Venue: Banjul, The Gambia
Date:7th December 2024
Your Excellency, General Mamadi DOUMBOUYA, President of the Republic of Guinea, represented by H.E. Prime Minister Amadou Oury BAH, Your Excellency, General Umaro Sissoco EMBALO, President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau represented by H.E.Prime Minister Mr. Rui Duarte de Barros, Your Excellency, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, President of the Republic of Senegal, represented by H.E. Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, OMVG Line Ministers, Other Ministers Present, The OMVG High Commissioner, Secretary General, and Staff, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
On my behalf, as Current Chairman of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of The Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (OMVG), and the Government and People of The Gambia, it is my honour and pleasure to warmly welcome all the delegations to this Summit. We are indeed proud to host every distinguished delegate present, and we wish our eminent guests a pleasant stay here in Banjul. Please feel at home.
Before proceeding, allow me to express our heartfelt sympathy to His Excellency, General Mamadi DOUMBOUYA and the People of Guinea for the tragic loss of life that happened recently in Nzerekoreh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, and we wish the injured a swift and full recovery. In this regard, I propose that we observe a minute of silence in their memory.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Through their pioneering work, the late Presidents, Leopold Sédar SENGHOR, Dawda Kairaba JAWARA, Ahmed Sékou TOURE and Nino VIEIRA, live on, as we build on their efforts for sub-regional cooperation and integration. On our behalf collectively, I pay homage to them, in recognition of the historic role they played in creating and bringing together the OMVG family.
In this connection, I thank the Presidents of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Senegal for supporting this long overdue Summit. It is a meeting that gives us an opportunity to review the activities of the OMVG since the Extraordinary Summit of 29th January 2016. This is an opportune moment to convene the Summit, noting that the electricity inter-connection line for the four Member Countries is 99% complete. In addition, the construction of the Sambangalou hydroelectric dam is in high gear.
I convey sincere gratitude to the OMVG Secretariat and its entire technical team for the hard work that translated the electrical inter-connection project into reality. Accordingly, we are thankful to the African Development Bank, the lead donor of the Energy Project interconnection, and all our formidable partners, for the invaluable support to the OMVG Energy Project and the implementation of the Integrated Development Master Plan (IDMP). We kindly request, however, that you consider increasing your technical and financial support for the speedy implementation of all the planned OMVG Projects. Excellencies,
Despite our encouraging achievements, it is worth recalling that the higher organs of our Organisation do not meet regularly. Among other possible consequences, this state of affairs can hinder the operations of the OMVG, especially as regards the establishment of the Sambangalou Energy and Transport Network Management Company (SOGESART).
Your Excellencies,
Honourable Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A major objective of this meeting is to address the Chairmanship of the Conference of Heads of State and Government and the Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers, both of which rotate among the four Member Countries.
The position of High Commissioner equally rotates among Member States, except for Senegal, the host and holder of the position of Secretary General at the Organisation’s Headquarters.
Besides these, Member States are also expected to fill the positions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of the Agency for the management of the SOGESART.
With reference to the proposed agenda, it is scheduled that Member States sign the Conventions on the legal status of the Kayanga/Geba and Koliba/Corubal rivers. Like the Gambia River, the two rivers should henceforth acquire the status of shared international rivers. Both are crucial natural resources we can leverage for shared socio-economic development.
It is for this reason that the Council of Ministers adopted the Resolution of 2nd August 2008 to align their legal statuses with OMVG practice. The development of these rivers offers great prospects for fruitful economic cooperation among Member States.
As outgoing Chairman of the Council of the Heads of State, I must draw attention to the huge amount of arrears owned by Member Countries. Our economic challenges are obvious, but we must demonstrate more commitment to the OMVG. The Organisation has come a long way for us to let it fail. Crucially, its success will always have a positive impact on our economic performance. I urge my colleagues, therefore, that we guarantee the continuity of this unique sub-regional body by paying our contributions on time.
In the same vein, I encourage the OMVG Secretariat to explore innovative ways of accessing more donor funding to support their activities. Mindful of the serious financial challenges Member States face, it is advisable that you make best use of the Organisation’s funds.
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I hope that the resolutions adopted in this meeting will be implemented by the relevant bodies of the Organisation and that, going forward, the statutory meetings will be held on time.
Once again, I congratulate the Heads of Member States, Council of Ministers, and the OMVG Secretariat and staff on the successful convening of this Summit.
In the interim, I hope and pray that Allah will protect and bless our countries abundantly and guide the OMVG to greater successes at a much faster rate.
While wishing everyone a successful Summit, I declare the 11th Ordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the OMVG open.
Long live the OMVG!
Long live sub-regional integration!
Long live international cooperation!
Thank you for your attention.
