UNFPA’s Chief for the Western Cluster of the Africa Division, Ms Janet Jackson, is on a two-day familiarization visit to The Gambia from 8th – 9th July, 2007 in what is said to be her first visit to the country, a press release from the UNFPA office states.

The release further states that Ms Jackson arrived from Dakar, Senegal on a tour of UNFPA Country Offices in West Africa, accompanied by Mrs. Suzanne Maiga-Konate, the UNFPA Country Director

As part of her tour, Ms Jackson is today scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Her Excellency the Vice President, Dr. Ajaratou Isatou Njie-Saidy, who is also the Chairperson of the National Population Commission at the State House.

Later in the day, the release went on, a working lunch would be held at the Corinthia Atlantic Hotel in Banjul for senior UNFPA Officials, National Population Commission Secretariat and the heads of implementing partners of the UNFPA-funded National Population Programme.

“Ms Jackson is visiting The Gambia soon after the signing on 6th June 2007 of the Country Programme Action Plan, a new five-year (2007-2011) co-operation agreement for the sixth cycle of UNFPA assistance to The Gambia government to the tune of US $5.5 Million for the Population Programme.

“Ms Jackson joined UNFPA’s Africa Division in 2006. Quoted in ‘Ubuntu Africa’ which is a publication of the Africa Division about her aspirations in this new post, Ms Jackson said “I will put energy and focus into streamlining support and coordination within and across West Africa to help strengthen programming and implementation,” the release concluded.