Fifty Naval Officers Complete Training

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Bekai Njie

27 April 2011

At least 50 naval officers of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) and seven civilians from the Ministry of Fisheries were recently awarded certificates after a two-week intensive training by the African Partnership Mobile Team.

The awards ceremony was held at the Navy headquarters in Banjul. The Naval officers who served as trainers during the training were also awarded Maritime Civil and Security certificates, while others were awarded Naval certificates on fisheries and its related matters. The training, which was aimed at strengthening the military capability of The Gambia and other African states in the area of navy was funded by the government of the United States and facilitated by instructors from the US and Italy.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Major General Ousman Badjie, deputy CDS of GAF, described the training as significant to GAF. He stated that civilian partnership is sometimes vital in their work as challenges in the sea are sometimes new. Major General Badjie acknowledged that the training has come at a right time, saying he was convinced that his men had learned a lot and will put the knowledge gained into good use. He then urged the participants to share the knowledge gained with their colleagues.

The deputy CDS then paid tribute to the government of The Gambia under the dynamic leadership of President Jammeh for making the training possible; and the US government for the partnership.

For her part, Pamela Ann White, the US ambassador to The Gambia also spoke about the importance of defence in any country. She disclosed that her country has enormous interest in the key areas of defence and security. “We do not want only peace in United States, but we want peace in The Gambia and the world in general,” she said.

Commodore Madani Senghore of The Gambia Navy said that the training signifies a significant moment in The Gambia Navy. He said that its objectives were fully met and told the participants that the knowledge gained will be put to test in the near future. He commended the president of the Republic for his personal commitment to GAF; and the US government for the assistance.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hopkins of the US Army, who was one of the instructors, expressed delight with the level of professionalism demonstrated by the Gambian military personnel during the training. He assured that the US would continue to partner with The Gambia Navy in key areas such as maritime domain among others.

Lt Col Hopkins also told the participants that they will be interested in the outcome of their activities in the future, noting that the maritime domain requires strong regional partnership.

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