Banjul, May 4 (APS) – Gambians interviewed by the APS reporter expressed their pride in seeing their country welcome the 15e Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
”We waited a long time before hosting this summit. It’s a first,” exclaims Sidy Sakho, technician at Gamtel, a local telecoms company.
”We always wanted to organize such an event. Since the news of the organization of this summit was announced, all Gambians have mobilized,” he added.
He believes that the holding of this summit constitutes a Source of pride and a feat for a small country like the Gambia.
”This proves that we can do as much as the big countries. We hope that our guests will feel very comfortable with us. It is not for nothing that the Gambia is nicknamed ”Smiling coast of Africa”. We want to transmit this joy of living to our guests,” he says, not without pride.
Aware that ”some participants are discovering The Gambia for the first time, we want them to benefit from our hospitality,” says the Gambian telecoms technician.
Certain economic benefits
Better still, he hopes that his country benefits from the economic dividends that this type of meeting provides, in addition to positioning it well on the international scene.
The same enthusiasm and the same expectations are shared by his compatriot Modou Touré, journalist at Block Tv.
”The Gambia is certainly a developing country, but has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to organizing a meeting of international dimension,” he said.
Through the projects undertaken as part of the organization of this OIC summit, Touré maintains that his ”country will be more on the path to economic development, thanks to tourism in particular”.
Another economic sector that benefits from this summit is that of the restaurant industry. Bintou Diaïté living in Bundung, a district of Banjul, the Gambian capital, is of this opinion.
With a smile on her lips, this young 23-year-old restaurateur rubs her hands, adding that she considers herself privileged by the simple fact of experiencing an international meeting that her country is not used to hosting.
For Maï Bodian, in her late thirties, the OIC summit is a boon for her compatriots, and even more so for the hotel sector.
”We work in hotels and we were associated with the summit to manage the catering of certain guests,” she rejoices.
For Gambians, particularly Banjulians, the OIC summit therefore constitutes a great economic opportunity that should not be missed for anything in the world. The Gambia, which joined the organization in 1974, will assume its presidency for the next three years.
FD/ABB/OID
