The president of the Republic was Thursday conferred with a prestigious international award by the Pan-African Female Youth Movement for Peace (PAYMP) based in Cote’ d’voire.

The award, which was received by the minister of Basic and Secondary Education on behalf of His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh is in recognition of his charisma, great vision and tireless efforts for peace, solidarity and vision for Africa and beyond.

The award is the third of its kind and the Gambian leader is the second head of state to be presented the award.  The PAYMP also presented some gifts to the president and the First Lady of the Republic, Madam Zineb Yahya Jammeh as a way of showing their appreciation to the First Family.

Receiving the award, Fatou Lamin Faye, the minister of Basic and Secondary Education thanked the president for delegating her to receive the award on his behalf.She informed the gathering that the president went through a very rigorous process before he finally earned the award, saying he is the second president to receive such an award. “It is the youths of another country who honoured the president and I urge the youths of this country to emulate this,” she said. 

Minister Faye said education is President Jammeh’s priority and that he had made sure that every girl child in this country gets free education. While stating that The Gambia would soon achieve its target in education, she stressed that the president would not be happy if the whole Africa fails to attain it equally.

She spoke about the instability in some African countries and said when war erupts; women and children are mostly affected and therefore commended the PAYMP for their foresight in peace building. She said the women are vital for any socio-economic development saying without women there can’t be any meaningful development. She then briefed the group on President Jammeh’s commitment to the ideals of humanity and his extra-mile in the business sector to ensure that food is available and affordable for every Gambian.

For his part, Njogou L Bah, the secretary general and head of the Civil Service described the occasion as a memorable one. He applauded PAYMP for the award and the brilliant citation. He took the opportunity to congratulate President Jammeh, and expressed hope that he will personally receive the award with humility.  He added that President Jammeh has backed a lot of international awards in recognition of his vision, peace loving nature and hard work.

Presenting the award on behalf of the PAYMP, Madam Ipou Albertine, the chairperson of the organisation revealed that the determination with which President Jammeh leads this country and growth in human development index since he took office, demonstrates how much he loves his country. “Men might not understand your choices and decisions but the future will always vindicate you,” she stated.

She described President Jammeh as a role model to the youths of the African continent, saying he is young and that the social cohesion of The Gambia coupled with the economic performance demonstrate the wisdom and qualities in his government. “This quality of governance translates into gender promotion, access to education for all, health and wellbeing, food security, protection of the citizenry, and an open diplomacy as well as respect for human rights,” she said.

She noted that beyond the borders of The Gambia, the African youths adore and appreciate President Jammeh’s widespread daily intervention in favour of youths and courageous Gambian women.

Alieu K Jammeh, the minister of Youth and Sports, thanked God for the award and noted that it came as a result of the selfless service rendered by the Gambian leader in the country and beyond, while describing him as a peace loving leader. “You made no mistake to come here and present this award to the president because even young people in this country look at him as a role model in terms of peace and many other things,” he said.

Other speakers included Marcel Mendy, the executive director of the National Youth Council; Fatoumata Jah, president of the National Women Council; and Bintou Gassama, acting executive director of Women’s Bureau.

Meanwhile, later in the day, the PAYMP for Peace members paid a courtesycall on President Jammeh in his office at State House. Shortly after her audience with the Gambian leader, Ipou Albertine told waiting journalists that her mission was to thank the president for championing peace in the continent. “We are very happy and honoured to be in The Gambia,” she said.

She explained that the selection process of the award was tedious because it has been going on for over three years. She then lauded the achievements of President Jammeh in promoting gender, human rights and solidarity.

“It is by virtue of all these actions that we decided to award him. We have now come to understand that, the misperception people have about the president is not really how he is. We have just met a man who loves peace, the youths and who always continue to work hard to make sure that there is peace in Africa. He is somebody who is fighting hard to promote human rights,” she concluded.