Africell donates foodstuffs, cooking utensils to Mile II Central Prison

By Sulayman Waan

In the spirit of love and caring and the Holy Month of Ramadan, Africell, the leading telecom company in The Gambia, yesterday visited Mile II Central Prison and donated cooking utensils and foodstuffs to the Gambia Prison Services (GPS). 

The donated items included several bags of rice, bags of sugar, numerous gallons of cooking oil and all kinds of cooking utensils. The materials, presented to the prison authorities, were meant for prisoners in the Mile II Central Prison, Janjanbureh Prison and the Jeshwang Prison.

 In his presentation, Musa Sise, Director of Corporate Service for Africell, said the gesture was part of Africell’s usual humanitarian services to the Gambian people.

“We are humble to present these items to The Gambia Prison Services,” he said. “Africell has been always providing humanitarian services to the GPS. Anytime Ramadan comes, we often support the prisoners with foodstuffs as a gesture.”

This gesture, he said further, would go a long way in supporting the management of the prison to provide feeding and cooking items to prisoners.

Lamin K. Saidy, Presidential advisor on youth matters, who facilitated the donation, commended Africell-Gambia for donating to the GPS such essential items of cooking utensils and foodstuffs.

“Africell has been supporting communities with foodstuffs and other needs since inception,” he stated, adding:  “I have worked with the company for many years in different aspects and I have seen the impact the company has made in society.”

Moving forward, he acknowledges the difficult circumstance the Gambia Prison Services is operating on. Thus anything the telecom company offers the institution is of greater good to the entire country, he added.

“The moment I reached out to Africell to support the GPS, its management responded quickly and positively,” he noted.

However, he calls on all and sundry to support GPS, saying the prisoners are in need of assistance from the general public, especially those with the wherewithal or the financially strong to render support.

Henry Gomez, special advisor to President Barrow, encouraged Africell to continue supporting the inmates, saying they obviously need support, particularly in terms of foodstuffs and other essential commodities.

“There is a need for the young prisoners to be reformed and equipped with the needed skills and knowledge to ensure the moment they are out of prison they can be involved into meaningful development rather than returning to criminal activities,” he said.

In this regard, he calls on all to join hands in providing the needed materials to make the prison a correction and transformational centre for criminals.

Keita Saidy, deputy director of Gambia Prison Services, thanked Africell for coming to their aid.

“We requested for cooking utensils but we have got more than that because we have been given food items also,” he said with a smiling face.

This gesture, he added, would go a long way in helping the management to feed the inmates.

He however calls on the government, non-government organizations, and philanthropists to support the GPS, saying the management “faces a series of challenges”.

SW/COB/19/03/25