A six-man delegation from Taiwan, were yesterday received by President Yahya Jammeh at the State House.

The visiting delegation were accompanied to the State House by Dr Patrick Chang, Taiwanese Ambassador to The Gambia . The delegation comprised of officials from the Science Park of Taiwan, construction engineers, and an official from the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry. The delegation is tasked to identify potential sites and prepare a blue print for the establishment of a science park in the country, which is in line with the Vision 2020 Silicon Valley to transform The Gambia into an electronic and hi-tech giant on the face of Africa. Members of the delegation also started building on efforts for the reconstruction works on the Bond Road, Banjul-Serrekunda Highway and the Kairaba Avenue, which would also be fitted with streetlights.

The five-day working visit by the six Taiwanese experts and officials come abou , barely four days, after the arrival of the two Taiwanese oyster-culture specialists, who have since set out on a survey to identify suitable sites for osyter-culture farming in the country. The initiative was reached, following a request by the Gambian leader.

Receiving the guests, President Jammeh expressed appreciation to his Taiwanese counterpart, President Chen Sui-Bien and his government for the prompt response. He observed that the presence of the high-powered delegation was a demonstration  of the cordiality between the two friendly countries.

President Jammeh disclosed that the delegation is expected to help The Gambia with a master plan to establish the science park, saying, “Taiwan went through it successfully”. He therefore, pointed out that it is prudent for Taiwan to be asked to assist in order to implement the master plan of the park by 2011.The President disclosed that the airport zone would qualify as an appropriate site for the park, as it would facilitate the export of electronic gadgets to other countries 

About the road construction works, President Jammeh expressed delight with the efforts to resurface the Banjul/Serrekunda Highway, Bond Road and the Kairaba Avenue. He expressed special concern over the state of the Bond Road  which he noted, “is used by heavy duty trucks. It's short, but it's a key road, because most of the goods pass through there”.

Commenting on the oyster-culture component, the Gambian leader disclosed that the Western and North Bank Regions are better qualified naturally for the sites, because of the salt water and high concentration of mangroves. He reminded the experts to also explore other high valued  species, including tilapia. He told the gathering that the initiative would not only eradicate poverty, but curb malnutrition in the rural areas.

He then added that the advent of a sustained aquaculture programme will impress young people, noting that this will eventually be incorporated into the programmes of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS).

President Jammeh commended Ambassador Chang for his devotion towards the strengthening of The Gambia/ Taiwan relation.

At the meeting, Dr Patrick Chang, extended President Chen's greetings to the Gambia leader and credited him for the presence of the Taiwanese delegation.

He disclosed that efforts are in high gear for the expansion of the tidal rice irrigation at Sapu in Central River Region, as well as for 25 more Gambian students due, for Taipei to study ICT. He said these initiatives are geared towards the realisation of the Vision 2020 Silicon Valley.The Ambassador informed the meeting that a representative from the International Cooperation Development Fund of Taiwan, would soon visit the country to explore possibilities for more assistance to The Gambia.

Kanja Sanneh, Secretary of State for Agriculture, described the visit as timely, saying that the country's agriculture needs the services of experts to help in tidal rice production. “We want to reduce our importation of rice”, he said.

SoS Sanneh pointed out that their offices at Sapu are being renovated to ensure that staff under his Department stay there.

Yankuba Touray, Secretary of State for Fisheries and Water Resources, reminded the meeting that his Department has started its move into aquaculture, after it launched the programme at Sapu. SoS Touray added that his staff have been working closely with the team at Sapu, noting that the FAO has also expressed interest in the programme. As a result, he said a copy of an MoU between his Department and the Taiwanese Embassy and the FAO has been sent to the Office of the President for its input. He said the document would legalise the partnership between the three parties.

He assured them that the project would go down well in order to achieve the vision of President Jammeh for the country.

Chrispin Grey Johnson, Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research, expressed hope that the delegation gathers “all the elements” to produce a strong and practicable package for the establishment of the science park.

Ya Elizabeth Harding, Secretary-General at the Office of the President, Permanent and Deputy Permanent Secretaries at the Department of State for Communication Information and Technology, the Department of State for Higher Education and Research, the Department of State for Agriculture, and the Department of State for Fisheries and Water Resources, also attended the meeting.