Continental Reinsurance poised to bridge knowledge gap in Gambian market

Non-life reinsurance training designed to improve knowledge and skills gap in Gambian industry (Photo: Participants - by Lamin Jahateh)

Continental Reinsurance Corporation has on Monday stated it is poised to bridge the knowledge gap in non-life reinsurance in The Gambia.

In that regard, the corporation hold a two-day training (March 24-25) on ‘non-life reinsurance’ in collaboration with Insurance Association of The Gambia (IAG) at a local hotel in Banjul.  

“The training is specifically designed to increase and improve the knowledge and skills gap in non-life reinsurance in The Gambia insurance industry,” the Nigeria-based pan-African company states.

USA’s NSA, UK’s GCHQ listed as ‘Enemies of the Internet’

The seal of the U.S. National Security Agency. The first use was in September 1966, replacing an older seal which was used briefly. For more information, see here and here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Three of the government bodies designated as “Enemies of the Internet” are located in democracies that have traditionally claimed to respect fundamental freedoms, the international press freedom agency, Reporters Without Borders, RSF, has said.

They are the Centre for Development of Telematics in India, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in the United Kingdom, and the National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States.

RSF said identifying government units or agencies rather than entire governments as Enemies of the Internet “allows us to draw attention to the schizophrenic attitude towards online freedoms” that prevails in some countries.

The 2014 Enemies of the Internet report published on “World day against Cyber censorship” on March 12, stated that the NSA and GCHQ have spied on the communications of millions of citizens including many journalists.

Journalists’ leader attributes ‘little reporting' on environment to low capacity

Participants and facilitators pose after opening ceremony (Photo Credit:BAJ-Gambia/March2014)

President of The Gambia Press Union, Bai Emil Touray, has said “capacity on environment issues is at low ebb since there are little reports on environmental issues on [local] radio stations and newspapers.”

The protection of the environment is a collective responsibility - especially for journalists, Mr Touray told a March 15 Biodiversity Action Journalists The Gambia (BAJ-Gambia)-organised training workshop for editors, web designers and radio producers at Wellingara Horticulture Model Centre.

He said it is important that journalists provide the people with accurate and timely information on environmental matters – and encourages BAJ and its partners to not only train journalists but also embark on research projects.

Gambian blogger Mamadou Edrisa Njie writes about social media 'success story'

Is social media the next gold mine for Gambian youth?

Mamadou Edrisa Njie (R) photo: Facebook/Niani Edrisanjie Kanda

If someone had told me that a few years ago that using the social media will one day land me in a job, I would have totally disagreed with that person, be it an expert, a researcher or a fortuneteller. In fact, this wasn’t because I didn’t know what social media was all about but mainly because I was ONLY passionately on Facebook to chart with friends with some that I don’t know.

Here I am, [I] have signed a six month-contract with one of the best IT Service Providers in The Gambia to be its “Social Media Administrator”. A post I only knew existed during the signing of the contract.

Being born and brought up in the rural community of The Gambia where young people trek several kilometers to access internet to use the social media-Facebook and Skype, today, I count myself a one of the luckiest to have had the opportunity to access the social media anytime, anywhere thanks to an IPAD provided by Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) International.

£16,000 grant to preserve Gambia’s ‘endangered’ history records

Gambia's national Museum (Photo credti: NCAC)

Minister Fatou Mass Jobe (photo: Daily News)

The British Library in London has awarded the Gambian National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) a grant under its ‘British Library Endangered Archives Programme’ to help digitize the NCAC’s oral history archives of over 5,000 recordings.

“The grant is to help the NCAC obtain the necessary equipment for preservation and provide training in how to digitize these important recordings,” according to the British Embassy in Banjul. 

The recordings were made between 1960s - 1980s and cover topics including the empire of Kaabu (a powerful federated Kingdom that includes present day The Gambia, Casamance and Guinea Bissau from the late 13th to mid 19th centuries) in addition to the relationships between the various ethnic groups dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.   

DEADLINE EXTENDED: First African Blogger Awards

The deadline has been extended of the continent’s very first awards programme that measures online and social influencers’ reach and influence through data analysis.

Five hours ago, ‏@African_Blogger tweeted: “As a result of high demand, we have extended entries for the African Blogger Awards until the 31^st March 2014.” Entries for the awards were initially due to close on 9 March 2014 at midnight GMT+2.

@mikesharman, co-founder of the African Blogger Awards, added: “Stoked to announce that due to demand (almost 400 entries), deadline for @African_Blogger Awards is now 31/03 http://africanbloggerawards.com.”

A nurse and journalist who was truly fearless in confronting authority in both Church and State

Mrs Bijou Edith Ernestine Bidwell Nee Peters 1927 – 2014

Bijou Peters (Photo credit: Gamcotrap)

Bijou Edith Ernestine Bidwell Nee Peters was the eldest daughter of the late Mr Lenrie Peters and Mrs Kezia (Broderick) Peters of Bathurst (now Banjul), The Gambia. 

She was born on the 29^th of March 1927 in Freetown, Sierra Leone and educated in her school days at St. Mary’s Anglican Primary School and Methodist Girls High School, under the educationist Mrs Norah Senior, MBE and missionary from Somerset, UK. She was Head Girl and passed the senior Cambridge School Certificate Exam.

She died on February 12, 2014 at 86 years of age. Prayers where held at St. Paul’s Parish Church, Fajara and buried at the Banjul Cemetery on Monday, March 3, 2014.

INNOVATION WITHOUT BORDERS

Be part of the Youth Social Media Team for the 2nd Asian Youth Forum

 Application and more info HERE.

Catholic Church 'Prevents Opening' of Clitoral Repair Hospital

“The goal is to help as many victims as possible have this surgery, which will also help discourage the barbaric practice of FGM,” Nadine Gary said.  “When its effects can be surgically reversed for free, what would be the point?” - Photo Credit: Clitoraid