The President's Empowerment of Girls Education Project (PEGEP), yesterday, received a boost of US$300,000, donated by the government of the Republic of China on Taiwan. The project was initiated by President Jammeh, to provide free education for girls throughout the country.

This donation is one of a series of its kind by the Taiwanese government, over the past seven years.

Mr Richard Shih, the Taiwanese ambassador to The Gambia, presented the cheque to Teneng Jaiteh, the secretary general and head of the Civil Service, at a ceremony held at State House, Banjul.

According to Ambassador Shih, his government is honoured to be associated with President Jammeh's efforts in bridging the gender gap in education in the country. He lauded the strong and excellent partnership that exists between his government and PEGEP for the past years and expressed hope that similar gesture would follow.

For her part, Secretary-General Jaiteh thanked the Taiwanese government for yet another magnanimous gesture, describing Taiwan as a "true" friend of The Gambia.

She revealed that surveys show that the project has greatly helped in improving the enrollment and retention of girls in schools.

SG Jaiteh then praised the Taiwanese government for their "invaluable" support to The Gambia, especially in the key sectors of the economy. She then used the opportunity to assure them of The Gambia's continuous stand in championing Taiwan's cause in international fora.