The President, Alhajie Dr. Yahya Jammeh, has announced a 20 percent increase in all salaries across the board, with effect from 1st January 2008, a declaration merrily hailed by the general public.

In his New Year message on Monday, President Jammeh who has no doubt that his government has continued to register tremendous success in the development efforts of the country, maintained that 2007 has been an exceptionally good year for the Gambian economy.

“We have registered a GDP growth rate of about 7 percent, built around strong and well-managed public finances, and a sound monetary policy that has resulted in low inflation, and enhanced the international reserve situation of the country”.

He added that “an important economic development is the approval granted to The Gambia after having reached HIPC Completion Point”, noting that this simply means that the country will now start to benefit from both HIPC and G8 Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) debt relief.

“The resources that will be released from this commendable achievement will now be invested in the social sectors and other priority areas of the economy in 2008 and beyond.

“This will include plans that are well advanced to address the sustainable development and retention of capacity in public administration through reforms in pay policy, pension, human resource development, and related capacity retention programs.

President Jammeh added that, while these would be addressed from the perspective of long-term planning and civil service reform, his government will be coming up with interim measures that are expected to contribute to the effective functioning of the civil service and efficient dispensation of public administration.

The Gambian leader noted that one of these measures includes a 20 per cent increase in all salaries across the board, with effect from 1st January 2008.

“Future salary increment from 2009 will be worked out on the basis of the Comprehensive Civil Services Reform Program Study that is expected to be completed soon”, he indicated.

“For 2008, Government will continue to build on the macro economic gains achieved in 2007. Public financial management and fiscal discipline will continue to be strengthened, and monetary policy will be further tightened to contain inflation, and create employment.

“Considerable budgetary resources have already been earmarked for development of the social sectors to reduce poverty, and attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and also the goals of vision 2020”, he assert.