The Gambian leader, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh Saturday presided over the official inauguration of Qcell House, the headquarters of mobile telecommunication giant company, Qcell, located along Kairaba Avenue. The company is owned by Muhammed Jah, a young Gambian entrepreneur.

Qcell is the fourth GSM company to open shop in The Gambia, and the first to use the latest technology in mobile telecommunication dubbed the 'Third Generation' mobile system [3G].Qcell has as its brand name "Sunu Buss", meaning "our own" in the Wollof language, and started operation in the country a year ago. Since its inception last year, Qcell has been providing new technology mobile telecommunication services to its esteemed subscribers, notably 3G, which enables local video calling, QWEB USB internet Data Card for a wireless internet access or connectivity anywhere in the country, Closed User Group mobile communication system, amongst a host of others.

Speaking at ceremony, President Jammeh described the occasion as historic in that it represents a significant milestone not only for Qcell, but also for his government and the people of The Gambia whose wish of becoming part of the global "knowledge society" is being fulfilled by Qcell.

He commended Muhammed Jah, the chief executive officer and managing director of Qcell for his zeal and vision as a consistent player in the development of the country. "Thanks to Qcell, The Gambia has joined the rest of the world with the latest technology in telecommunications," he told the gathering, adding "Since its founding a year ago, Qcell has been offering a wide range of unique 3G services never available in The Gambia before. With this technology, Gambians and all those who are resident in The Gambia are now able to transcend from audio calls as before, to making video calls, a livelier, more fashionable option in this age and time of a digital world we live in," he stated.

President Jammeh indicated that in the 16 years of APRC government, huge policy and regulatory strides have been taken to enhance The Gambia's ICT readiness, noting that the results have been astounding. He assured that his government will not relent in the coming years to register more spectacular breakthroughs particularly in ICT. "We will continue to explore new or added frontiers, towards fulfilling the aspirations of the sector, including the aspiration to ensure that quality ICT services in The Gambia are both accessible and affordable and that the environment is conducive to healthy competition for all operators in the industry," he assured.

The Gambian leader, while commending Muhammed Jah for his great ambition for the country, challenged other Gambians to emulate him in the march towards the realisation of the city-state vision. He stated that government can only create the conducive environment for every Gambian to excel and challenged other entrepreneurs to emulate Muhammed Jah to reduce unemployment in the country.Indicating that Jah had shown confidence in his government from the onset, the president assured that they will continue to reciprocate him.

For his part, the minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure, Alhaji Cham said the inauguration of Qcell is another step in the efforts to make The Gambia an information and knowledge-based society through the adoption of new emerging technologies in-line with Vision 2020. He commended the president for creating the enabling environment in the ICT sector, which he said enabled Qcell and others to be where they are today.

Minister Cham assured that his ministry will continue to promote and facilitate private sector participation in the ICT sector through appropriate policies and regulatory environment. He then hailed Qcell's commitment and dedication to excel.Speaking earlier, Muhammed Jah, the managing director and chief executive officer of Qcell, who is also the founder and proprietor of QuantumNet, the QuantumNet Institute of Technology, and Espace Motors, said the inauguration of Qcell is a cause inspired by President Jammeh in the earlier days of the July 22nd Revolution, when he [President Jammeh] consistently encouraged every Gambian to invest his or her wealth, skills, knowledge, discipline, and what he or she has on the development of The Gambia.

"With a solid investment of over one billion dalasis, Qcell 'Sunu Buss', barely one year after receiving a license from the government of The Gambia, hit the ground running with its unique 3G technology. Qcell has simply raised the bar with its new technology, thereby forcing other operators to raise their game. Its mere introduction into the market has been an invigorating tonic to the GSM industry not just in The Gambia, but the whole African continent, because when we began operations last year, it made The Gambia the second country in Africa to have a 3G network," Jah said.

He assured that they will provide nothing short of the best given the fact that there was a greater need that Gambians must be given access to these new technologies, which he said have now become part of the fabric of all modern economies."The president's Vision 2020, the Silicon Valley and other initiatives, are all timely responses to the technological challenges of our age," he stated.

"Qcell 'Sunu Buss' can claim that we are the only mobile company producing our own branded mobile phones and data cards in The Gambia and one of the few, if any, in Africa. Our customers will agree with me that our products are of the highest quality and cheapest cost and are indeed a driving force in bringing down the cost of handsets, which have been a barrier to accessing ICT tools for a lot of people. With Qcell 'Sunu Buss', we are not interested in making noise because we know that our quality often speaks for itself," Jah stated.

The Qcell boss indicated that as a 3G mobile company, provision of reliable internet bandwidth at an affordable cost is a key to their survival, which he said has been a challenge to them since they started. To be able to give Gambians the best 3G services, Jah stressed that it is necessary for them to have their own 3G gateway to ensure more cheaper and reliable services.

He concluded by thanking the government under President Jammeh for the favourable economic climate.At the end of the ceremony, Qcell awarded President Jammeh for his outstanding achievement in good governance, the empowerment of citizens, the support to Qcell as well as general service to humanity. The award also carried a sum of D100 000 for the president, meant for him to sponsor science students; the money was on the spot donated to the GPA Operation Promote Excellence in Science.

Other personalities also received awards from Qcell.The occasion was graced by high-profile dignities including Vice President Aja Dr Njie-Saidy, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chief Justice, Cabinet Ministers, amongst others.