By Kemo Kanyi
As the Gambia prepared to host the 15th ordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Corporation (OIC), the local organisingcommittee of The Gambia called on every Gambian to welcome the guests with open arms as true representation of the Gambian hospitality.
The OIC organising committee made this call in a press briefing yesterday at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre where 57 member states compriseD of kings, rulers and leaders are to attend from 4-5 May 2024.
Nfally Fadera, head of brand and communications OIC Gambia secretariat, said everyone in the Gambia should showcase Gambian trademark of smiling coast of Africa throughout the summit
“We are calling on everyone to take this opportunity to showcase the best of Gambia. We want to present the best personal time for them here. Gambian Hospitality that we are known for is good accommodation, so our message to all and sundry is to come out and give a befitting welcome and warm reception in line with our trademark tradition as the Smiling Coast of Africa, let’s come out. It’s a moment of Pride for the Gambia. Nobody should be left behind, even if it means you are just waving your flat at them. They are our guests, we should make them feel at home and then have a memorable great time in the Gambia, he urged.
He revealed that the advance delegation that is currently in the country has expressed their satisfaction with Gambia’s preparedness towards the convergence of world leaders.
“From their own words, The Gambia has exceeded the expectation in terms of the logistics, in terms of facilities, the organisation deployed, and so on. So, for us, we’ve seen this as an opportunity. That is our commitment. That is our vision, and that is what we are walking towards.”
He went further: “So far in terms of confirmations, we received 100% confirmation from member countries. Precisely, we have well over 40 VVIPs and VIPs who will be coming to this Islamic summit. This includes presidents, prime ministers, vice presidents, and deputy prime ministers across the world.”
The Minister of Information, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, said a wide range of issues were discussed with the delegates in the past two days, which included the Palestine-Israel conflict, youth matters, issues affecting women and many others. He further said the issue of planes parking at the Yoff Airport in Senegal depends on the availability of parking spaces at the Banjul International Airport.
Yankuba Dibba, the Chief Executive Officer of OIC Gambia, sighted that some delegations are up to 20 or 30 people and confirmed that all the delegates will be hosted in the Gambia.