Her Excellency Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice president and secretary of state for Women's Affairs, yesterday, received Toga G. Mcintosh, executive director of the World Bank Africa Group 1, at her office at State House, Banjul.

Speaking to journalists shortly after having audience with the vice president, the World Bank Executive Director said his mission to State House was to discuss with the vice president issues about the World Bank and, more importantly, The Gambia's portfolio in the Bank.

According to him, he also discussed with Dr Njie-Saidy the creation of a third chairman for the 3rd constituency of the World Bank in Africa. He revealed that Hon Mousa Gibriel Bala Gaye, secretary of state for Finance and Economic Affairs of The Gambia, is currently chairing the 22 Anglophone countries within constituency number 1 for the World Bank and that the World Bank is supposed to create a third chairman for Africa, this year.

As part of his visit, the World Bank boss also told the reporters, he is in The Gambia to share ideas with Hon. Mousa Gibriel Bala Gaye, chairman of the Anglophone countries for the World Bank, as he (Bala Gaye) prepares to go to Washington DC, USA, in the next couple of days, to enable him move the process of the creation of a third chairman for Africa forward.

Commenting on the current global financial crisis, Mr Mcintosh said the crisis had been compounded, and he added that the World Bank is positioning itself to help its member countries in meeting the challenges.

He revealed that The Gambia is now qualified to finalise its documention on the food crisis in The Gambia. "The African ministers of planning and finance (governors) had a meeting.  During that meeting, they constituted a small committee and it is composed of the members of the African Union (AU), African Development Bank (ADB) and the Economic Commission for Africa.

''They will soon report back to us on the ways of dealing with the financial crisis.  For the moment, we are responding to the food crisis.  We have a small funding of a US$100,000000 (one hundred million dollars) for certain countries that are qualified, after the assessment,'' he concluded.

For his part, Mousa Gibriel Bala Gaye, secretary of state for Finance and Economic Affairs, who also doubles as the chairman of the Anglophone countries in constituency 1 at the World Bank, said their duties as a constituency is to oversee the work of the offices of the executive directors, both the bank and the funds, and also to advice them on certain issues before the executive board of directors and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He further revealed that at the moment ''we have two executive directors representing Africa in the World Bank, ie the constituency 1 of 22 English speaking countries, of which I am the chairman, and the second one is the 24 Anglophone countries.  A third chairman, therefore, means that the two constituencies must break up to form a third constituency."

The Gambia's Finance secretary of state also informed journalists that the World Bank boss is here to discuss with him issues about the creation of a third chairman for Africa, discuss and make consultation ahead of their meeting scheduled for March 11, in Daresalam, Tanzania, where they will present their recommendations to the entire 22 constituencies, among other issues.

Commenting on the financial crisis, SoS Bala Gaye said the crisis has affected the Gambia in terms of tourism, remittance, foreign direct investment and aid flows into the country. "The government can do a little about this in terms of policy response, ie, revenue mobilisation, making banks to be more liquid and solvent, as well as to ensure that the Central Bank is supervising the commercial banks to ensure that deposits are saved, among others," Bala Gaye condcluded.