the country, citing its main hospital in Tallinding as an example. He expressed government’s commitment in creating the enabling environment for all to excel. The President used the opportunity to encourage youths to learn skills especially those that are not able to excel academically in schools.
“Failure in school does not mean failure in life. Not all can be employed in offices. Hence such ventures go in line with government development objective of providing a crop of highly trained and skilled youthful population,” noted President Barrow.