Newsletter No. 590
News-Analysis
April 28, 2007

 

“THE GAMBIA IS A TRUE FRIEND OF JAPAN”

Although few Japanese are aware of its very existence, it seems that Japan has a “true friend” in West Africa called The Gambia.

The Shingetsu Institute reported in Newsletter No. 291 last June that Japan donated 3814 tons of rice to The Gambia. Now, the Daily Observer in Banjul is reporting another very similar story about a donation of 3200 tons of rice. The same Japanese official, Hisanobu Hasama, was mentioned in the transaction.

In his commentary to Newsletter No. 291, John Edward Philips raised the point that dumping rice in The Gambia may help feed some hungry people, but was not necessarily of any use in developing The Gambia’s own agricultural industry. The article below describes this latest action as “helping the farming community” and asserts that it “will boost the morale of Gambian farmers.”

It’s not clear how Gambian farmers benefit from this, unless one assumes that it is the farmers themselves who are going hungry.

Japan Gives 3200 Tons of Rice
By Ousman Darboe

The Japanese government yesterday donated 3200 tons of rice, equivalent to about US$1.3 million, to The Gambia Government, at a ceremony held at State House, Banjul.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Vice President and Secretary of State for Women Affairs, Dr Ajaratou Isatou Njie-Saidy, said the government and the farming community are indeed grateful for the timely donation, as part of the cooperation between the two states.

Veep Njie-Saidy said the level of co-operation that exists between the two countries is moving from step to step. “We are really privileged to have this co-operation with Japan. I would like to thank the Japanese government for their timely donation, and we hope some day we would also be donating to other countries as we are also developing day by day. We have a visionary leader who is development-oriented,” she said.

She disclosed that in January 2006, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the two countries signed a cooperation agreement worth US$2.6 million, and described the donation as complementary to the government’s efforts towards helping the farming community.

For his part, Hisanobu Hasama, the Japanese Charge d’Affairs said, “I am very happy to hand to you, these 3,200 tons of rice, offered by the Japanese government to The Gambia government within the framework of the food aid whose agreement was signed on January 20, 2006, amounting to US$1.2 million.”

He said the rice is meant to sustain The Gambia government’s efforts to ensure food security and satisfy the basic needs of the Gambian people. The Japanese government, he went on, is aware of the importance of food self-sufficiency for the socio-economic development of any country and intends to help The Gambia to achieve its goals in the harmonious development of the country.

“May I also recall one aspect of this food aid, which is the generation of a counterpart fund in local currency, is a means to provide funding for social and economic development projects to be carried out in The Gambia. On March 6, our two governments signed two agreements for food aid and assistance for underprivileged farmers for a total amount of US$2.6 million. This is a testimony of our determination to contribute to Gambians’ efforts for sustainability of economic development,” the Japanese diplomat concluded.

For his part, Kanja Sanneh, Secretary of State for Agriculture described the donation as timely. He added, “We at the Department of State for Agriculture will make sure that the rice reaches the targeted beneficiaries.”

Bai Ousman Secka, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs, thanked the Japanese government for the donation. He said the support offered by the Japanese government will boost the morale of Gambian farmers, noting that The Gambia is a true friend of Japan.