GTHI First Batch Graduation: The Way Forward for HR Development in Gambia Tourism

Employment opportunities have always been a focal point in any discussion concerning the economic advantages of tourism in The Gambia. The industry has arguably the capacity to create more jobs than any other sector of the economy. Conscious of the significance of human resource development, the Ministry of Tourism in its 2006 Tourism Development Master Plan stressed that; “The Gambian people represent a real opportunity for the country to differentiate itself from other tourist destinations”.

However, due to the volatility of the Gambia Tourism Market, the training need for the local workforce at all levels, and in all categories remains critical.  In addition to the requirement to improve service levels in existing tourism businesses, the Tourism Master Plan recommended that; there is also the need to ensure adequate supply of trained personnel available to meet the industry’s growth demand. Part of the plan was therefore to upgrade the ‘then’ Gambia Hotel School into a National Tourism Training Institute which is today known as the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI).

New Structure of The Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute, Kanifing. Source: GTHI

It is refreshing to see that the Ministry of Tourism through support from the Spanish Agency for Cooperation and Development and the World Bank, was able to successfully implement and oversee the completion of one of the objectives of the Tourism Development Master Plan. As a result, the newly transformed Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI) was born. The Institute thereby held its first ever graduation ceremony on Friday 18th December 2015 awarding certificates and diplomas in various tourism and hospitality disciplines to 551 students.

This is a great step in the right direction as far as HR development in the tourism industry is concern. We therefore should all applaud the efforts of the Tourism Ministry, the Spanish Government and the World Bank for making it possible. And to the graduates we say; welcome to the real world dear brothers and sisters. A world full of challenges but equally full of opportunities. It all depends on how hard-working, how optimistic and how dedicated one is of course. Combine those three keywords (hard work, optimism & dedication) with a little bit of luck, there is no limit to what you can achieve in your careers.

Mind you though! it’s always a great pride to achieve academic success but it’s entirely a different thing to be able to transform and maintain such success at the professional level. So as the first ever graduating class of this noble institution,  it is vital that you always try to portray yourselves as true ambassadors of your alma mater. One fundamental mistake that often befalls most fresh graduates is the reluctant to grow and progress. Remember this is just the beginning of a very long journey, so you need to grab every opportunity that comes your way with both hands. I have no doubt that with the right attitude, a wonderful career beckons you all in this beautiful industry.

Proclamation of Islamic Republic in The Gambia: No need to hit the ‘Panic Button’ just yet!

When the Gambian president took to the podium on the final day of his ‘dialogue with the people tour’ in Brufut town to proclaim that The Gambia is an Islamic Republic effective 10th December 2015, the news soon went viral internationally within a short space of time.

Upon hearing the story myself, I curiously typed in the words: Gambia+Islamic+Republic into Google, only to discover that the first 10 pages of the search engine conveyed exactly the same story. Although am always fascinated whenever the name 'Gambia' is mention in the world news (for the right reasons of course!), I must admit that I was almost overwhelmed with the amount of coverage this story received.

Inevitably, the story generated a lot of opinions both on the mainstream and on social media. The country’s leading opposition parties also opinionated on the matter with the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) issuing a statement strongly rebuffing any claim of Gambia being an Islamic Republic.  Likewise both the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) also questioned the constitutionality of such a proclamation.

rear view of the Gambia National Assembly Building, Banjul. Source: gambiamonitior

I did a little research to find out exactly what an Islamic Republic is! Surprisingly I find out that only four countries namely: Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Mauritania are considered to be Islamic Republics. With only a few countries known to be associated with this form of government, it is not a surprise that there is little availability in terms of literature relating to the term. However I managed to stumble onto a website which defined it as: 'a theocratic form of republic governed only on the basis of Islamic laws'. I also had to rely on the more popular Wikipedia which construed a much broader definition stating that:

“The term Islamic republic has come to mean several different things, some contradictory to others. To some Muslim religious leaders in the Middle East and Africa who advocate it, an Islamic Republic is a state under a particular Islamic form of government. They see it as a compromise between a purely Islamic Caliphate, and secular nationalism and republicanism”.

Flag-Map of The Gambia. Source: Wikimedia

Whatever the definition of Islamic Republic is and whatever people's opinions are, The Gambia is clearly not one yet! Like all countries, we have a legitimate constitution and an elected National Assembly. So for the current form of government to be changed, the constitution has to be amended and ratified by the National Assembly. And heading towards an election year, I think we should be focussing on more important issues rather than whether to be or not to be an Islamic Republic. So my take on this one is; there is surely no need to hit the panic button just yet! Lets wait and see what the law makers representing us in the National Assembly have to say or do about the proclamation.

However it is worth remembering that, The Gambia has always been a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country where people live harmoniously for generations, and shall continue to do so GOD willing. The onus is therefore on the authorities to do their utmost to safeguard the model of coexistence between Muslims, Christians and people of other faiths in the country. We do very much hope that nothing will jeopardise this relationship. And we pray that the present and future generations will continue to live harmoniously in the most religious-tolerant country in the world. For now though, we continue to uphold to the beautiful words enshrined in our dear national anthem: 

FOR THE GAMBIA OUR HOMELAND,...WE STRIVE AND WORK AND PRAY,

THAT ALL MAY LIVE IN UNITY,...FREEDOM AND PEACE EACH DAY,

LET JUSTICE GUIDE OUR ACTIONS,...TOWARDS THE COMMON GOOD,

AND JOIN OUR DIVERSE PEOPLES,...TO PROVE MAN’S BROTHERHOOD

WE PLEDGE OUR FIRM ALLEGIANCE,...OUR PROMISE WE RENEW,

KEEP US GREAT GOD OF NATIONS,...TO THE GAMBIA EVER TRUE.

Paris Climate Change Deal: Hailed as Historic but also Considered as Disappointment

On Saturday 12th December 2015, the world has woken up to the news that a historic climate change deal has been reached at the Cop21 summit in Paris following an intense and lengthy negotiations. There were joyous scenes at Le Bourget as 195 countries agrees to the world's first comprehensive climate deal after almost a fortnight of negotiations.

According to the BBC, the key elements for the deal which unites all the world's nations in a single agreement on tackling climate change for the first time in history includes the following:

• To keep global temperatures "well below" 2.0C (3.6F) and "endeavour to limit" them even more to, 1.5C
• To limit the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted by human activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally, beginning at some point between 2050 and 2100
• To review each country's contribution to cutting emissions every five years so they scale up to the challenge 
• For rich countries to help poorer nations by providing "climate finance" to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy

Leaders at Cop21. Source: theguardian

World Leaders have been swift in issuing positive statements about the deal with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying: "it is a monumental triumph for people and planet". President Barack Obama hailed the deal as "our best chance to save the one planet we have" while President Francois Hollande said: "In Paris, there have been many revolution over the centuries. Today is the most beautiful and most peaceful revolution that has just been accomplished - a revolution for climate change".

Showers of praises all over but not everyone was overly-optimistic about the deal. Some activist called the draft "deliberately vague, subject to interpretation and non-binding" with many of the goals simply aspirational. While others said it was a "sham", the outcome of deception and bullying, with developed countries getting away with the meanest of undertakings.

Questions remain unanswered in Paris. Source: greenbiz

Meanwhile, The Gambian Environment Minister, Pa Ousman Jarju as reported in the dailyobserver disclosed that; the impact of global warming and climate change does not correspond to the country's contribution to the problem as we only produces about 0.01% of total greenhouse gas emission. 

Mr. Jarju stressed that; The Gambia has tasked itself through the submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to drastically reduced greenhouse gas emissions from key sectors of the economy by 44.4% in 2025 and 45.5% by 2030. He said "if we can take these bold steps, then developed countries and those increasingly contributing to global emission have the moral obligation to do more".

According to the environment minister, the agreement that member states were set to adopt needed to be legally binding and hold average global temperature rise to below 1.5C - anything less will be considered an awful disappointments.

It is safe to conclude that the Paris Climate Change deal is a clear disappointment for some parties, yet still others hailed it as historic. But with all the optimism and pessimism, Cop21 is now history. Therefore, for now, we can only wait and see how the agreement pans out and what the future holds for our planet!

COP21 Conference on Climate Change: What's in Store for Least Developed & Developing Countries?

Government delegations from around the world and global stakeholders gathered in the French capital Paris from 30th November to 11th December, 2015 for the 21st yearly session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). Dubbed as COP21, the 12 days international conference aims to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on issues relating to climate change and global warming across all nations of the world.

The UNDP believes that COP21 has the potential to galvanize action and solidarity amongst all stakeholders - simultaneously helping to reduce carbon emission (zero carbon), while supporting efforts to adapt to the long term impacts of climate change. The United Nations body also states that it support an ambitious outcome in Paris that will help bolster efforts to tackle climate change, and put all countries on the path towards zero-carbon, sustainable development.


Stories on climate change. Source: UNDP

Easier said than done as there is always a clear differentiation in opinion between developed and developing countries in such conferences whenever it comes down to policy adaptation. Here is hoping for a different outcome in Paris. According to Climate Change Policy & Practice, Head of States and Governments attending the first day of the conference addressed, among other things:

• the inclusion of gender for ensuring climate justice;
• the importance of differentiation;
• the legal form of the agreement;
• the periodicity of the review process;
• transparency and accountability rules;
• whether or not to anchor loss and damage in a permanent mechanism;
• the role of natural capital accounting;
• the link between climate change and development;
• balancing mitigation and adaptation finance;
• technology transfer in providing mitigation support;
• and the need to address the degradation of forests, desertification, and biodiversity loss.

Meanwhile, in answering the question; what's in store for least developed and developing countries? Switzerland announced a 75% increase in its annual contribution to the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF). Norway promised to double its contribution to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) by 2020 in the context of verifiable emissions reductions from REDD+. Spain pledge to increase its annual climate finance for developing countries, to doubling contributed funds by 2020. And New Zealand announce support of NZ$200 million (about £90 million) for climate-related actions over the next four years, primarily for pacific nations.

All looks promising for a start but there are lots of complex issues that are very tricky to address. For instance when it comes to the issue of 'differentiation', most developed countries wants to see a change in how countries are classified into 'developed' and 'developing', and would like emerging economies to take more lead and become climate finance donors. Whereas most developing countries especially those of emerging economies are not very keen on idea of changes to the classification. Moreover, China and several G77 countries warned against denying legitimate needs of developing countries to improve living standards and developed economically.

Another complex topic is the issue of 'loss and damage' due to climate change which least developed countries branded as a "red line issue" for them. According to the irishtimes, no agreement will be reach in COP21 without addressing the issue of 'loss and damage'. The Gambian environment Minister Pa Ousman Jarju who happens to be the chair of least developed countries at the conference is reported in the same newspaper as saying: 

"It was of paramount importance that a clear pathway would be laid out in Paris to meeting the commitment by developed countries to provide up to $100 billion dollars in aid annually. Mr. Jarju went further to state that he's yet to see the rhetoric from world leaders filter into the negotiating rooms, but he remained optimistic saying; there is not going to be a second Paris. This is the time. This is our moment."

We at gambiamonitor hope that Mr. Jarju and all delegates at COP21 are able to come to a mutual agreement that is beneficial to all, and to achieve meaningful solutions to combat the threats of climate change  for the benefit of present and future generations.