The maiden magazine of the Observer Company called the ‘Observer Business Magazine’ will be launched Saturday, July 14, at 5:00 pm at the Sunbeach Hotel in Cape Point, Bakau.

The 50-page business magazine dedicated to the promotion of the private sector and private-public sector partnership, features agriculture, capacity building, encounters with prominent and top Gambian business tycoons, Taiwanese intervention in The Gambia, the tourism sector, Information, Communication and Technology, showbiz and other entertainment stories.

The Business Magazine also showcases the products and activities of the private sector as major players in the economy. It will also be devoted to identifying the capacity needs of the business sector, as well as serve as a platform for private sector/public sector development.

In an interview with this reporter yesterday, Baba Drammeh, Production Manager of the Observer Company, thanked the Almighty Allah for seeing the initiative through. He described the Business Magazine as a great achievement not only for the Observer Company, but the whole country in general.

According to Mr. Drammeh, the process for the production of the Business Magazine was difficult due to lack of resources. “For the fact that there were limited resources at the beginning, it was difficult. But finally, we were able to overcome those challenges and produce this beautiful edition. As a production industry, we produce the information, package it, ready to hit the market”, he said.

The production boss further confirmed that the articles carried in the Business Magazine cannot be found in the daily newspaper noting that the business community has an opportunity through the magazine to sell their products. “Since we realised that we cannot publish the daily paper in colour, we decided to come out with the coloured Business Magazine for the readers to sell their products and I encourage all readers to  grab a copy”, he urged.

Mr. Drammeh then saluted all partners, clients and all those who advertised as well as contributed to the realisation of this dream and encouraged them to continue the support.
Hamidou Baldeh, Sales and Marketing Manager, Observer Company, commended all Observer customers for being very cooperative, as without them this would not have been a success.

He described the Business Magazine as a positive move undertaken by the Observer Company.
“The magazine will not only increase the revenue base of the company, but will also be very thrilling for the readership. Gambians have been used to newspaper reading and foreign magazines; this is why we decided to come with a homegrown product for the people. It will boost the tourism, culture, business sector and other major sectors contributing to the development of the nation.”

Mr. Baldeh then assured the general public that the Business Magazine will be monthly and urged the prospective clients to come over as usual. He added: “We will also try to upload the information in the internet for world wide access. The circulation will also go beyond the boundaries of this country. We are also planning to produce a Business Directory and Guide”, he concluded.

Betty Quacoo, Layout-Editor, in her remarks, described the Business Magazine as a very good initiative noting that it is a stepping stone for the business community to come out to sell their products and use the product as an educative forum.

She then observed that various challenges where faced during the course of the production of the magazine but were overcome, leading to the release of such a beautiful product in the market. She equally commended the staff of the Observer Company for their dedication and total commitment towards the realisation of the dream.

Ousman Darboe, News Editor, said it is a good move for Observer Company to come up with a business magazine. He said, this was long over due and thus thanked the able Managing Director, Dr Alieu Badara Saja Taal for the initiative.

Mr. Darboe then observed that the magazine is purely business pointing out that there are more products in the offing, which will boost the financial and morale of the leading newspaper in the country. He said business and financial reporting will also boost the morale of the private/public enterprises in the country.