By: Arret Jatta
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Gambia Secretariat on Thursday 22nd February, invited media chiefs and senior reporters from all over the country as stakeholders in the upcoming OIC summit that will be held in The Gambia on the 4th and 5th May, to discuss ways of strengthening their partnership.
The theme of the summit is “Enhancing Unity and Solidarity Through Dialogue for Sustainable Development”.
The OIC summit, which is said to be the second largest gathering of world leaders, is a huge feat for the country and this will be the first time The Gambia will be hosting such an international gathering.
The CEO of OIC Mr Yankuba Dibba said he has always valued the importance of media in development work and also being the Fourth Estate of any country, this shows the importance of the media as the architect of any country.
“We all are aware that we’ve been in the planning process for this summit for quite some time, and Gambia is going to be the second country in Africa south of the Sahara to host this very important summit,” Mr Dibba said.
He emphasized the importance of the summit and said that it’s the second most important gathering, “It’s a big summit and it’s second only to the United Nations general assembly it comprises 57 countries across all the continents and envisage in late April to welcome dignitaries from all these countries in the Gambia”.
“The OIC is not just a meeting as far as the Gambia is concern its not just a summit, but it’s a transformational project a National project it’s one of its kind since our founding in 1965 we’ve not had a project that has embraced so much within such a short time and having mobilize some much resources to be able to provide Gambia a complete facelift both in terms of infrastructure and of course diplomatic relations” he highlighted.
Mr Dibba highlighted the importance of the media and their partnership, “so in this journey we need partners and you are our number one partner because when all is said and done, history is recorded through the media”.
Mr Ade Daramy the Editor in chief of QTV also said that this event is a game changer and the media is really important when it comes to something like this.
“This upcoming 15th summit hosted for the first time on our soil and only for the second time in the sub-Saharan Africa isn’t just a testament to the Gambia’s growing prominence, it’s also a fantastic opportunity for us to underscore important things about our nation to talk about our unity, solidarity and solidarity and sustainable development” he stated.
He added that our task as conveyers of information and facilitators of dialogue can be multifaceted and seriously impactful.
“The media serve as a bridge connecting diverse cultures and perspectives within our nation and beyond our borders and through our comprehensive coverage our insightful storytelling and responsible reporting, we can illuminate the rich types-try of our collective heritage, the shared value that binds us, and the vibrant discussions that will propel us forward as a nation,” he said.
