The Gambian leader, President Yahya Jammeh, has disclosed that government has legislated the establishment of the National Planning Commission (NPC) which will start operations in 2007.

The commission he said, will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of the PRSP as well as coordinating the donor support to the process.

This was contained in President Jammeh’s New Year message delivered to the nation on the eve of the New Year. Below is the full text of the President’s message:

As we approach the dawn of another new year, I feel humbled and highly privileged to be able to address and to pray with you in anticipation of what we hope would be a bright prosperous 2007. I therefore thank Allah the Almighty Subhana Watallah for making this happen.

At this opportune moment, let us once again pray for the sick and the infirm, the restoration of peace and stability for those in conflict, and abundance and prosperity for those struggling to survive on meagre resources. May the Almighty Allah grant us the strength and wisdom to be able to work hard in harmony for the greater good of all Gambians.

Fellow Gambians,

A quick review of the past year shows that we as Gambians should feel really proud and have a cause to celebrate. Despite the numrous challenges that the year 2006 brought along, we were able to boldly brave the storm through and unprecedented show of solidarity, unity of purpose and selfless sacrifice. We were ablt to successfully host the 7th Summit of African Heads of State and Government from the 1st to 2nd July 2006.

The successful hosting of the Summit is a clear demonstration of what patriotism, unity and working collectively towards a common purpose with a clear vision can achieve. As part of our preparations for the AU Summit, a number of infrastructural development programmes were embarked on and finalized. Key among these is the face-lifting of the Tourism Development Area and airport facilities, including the commissioning of the AU Street light project which was later expanded to include parts of the Kairaba Avenue. Some of the major roads in the Tourism Development Area were also expanded to cater for the large fleet of vehicles. In collaboration with TAF Construction Company, an AU village was built to house the Heads of State.

Another very important milestone in 2006, was the Presidential Elections in September. The elections were rated by all observers - both international and local, as peaceful and very free and fair. The Gambian people cognizant of the giant strides already made by my government in national development, voted overwhelmingly for me under the APRC banner. Our new 5-year mandate, which coincides with our national Medium Term Development Plan, will enable us continue the development programmes already embarked on as well as formulate new ones along the way.

I owe a great debt of gratitude and appreciation to those patriotic and forward-looking Gambians who through thick and thin always rally behind me. The renewal of my mandate for a third term in the recent elections is clear manifestation that the vlues and objectives that I stand for are highly cherished by the greater majority of the Gambian population. I hereby pledge that I wil never let you down. all the development objectives and targets that I have charted for this great country will come to fruition Inshallah.

In the social sector, a number of improvements have been made geared towards enabling us meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Education, Health and Agriculture have all registered considerable progress toward meeting the MDGs.

Fellow Gambians,

2006 also saw the commissioning of some of the substations under the Rural Electrification Project, namely, Basse, Bansang and Farafenni. This all-important project is intended to help close the rural-urban gap by enhancing more rural economic development by improving the social services to boost our rural incomes through the creation of jobs and improving living standards, thus minimizing the rural-urban drift. One of the major challenges facing our electricfication process is the dependence on fossil fuels and the high costs associated with this. A renewable energy study funded by the ADB has recently been concluded with a number of recommendations for alternative sources of energy for household and industrial use to minimize our over dependence on fossil fuels. Pilot projects are being developed to put these recommendations to the test and where viable, adopt them nationally.

Again in the area of energy which is the bedrock for development, my Government has been able to sign in September 2006, two oil exploitation exploration licences in the Gambian off-shore with Buried Hill Energy Limited, a Canadian Company. It is hoped that this would serve as a catalyst for more rapid infrastructura and economy development in ur march towards the realization of vision 2020.

Complementing developments in the energy sector are the efforts geared towards improving and expanding the road network. In this vein, the Farafenni-Laminkoto Road project is virtually completed except for the road markings which are being done and, work on the Kerewan-Farafenni Road project is progressing satisfactorily. Funding has also been secured from the EU for the construction rehabilitation of five major roads including the Trans-Gambia and the Soma-Basse roads. In fact as I speak to you, the contract for actual construction has already been signed with a Dutch Construction Company call Ballast Nedam Africa B.V.

On the international scene, The Gambia continues to play a very active role in the UN and other agencies and also in the Regional and Sub-regional organizations.

This is largely as a result of our recognition that the world is fast becoming a global village and our similarities far outweigh our differences. As a developing country we have a lot in common with other African and non-African countries. We can also learn a lot from countries that have gone through similar development paths such as those in the Asia-Pacific region and this is why we are a strong advocate of South-South Co-operation.

We also continue to play a very active role in conflict prevention and resolution. A fourth contingent of Gambian troops recently left for the Darfur region of Sudan on a peace keeping mission. We all hope and pray that the year 2007 will usher in a new era of world peace and bring an end to the current conflicts plaguing our planet.

Fellow Gambians,

The year just ending has not been without its bottlenecks both nationally and on the international scene. In the International arena, the Global Order continues to be afflicted by conflicts double standards and natural calamities. for instance, the Iraqi problem is showing no sign of abating; Israel attacked Lebanon with impunity; unleashing untold human suffering, whilst at the same time the Israel-Palestine conflict still remain largely ignored and unresolved. Simmering tensions are also being observed in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. We do hope that the UN will do its utmost to prevent these tensions from erupting into conflicts. We should also pray to Allah the Almighty for his divine intervention to reign in the super powers of death, pillage and destruction that are responsible for all the conflicts this planet is beset with today.

As conflicts in our neighbouring contries, especially the Cassamance region of Senegal continue unabated, the Gambia continues to be faced with the influx of refugees. Despite some assistance from refugee agencies, this puts a huge strain on our meager resources and social services.

Here at home, the peace and tranquility that the Gambia is renowned for was put to the test by dissident elements who tried to destabilize my Government in March 2006. With the Almighty Allah’s assistance, this was quickly quelled and some of the perpetrators are being brought to book. The solidarity manifested by all peace loving Gambians during after the 10,000 man march, to denounce this unwarranted act definitely touched my heart.

As we enter into the year 2007, our hopes and expectations are heightened by the fact that we have already set in motion our development agenda for the next five yers starting in the year 2007. We therefore need to work harder in the coming years to consolidate the gains already registered as well as achieve progress in the newly charted areas of our development agenda such as the Silicon Valley Project.

To help coordinate our development programmes and policies, Government has legislated the establishment of a National Planning Commission which would be operational in 2007. The Commission will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of the PRSP as well as coordinating donor support to the process. Through this process we would endeavour to enhance growth and reduce poverty thereby ensuring a decent standard of living for all Gambians.

Let us therefore renew our commitment and resolve to work selflessly as patriotic citizens of this great country and contribute our individual and collective quota towards the achievement goals. We should ensure that the peace and tranquility that prevailed during the presidential elections is replicated in the upcoming National Assembly elections in January 2007.

Fellow Gambians,

As we approach the dawn of 2007, the horizon looks very bright, but we shuld not rest on our laurels. We need to work harder in unity and harmony for the greater good of our nation. May Allah grant us peace and give us the fortitude to realize our goals aspirations.

I wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year and thank you all for your attention.