By Adama Makasuba
The Voice Achiever Award International will award President Adama Barrow an Icon of Democracy Award for his effort in preserving and keeping Gambians together, this will be done at The Gambia Voice Business Summit and Award Gala Night scheduled for August.
The award is expected to feature forty-five nominees including Gambians living at home and abroad to recognise their contributions to the national development of the country and its people.
Speaking at a news conference held at Kololi, Pastor Amb Ndubuisi Elvis Iruh, chief organiser of the award said the award comes to The Gambia under the invitation of First Lady, Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, after Dubai ceremony where she was awarded.
According to him, the ceremony will hold from 18-20 of August 2022 at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre, adding “we are going to have what we call a business-to-business. Some of our Diaspora friends who are coming will like to interact with Gambian society, business, charity, youth empowerment.”
“On the 20th we will have a gala night. We have received a lot of nominations from across the world. So, people will be recognized in The Gambia. But we have also decided this year to recognize Gambians who are contributing to the advancement of their country,” he explained.
Among them “I can confirm two people to you, the First Lady of Sierra Leone while our President Adama Barrow will be recognised as Icon of Democracy for his effort to preserve The Gambia and keep it together after the challenges as regarding changes of power, as we all witness.”
He noted that “Outside the country, they are very proud of The Gambia, it (2016 impasse) could have resulted to violence and killings, but he resolved to keep the peace and advocated for peaceful means to change power and that did happen. And that we thought is commendable, and the country had another election acknowledged by the Commonwealth and other observers as peaceful and transparent.”