19 Years of Existence

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

12 May 2011

editorial

The Observer Company, publisher of the Daily Observer newspaper yesterday, May 11, clocked 19 years. The anniversary, which was celebrated in style inside the office demonstrated the company’s dominance of the media landscape of the country, through providing Gambians with reliable and factual information both print and online.

It is certain that the newspaper, since inception has proven to be the leading and most widely read in The Gambia and has demonstrated a high sense of responsible journalism. Founded in 1992 by Kenneth Y Best, a Liberian journalist, the Observer Company, in May 1999 came under the ownership of a dynamic Gambian investor, Amadou Samba. The paper has since then been at the forefront in the collection, processing and dissemination of news across the length and breadth of this country.

The paper has also been a leading partner and immense contributor to the ongoing national development process. The company is now managed by a young but dynamic team whose initiatives have elevated the standard, quality and content of the newspaper. As we celebrate our 19th anniversary, readers have noticed for themselves that over the past two years, the Daily Observer has improved greatly in terms of paper outlook and news quality. This is simply due to the creative and ambitious initiatives of the young management team that is in charge of the company today. We are happy to reveal that we have become the first newspaper in the country to provide a nationwide coverage of news and events.

We have regional correspondents in all the regions in the country who are equipped with laptops, digital cameras and internet data cards, CUG phones and all other necessary gadgets needed by a modern journalist to report news as they unfold. Our main office situated at the Kanifing Industrial Estate has also undergone a massive transformation. Apart from the digitalization of the complex, the dynamic qualities of our young management team have engendered a conducive working environment, thus making the staff to work together in unison and harmony as one big family. The huge investment on the welfare of the staff has also no doubt contributed greatly to maintaining our status quo as the leading and most authoritative newspaper in the country.

As we therefore reflect on where we started from and how far we have gone, we wish to take this opportunity to congratulate all those who have worked for the Observer Company and all those who have contributed in one way or the other to the development of the company. It should be noted that our success today is also partly due to the individual and collective contributions of such people. We therefore cannot help but express our sincere appreciation for their effort.

Forward ever, backward never, the struggle continues.

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