GAMBIA’S First Lady Fatoumatta Bah Barrow has urged African leaders to rethink the continent’s priorities and strategies in order to achieve the collective objective of the region’s development.
‘We need to rethink our priorities and strategies, in an innovative manner to ensure that we reach our collective goal for Africa’s development in a practical manner. African governments have to tackle this issue head on by working together and with their development partners collectively to ensure good governance, financial prudency in government, rule of law and education of our vast youthful population that can be our engine of growth. Youths are the backbone of any society; therefore, we have to transition from being the mining fields of the world to the trading centre that we were centuries ago,’ Bah Barrow said in her keynote address at the Warwick Africa Summit on February 26.
She noted that governments partnering with the private sector to create employment through beneficiation ventures is ‘far more beneficial as opposed to the previous system of exporting raw materials unprocessed and undervalued,’ and called for young entrepreneurs, including women, to be supported in these ventures. ‘These are the methods that we need to fight against poverty and transform our continent,’ Bah Barrow stated.
The First Lady lamented the plight of youths who risk their lives trying to migrate to Europe in search of greener pastures saying, ‘Illegal migration, which affects a staggering percentage of our youth in The Gambia, is not only resulting in the loss of lives of our youths, it also has a lasting effect on our labour force. It is also important to note that the negative impacts of migration amongst the professional cadre whose contribution to nation building is overwhelming.’ She added: ‘ This is also of great concern, as we are also losing our medical doctors, nurses, engineers, lawyers and other important professionals. We therefore need to introduce measures that will keep them home by creating conducive environments for them to secure employment, grow so they can fulfill their part in this journey of revitalising our African continent.’
Bah Barrow outlined her role, as the First Lady of Gambia, in various humanitarian and charitable organisations, medical treatment camps and other activities targeted at the most vulnerable groups of society, including children, women and people who are ‘differently able’ and various communities in need.
Below is the full text of her keynote address:
It gives me great pleasure to join you at the occasion of the Warwick Africa Summit 2023 which focuses on the development of Africa. I would like to congratulate and thank members of the Warwick Africa Summit for organizing such an interactive and educative forum dedicated to the theme “A Thousand Begins with One”. I believe you have provided the right platform to share experiences and encourage one another. Your efforts in recognising the need for dialogue in an all-inclusive approach for Africa’s development is commendable and a good start in addressing our needs.
The greatest lesson that I have learnt over the past few years is the importance of human dignity. For a few years now, I have dedicated my role as the voice of the under privileged and the marginalized groups of society. For this reason, I am very pleased to deliver this keynote speech in the presence of young men and women from all over the world who will become our future leaders.
In every community, there are always groups that lag behind not because of their efforts or lack thereof, but due to factors that are beyond their control. However, it is possible to fight to lift them when we come together and stand united, as we are here today.
We were all born with equal rights but are actually separated by undefined lines of land ownership, opportunities, race, ethnicity, gender and religion to name a few. However, I believe that the greatest divide of all stems from our geographical locations, health status and levels of education. All of these factors create poverty.
Poverty is indeed a vicious cycle which affects groups of society that often become discriminated upon, for something that is no fault of theirs. That is unjust, ladies and gentlemen. To prevent such injustice, we need to make a conscious effort to educate ourselves and amplify the voice of the marginalized.
We also need to work with Governments, development partners and civil society organisations to keep the conversation going each year. This inclusivity further allows us to work and find means to develop programs and initiatives to keep the conversation going whilst addressing their challenges.
As the First Lady of the Republic, I instantly became engaged in various humanitarian/charitable organizations, medical treatment camps and other activities targeted at the most vulnerable groups of society, including women, children, people who are differently abled and various communities in need.
My goal is to alleviate poverty and find means to counter the poverty cycle by ensuring that basic help is accessible to all through quality education, healthcare, social services, empowerment and community development.
With such an inclusive approach, it is hoped that major improvements will be made in these areas. In 2017, I initiated the ‘Fatoumatta Bah Barrow Foundation’, in order to follow my desire to not only bring about change, but to also help save and improve the lives of children, youth and women throughout The Gambia.
Where women are concerned, I gladly promote gender equality to naturally empower women and girls through education, skills development and other forms of support. I am also devoted to raising awareness on some challenges that women in The Gambia are facing including those affected by climate change, HIV, cancer, infertility, gender-based violence and maternal health conditions like obstetric fistula amongst others. Consequently, efforts are made to raise awareness and mobilize the support necessary for the inclusion of these women in society, create opportunities and break barriers. In collaboration with key stakeholders, we educate ourselves properly about different issues affecting the marginalised from a different perspective and acquire accurate data in order to chart the way forward.
My wish is to see women, girls and all marginalised groups at the forefront of our nation’s development agenda. Women form an important part of a nation’s peace and development process and must be empowered enough to undertake their responsibilities and is a positive way of starting their life journeys. After all, we are more than fifty per cent of the population and need to be utilized in all aspects of development to ensure full productivity and prosperity.
The issue of the youth is also of great interest as sadly; our youths are risking their lives to do the journey north to Europe in search of greener pastures and a better life. Illegal migration which affects a staggering percentage of our youth in The Gambia, is not only resulting in the loss of lives of our youths, it also has a lasting effect on our labour force. It is also important to note that the negative impacts of migration amongst the professional cadre whose contribution to nation building is overwhelming. This is also of great concern, as we are also losing our medical doctors, nurses, engineers, lawyers and other important professionals. We therefore need to introduce measures that will keep them home by creating conducive environments for them to secure employment, grow so they can fulfill their part in this journey of revitalising our African continent.
We therefore need to rethink our priorities and strategies, in an innovative manner to ensure that we reach our collective goal for Africa’s development in a practical manner. African governments have to tackle this issue head on by working together and with their development partners collectively to ensure good governance, financial prudency in Government, rule of law and education of our vast youthful population that can be our engine of growth. Youths are the backbone of any society; therefore, we have to transition from being the mining fields of the world to the trading centre that we were centuries ago.
In recent years, we have recognised that partnering with businesses and the private sector in our countries to create employment through value added activities is far more beneficial and as opposed to the previous system of exporting raw materials unprocessed and undervalued. Young entrepreneurs including women need to be supported in these ventures. These are the methods we need to fight against poverty and transform our continent.
For the past six years, I have focused on raising awareness on pertinent issues that affect millions of people on a daily basis. Being a First Lady is not a privilege but rather a position of service to the less fortunate. A key purpose I have identified as my role is a responsibility to fight for the rights of the marginalised communities. I chose to support them in solidarity, so as to ensure that they live free from stigma and discrimination against misperceptions or harmful practices. A principal method is to utilise every platform to advocate for the less fortunate, as that’s the least that I can do. 
As Africans, we are all aware of the need to achieve the development that we want as a continent. Our strong cultural values and morals towards humanity begin with the teachings from within the home where we are taught to care for thy neighbour. Just one step in the right direction to have an impact on one slowly leads a thousand.
I take pride in being the voice of the voiceless, and the face of the unseen by ensuring that my Office and my Foundation engage in work ranging from healthcare, education, child protection, women’s rights, environmental matters, people with special needs and those living with HIV or cancer just to name a few.
In order to render support, I had to educate others, speak out on harmful practices and norms in my country. I firmly believe that such advocacy is important to change the mindset of every community. It is important to note that the most gratifying feeling that I get in life is making a less privileged child or person smile. This makes all the effort and hard work put into our programs to make their dreams a reality worth it.
Sadly, the African continent is affected by poverty and despite our efforts, we are still behind as our people continue to suffer and their conditions not improving as fast as we hope. We ought to realise and recognise that development of Africa cannot be achieved by one segment of society but rather as a collective.
As Africans, we continue to struggle to keep the peace in some regions, without which development is a mere vision and a dream. We need to believe in ourselves as Africans and adapt various models of democracies and the rule of law to our current realities. We live in a globalised era where one needs to collaborate and form partnerships to chart the way forward.
At the continental level, I wish to remind everyone that the Organisation of African Union the OAU was founded and served as an exemplary form of integration. However, Africans are still behind whereas some regional blocs were formed after and have progressed much faster. We have to endeavour to achieve the visions of our forefathers. In some regions, we have unfortunately been further derailed by pockets of military rule and despots, widening the gap amongst us. We need to renew our promise to progress as a continent, as ‘A Thousand Begins with One’.
I wish to reassure you all of my commitment and participation in this journey to write our history and count on your support not just as young intellectuals, but as Africans.
Thank you.
