The Gambia will this year host the Beijing+15 and the AU meetings to be held this month. These high profile meetings are expected to bring delegates across the world to discuss issues concerning women and the way forward.

During an interview with The Gambia Info at her office recently Her Excellency Vice President Aja Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy spoke about the significance of Gambia's hosting of the meeting as well as the aims and expected outcomes.

VP Njie-Saidy said there has been a lot of achievements in the 12 critical areas of concern which include women and health, poverty, education, agriculture, violence, economic empowerment, women and decision-making, women and conflict situations, women and the media, human rights, the girl child, and gender implications of course national institutional and policy framework machinery and women's affairs. These, she said are the issues discussed at the Beijing +5, and +10 and now the +15 in The Gambia.

Elaborating on some of those achievements the vice president went further to say that The Gambia's PRSP I and II have addressed poverty and noted that one cannot talk about poverty without addressing women's issues as they form the majority of the poor.

"Women are not only engaged in the agricultural and informal sectors but are everywhere. Their poverty concerns needs to be addressed as evidence has shown that the poorest of the poor are women making it impossible to discuss poverty without mentioning women," she observed.

VP Njie-Saidy stated that government is investing a lot in health and education as well as providing basic social services and spending in educating girl child.

Teachers and nurses are also being trained in and out of the country to deliver quality services. She also dilated on the several infrastructural development projects and the provision of tractors and other farming inputs by President Jammeh. The availability of micro credit institutions all over the country, she went on, is geared towards alleviating poverty and to ensure that women are economically empowered both in the informal and agricultural sectors.

The VP also said it is a clear manifestation that The Gambia has made significant strides in empowering women. VP Njie-Saidy said other countries in Africa have also done a lot citing Rwanda as example, where there are more female parliamentarians than men. "We in The Gambia are aspiring to reach that stage as President Jammeh is bent on encouraging women." Mrs. Njie-Saidy added that we are beginning to see the result of the campaign by gender activists and the President's efforts in encouraging women to the extent of introducing free education for girls.

Comparing the maternal and mortality rate of The Gambia to other African countries, she said The Gambia is doing well and improving very significantly.

"Women are involved in the decision-making process because they are in all the sectors. In some cases, if a woman gets married, her husband would not want her to work or would not want her to take up international positions. The President has elevated the status of women by appointing women as ambassadors, ministers, National Assembly members, lady councillors and even village heads," she stated.

Mrs. Njie-Saidy stated that men have a big role to play in this Beijing+15 meeting because some of the delegates would be men. "Some staff of the Women's Bureau are males which shows that gender means both men and women because you cannot address the issues of women without involving men," she observed.

Elaborating on the significance of the Gambia hosting this Beijing+15 meeting, VP Njie-Saidy said this is because of the Gambia's records of successfully hosting AU, ECOWAS meetings and a lot of sub-regional meetings.

Mrs. Njie-Saidy called on Gambian women to make hay while the sun shines as "we have a government supportive to the cause of women." She pointed out that the leader does not only make promises but he is action-orientated and delivers to all the sectors.

Mrs. Njie-Saidy's word of caution to Gambian women is to be economically empowered, take advantage of the enabling environment and participate in national development, improve their own welfare and ensure they take all the opportunities provided by President Jammeh.

By Fatou Touray