Statement By Mr Malick Jeng, Interim President of the International Visitor Leadership Program (Gambia) Alumni Association at the launching of the Association on Friday, March 16th 2007, at Fajara Hotel
Tuesday 20th March 2007

Representative of the
Honorable Speaker of the National Assembly
Our distinguished Guest Speaker
US Ambassador to the Gambia, and Deputy Chief of Mission
Distinguished Guest Speaker,
Fellow members of the Gambia IVLP Alumni Association
Fellow IVLP Alumni
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would first of all like to thank representative of the National Assembly, Our distinguished Guest Speaker Abdoulie Touray, the American Ambassador to The Gambia, His Excellency Mr Joseph Stafford, and all our distinguished guests who have honored our invitation to this ceremony marking the formal launching of the International Visitor Leadership Program (Gambia) Alumni Association.

As you all aware, every year, the US State Department invites thousands professionals in various fields on a study tour of the United States to meet and exchange and exchange ideas and share experiences with their counterparts both in the US and other countries around the world. The international Visitor Leadership Program, as it is called, has over the past 50 years, attracted hundreds of thousands of professionals from around the world forming a large community who share one common experience, the IVLP..

We are committed to international understanding and cooperation and we will work with government, NGOs and civil society organizations to develop educational, social and cultural activities and projects that help to foster that objective.

As you are all aware, IVLP grantees are nominated by US Embassies from current or potential leaders in various fields.

Over the past 40 years, more than 230 Gambians have been through the program. They constitute a distinguished lot of highly qualified professionals in virtually all sectors, many of whom have offered exemplary service in their various fields of operation. Some of them are in this hall today, many are not here and others have departed this life. May their souls rest in perfect peace.

Please allow me to go through this list of Gambian IVLP alumni, which brings me to the issue of membership of this new association. At the moment we are a very small group, embarrassingly small considering the large number of Gambian IVLP alumni. I would at this junction like to ask the Members of the Association to please stand up …

Over the past few years, IVLP alumni around the world have been coming together to continue the dialogue that was started during their programs with the sole objective of enhancing international understanding and cooperation.

Consequently, IVLP Alumni associations have sprung up in various countries to work with governments and civil society organizations to develop activities and projects that support our common objectives. These activities and projects are often supported by the US State Department through grants administered by the US Embassy.

About a year ago, some IVLP grantees from The Gambia returned from their trip to the United States to narrate how other Alumni in the other countries had come together in local associations to continue to work together to promote the ideals and objectives of the program. They then approached the Embassy about forming a Gambia IVLP Alumni Association, which we inaugurating today.

Ambassador Stafford and his staff have been very supportive but have clearly emphasized that the US Embassy has no role to play in the running of the Association.

One IVLP Alumni, who played a very important role in the setting up of this association, is our President, Mrs. Kinza Jawara Njie. She hosted all our meetings in this very hotel at no cost to us and she spent a lot of effort to get this off the ground. As Vice President, I am holding brief for her because she is away in Southern Africa.

Please allow me at this juncture to emphasize that the Gambia IVLP Alumni Association is neither a political organization nor a pressure or lobby group. We are simply an association of Gambian professionals who have over the years travel to the United States.

We are sure if any of you have not joined because you did not know about it. Now that you know, this is the time to join; we have designed a simple Membership registration form.

There is a membership fee of D500 which we will use to support the association and its activities.

Please pick up a form and complete it after this ceremony.

We greatly need your wide experience and expertise to make the Gambia IVLP Alumni Association one of the most action-oriented associations in the world.

We also have provision of Honorary Membership which we offer to distinguished professionals who studied or lived in the United States for considerable periods and who by their exemplary track records project and image that complements the principal objective of the IVLP, fostering international understanding and cooperation.

I am pleased to announce that the current membership of the Association have unanimously decided to grant Honorary Membership to Mr. Abdoulie Touray, who is our guest speaker today.

Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly
Honorable Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Mr. Permanent Secretary
US Ambassador to the Gambia, and Deputy Chief of Mission
Distinguished Guest Speaker
Fellow members of the Gambia IVLP Alumni Association
Fellow IVLP Alumni
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

I thank you for your attention.