The Taiwanese Ambassador to the Gambia, HE Richard Shih, yesterday handed over a cheque for D5.2M to the Secretary General and Head of the Civil Services, Abdoulie Sallah in support of The Gambia's youth and sports development, at a presentation ceremony held at State House, Banjul.

Handing over the cheque, Ambassador Shih, expressed delight on behalf of his government to donate such an amount towards the development youth and sports in The Gambia. According to him, this manifests the Republic of China on Taiwan's commitment to the socio-economic development of The Gambia.

He added that Taiwan will always be a partner of the people and government of The Gambia in all fields of development citing sports as one of the key sectors in any developing nation. He assured the people and government of The Gambia of their continued support and expressed hope that the money would be put to good use.

For his part, Abdoulie Sallah, the secretary general and head of the civil service, saluted the people of the Republic of China on Taiwan through their Banjul embassy for the support to the socio-economic development of The Gambia. According to him, investing in youth and sports is fundamental to national development noting that young people in The Gambia are committed to all sectors particularly sports. According to him, sports need lots of financial resources and the support from the Taiwanese embassy will no doubt go a long way in helping the sector. He then asserted that the money will be put to good use.

Sheriff Gomez, Minister for Youths and Sports commended the Taiwanese embassy for the support. He stated that as a ministry, their drive in sports is for excellence, through the support of the masses. He said the contribution of the Taiwanese embassy to the fund pioneered by President Jammeh is a great move and also said that the money will be utilised as intended.