WELCOME STATEMENT BY HON. YUSUPHA KAH

REPRESENTING THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS,

INFORMATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ON THE

OCCASION OF THE 11TH ORDINARY MEETING OF RASCOM

ASSEMBLY OF PARTIES HELD IN BANJUL 7-8 DECEMBER 2009.

Your Excellency the Vice President

Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly

Honourable Ministers from RASCOM Member countries

Colleagues

Chairman of the RASCOM Assembly of Parties

Director General/CEO of RASCOM

Excellencies

Venerable Religious Leaders

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

All other protocols duly observed

I feel honored to be availed this opportunity to welcome you all to the 11th Ordinary meeting of RASCOM Assembly of Parties. This event in Banjul is a manifestation of the high degree of importance the Gambia attaches to the RASCOM project. May I hasten to inform this gathering that His Excellency the President Sheikh Professor Dr. Alhaji Yahya A J J Jammeh registers unflinching support to the vision and mission of RASCOM, which was contained in his statement during the AU Summit in 2006 in Banjul. He has persistently over the years authorized increased shareholder contributions of the Gambia to RASCOM and allocated a site for the construction of one of the two Network Operating Centres of RASCOM.

His Excellency's support in hosting this Assembly of Parties is a manifestation of his commitment to the RASCOM project as a true Pan Africanist.

Your Excellency,

Distinguished ladies and Gentlemen,

I have been informed about some strategic successes of RASCOM between 2003 and 2008. These among other things, include:

1. The establishment of the execution agreements of RASCOM that sets out the regulatory framework for RASCOMStar-QAF – the commercial arm of RASCOM;

2. Achievement of financial closure for the construction of the First Pan-African satellite;

3. Acquisition of land in Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Libya and The Gambia for the RASCOM project;

4. Bringing on board of RASCOM the Non Signatory partners like the West African Development Bank (BOAD);

5. Assisting RASCOMStar-QAF to secure financing from BOAD and the Central African Development Bank to finance the Ground Traffic Segment infrastructure which supports rural access as a key element in the mission of RASCOM.

These colossal achievements constitute added impetus to the success of the RASCOM project. I therefore urge partner signatories to collectively lend continuous support to the RASCOM project as it aims to continuously multiply the number of satellites dedicated to Africa under this viable and sustainable project.

Mr. Chairman, at the World Radio Communication Conference 2007 (WRC-07) held in Geneva, the Gambia, in full support of RASCOM supported the proposal for "No Change" as regards the threats to the C-Band Spectrum resources. This support to RASCOM applies virtually to all African Governments.
Mr. Chairman,

In this session my role is rather limited to welcome our guests to the Gambia, nonetheless I felt the need to highlight those memorable achievements and successes. I would like to register special welcome to my colleagues with whom I will be interacting with during the two day Assembly of Parties meeting and to deliberate on the outcome of the 51 st session of the Board of Directors which was held in this hotel from the 3-4 December 2009. I therefore look forward to forge closer ties with you all through this Assembly platform.

I would like to extend a note of welcome to the Director General of RASCOM and RASCOMStar-QAF and their staff present in this meeting. I would also like to welcome all the Parties, Signatories and non Signatories of the RASCOM Convention, observers from international organisations, country delegates and every body present here. Above all, I would also like to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of The Gambia Sheikh Prof Alhaji Dr. Yahya A J J Jammeh, for all the support he has provided in ensuring that the 11 th Ordinary Meeting of RASCOM Assembly of Parties is successfully held in the Gambia.

I have no doubt that the message His Excellency has for us today will be a message of inspiration and commitment for the successful achievement of the Pan African satellite project.