By Omar Bah
President Adama Barrow has reassured the public that there will not be a low turnout of heads of state at next month’s Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Banjul. The Gambian leader spoke to the Gambian media, emphasizing the country’s meticulous preparation for hosting the summit.
Responding to a question on concerns that a good number of heads of state will not attend the summit due to the country’s poor preparation, President Barrow said that all 57 countries have confirmed they will send delegations to the summit but acknowledged that not all presidents could attend. He added that this is normal, even at other international meetings.
President Barrow said that between 3000 and 4000 delegates are expected to attend and that accommodation will be fine because the country has over 10,000 beds. The Gambia is doing everything possible to host a successful summit, which is the country’s first hosting such an important event. The President disclosed that his government shifted the event’s hosting to 2017 because it needed more time to establish all the necessary infrastructure and security arrangements.
The President said that the OIC summit is crucial for the Gambia and that the country has already benefited greatly from OIC projects. He added that these are landmark projects, and that the Gambia will also chair the OIC for the next three years. That means the Gambia will chair everything happening in the OIC.
President Barrow added that the summit will also put the country on the world map for all the right reasons and significantly benefit Gambians. The Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre is already making a lot of money, and the highway built for the summit has a 25-year guarantee.
