Please
be reminded that the Personnel Management Office is an agency of The Government
of The Gambia, which is under the Office
of the President which is responsible for; the administration of the General
Orders, the recruitment of volunteers and technical assistance personnel, public
service training and staff development policies and implementation, staff
inspections and organization, formulation and review of the schemes of service policy
for and administration of pensions and gratuities personnel statistics, and
manpower budgeting and control.
It
is that regard I write to you to remind you of the role played by the Minister
of Agriculture as per the contribution to our GDP. The said ministry is the
backbone of our nation, therefore it need to be led by technocrats who have the
knowledge, skills and know how not only with words but with action. As
such will increase agricultural output, meet the food requirements of the population
from the land of Gambia, provide gainful employment and income for the
agricultural labour force, and generate foreign exchange through value-added
agriculture related activities.
Of
recent reports emanating from the Ministry of Agriculture have it that Minister
O.J. Jallow has rejected the appointment of PS Ousman Jammeh on the grounds of
continuity of programmes at the ministry. The question one might asked will be
O.J who is a seasonal Agriculturalist why is he rejecting the appointment of
Mr. Jammeh?
The
most important thing is to note that the argument is a false premise and the
real premise should that Mr Ousman Jammeh was a former Civil Servant who was parachuted
from regional Director to PS under the former regime, even above people that
were senior to him both in qualifications and experience but that he retired as
a Civil Servant to become appointed a Minister under Jammeh before falling out
with Jammeh and ending up being detained for 1 year. So the question is whether
the Civil Service should continue to bring back people from outside and deny
people in the hierarchy their natural progression?
During
the last days of the PPP, retired heads of institutions retired and natural
subordinates took over and some or a few were appointed advisers. Under Jammeh
there was a marked lack of adherence to the Civil Service rules and the mixing
up of political and public services.
Ousman
Jammeh is a retired Civil Servant and former Minister of Agriculture trying to
come back under contract and Hon. Minister Omar A. Jallow is right to be
concerned at having a former Minister as his PS and is more comfortable with a
Civil Servant than a former political appointee.
There
is a need for one to understand the meaning and synopsis of political appointee
and Civil Servant. Assan came to Ministry of Agriculture with a Bachelor of
Science degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Master of Science in Agronomy
from Kuban State Agricultural University, in the Russian Federation at a time
when we had nothing more than 5 Master’s degree holders in most of the institutions.
I
for a person meet Assan in different occasions when I used to work for the
Government, I realized that he is a great man who understand the said Ministry as
he spend all his carrier there. The issue here is, it is not that O.J is trying
to Jallowfied the MoA but trying to give the job to the jobs friend as that is
the only way we can make The Gambia self-food sufficiency.
Mr.
Jallow has 23 years professional and work experience in the field of
Agriculture and agronomy, working and managing agricultural projects and rising
from the position of Agric Officer to Deputy Director/ Head of Soil and Water
Management Services and a Deputy Permanent Secretary & Coordinator for
CILSS in The Gambia.
Since
1994 starting with the IFAD and African Development Bank funded Agricultural
Services Project where he undertook the training and formation of 5000 farmers
into Water User Groups and a Water User Association.
As Deputy
Head of the National Agronomy Section of The Gambia, Mr Jallow played a key
role in the design and implementation of the Lowlands Agricultural Development
Project as well as the successor Participatory Integrated Watershed Management Project.
Mr
Jallow worked as a Young Professional with the FAO, as National Counterpart for
the Indonesian Farmer to Farmer Assistance Programme which included the design
and training of farmers and the setup of a Farmer Training school in rural
Gambia.
Variously,
his tasks and duties as National Agronomist and Project Manager include and
covered
Analyzing
all aspects of the agricultural investment project cycle including feasibility
assessment, design, appraisal, and project evaluation in developing country
situations. Identifying agriculture sector development needs and recommending
practical strategies to fulfill those needs. Analyzing agriculture-related
aspects of projects such as infrastructure or financial sector development, and
recommend strategies to ensure the agriculture sector of the country supports
the activity in a sustainable manner. Drafting project or project activity
descriptions for inclusion in the Investment Memorandum or Cabinet documents. Providing
detailed written reports of findings and compilation of documents to donors and
government. Making public presentations on agriculture-related issues and/or
projects. Conducting 'Project Activity Oversight' operations in accordance with
the Statement of Work for that activity. Coordinating with the relevant
government agency, civil society, private sector, donor, and Project Management
Unit staffs to facilitate Activity Oversight operations. Evaluating progress of
Projects, Project Activities, and Sub-Activities. Providing detailed and
comprehensive written reports on progress of a Project, Project Activities, and
Sub-Activities to the Authorities.
I submit
to you that Mr. Jallow played a key role in the design of the Gambia National
Agricultural Investment Plan, which is a holistic look at Agricultural
investment and development covering not only Agriculture but the requisite
social and public infrastructure such as roads, markets, logistics and schools
and clinics necessary to ensure that the lives and livelihoods of farmers and
the whole cycle benefit and improve as intended the investments.
Mr
Jallow is very familiar with the modus operandi of many international funding
agencies such as the African Development Bank, IFAD, FAO and the World Bank and
also the Financial Instructions (FI) governing the operations of Government. As
CONACILS, he is the Coordinator of CILSS activities and projects in The Gambia
and represented THE Gambia at CILSS meetings.
Until
his appointment as Permanent Secretary Mr Jallow was one of the longest serving
and most senior staff at the Ministry of Agriculture and recognized at Expert
on Rice Agronomy and Policy and Programmes and a trusted adviser to the
Minister and former Permanent Secretary and has a reputation for impartiality
and professionalism.
In
conclusion I will recommend for Mr. Jammeh’s appointment be rescind and
redeployed to The Gambia College as a Lecturer since the College is facing a
shortage of Lecturers in the said field.
To be
continued……………
By: Saidina Alieu Jarjou
Blogger/Activist/Watchdog
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