The leader of the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) who’s the Minister of Tourism and Culture Hamat N.K Bah has ascribed the leadership quality of former South African president Nelson Mandela to Gambian leader Adama Barrow.
Bah made the comparison while speaking at Sare Samba, a community in Jimara, Upper River Region recently as he laid a foundation stone for the construction of an Eco-lodge, meant to be part of a wider government plan to reduce rural-urban migration in the country.
“All what Nelson Mandela said about Leadership is what I have seen in President Adama Barrow,” Bah stated.
In one of the books written by the African icon which Hamat claimed to have read, he cited that the former South African President said leadership is not only about being in front but rather to be a Shepherd who will follow behind so as to be able to monitor and direct the herd to their final destination.
Bah described President Adama Barrow as a listener who consults with others on issues.
“Anytime you sit with this man (President Adama Barrow), you see a great sense of leadership in him. It is not about going to the university, the greatest leaders who gave the greatest dividends of democracy to their people are people who ended their secondary school grades and became heads of state of their countries, the greatest leaders that restored the economies of the world were not the PHD Holders,” Minister Bah stated.
He added: “I can name a long list of leaders who never went to the university but yet became great and did great things for their people.”
According to him, the Gambians are impatient with the speed of development, but assured that with patience, the country will witness unprecedented development under President Adama Barrow.
“I think if we are a little bit patient in this country, this country will transform between the next two to three years to a level unprecedented in the history of this country and the rest of Africa.”
Hamat said laying the foundation stones for construction of Eco-lodge at Sare Samba is part of government’s efforts to minimizing rural-urban drift as well as migration among the youths of the country. He added that two more foundation stones for similar facilities were laid at Barra and Janjanbureh.
