By: Omar Jatta
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” A quote from one of the world’s greatest philanthropist, Mother Theresa .
In the last couple of years, a host of communities in The Gambia have been enjoying the benevolence of a Norwegian business consortium called, Norga (Norway-Gambia International Holding Company ltd), a holding company which has it’s head quarters in The Gambia and has hand in many other business and developmental investments within The Gambia and beyond. Among them was the now suspended West African Lotto, West African Quarry Products LTD , West African seafood, West African Real-estate, highly significant corporate investments that have been benefiting communities in terms jobs creations, social and community developments.
But what is more inspiring about Norga, is there love to take on their corporate responsibilities – efforts to integrate responsible business principles and practices through their operations along side community consciousness. Which brought us to one of their major community projects in The Gambia, the construction of a state-of-the-art sport multiplex in the Kombo coastal town of Brufut, which includes a top notch mini football stadium, which will be decorated with an artificial playing surface.
The multiplex, which is currently under contruction, is on a sizeable former landfill site donated by the people of Brufut, which spans about 500 meters square. The construction is expected to be completed by September this year and it will incorporate an administration building for Brufut United Football Club, dressing rooms for home and away players and rooms for the referees, a shop that will sell refresments and fans accessories. There will also be an academy attached to the stadium, and a classroom block from 1 to 12th grade that will be reasonable to attend with free lunch and free school uniforms.
This is all part of a long term plan which targets the overall development of football in Brufut, the Kombo and the other regions in the country. The plan includes not only just invetments in players and football infrastructural developments but also areas of community infrastructures including roads networks, accomodations, supermarkets, Restaurants and more.
This is all possible through the efforts of Mamadi Ceesay, a second generation Norwegian/Gambian whose father was one the first Gambian migrants to have arrived in Norway back in the 60s. Since 2004, Ceesay made numerous visits to his ancestral home, and during these visits he was inspired into contributing his quota in the community he lives in the Gambia. Through his mother, he acquired a plot of land in Brufut, and having been back and fort in the community, he got involved in the sport he loved, football. He and his colleagues at West African lotto took sole sponsorship of the town’s major team, Brufut United, donating thousands of Euros worth of football materials, ranging from jerseys,shocks, footballs boots, balls etc. The team was in the third tier of Gambian football (3rd Division), but through their unrelenting support, last season they gained promotion into the second tier (the 2nd Division).
In August last year, upon the unveiling of the Brufut multi-facility complex, Ceesay who is also the marketing director of NORGA revealed he has the backing of several influencial friends and sports personalities and his Company had spent a staggering 50, 000 Euros worth of quality football materials, which will be distributed to teams throughout the country, which included Brufut United, who were handed a special package which contained two sets of jerseys (home and away), 100 pairs of football boots from Adidas, track suits for both players and technical staff, 150 footballs for proper training.
In following through with their promise, in the last couple of weeks Ceesay an colleagues in Norga have resumed thier unprecedented benevolence and are currently extending their generosity to others regions in The Gambia and last week they were in the North Bank, where they’ve donated sets of quality jerseys with shorts, socks and 3 match balls to Anaconda FC, Rangers FC and Essau United.
When I got chatting to him last night, the bouyant Mr Ceesay, who just returned to Norway from The Gambia, evinced remarkable passion and enthusiasm, expressing his desire to see Gambian football develop to where it should’ve been and he stressed he will continue to do all he can to help Gambia achieve this goal. Adding their team led by the CEO of Norga’s Gambia branch, Mr Ba S Jabbi, who is also the chairman of Brufut Youths and Sports Development Committee (BYSDC) will be travelling to various regions within The Gambia to hand out the football materials. “Our aim is to visit all seven regions in The Gambia with donations for atleast ten teams including full set of jerseys and three match balls for each team,” said Ceesay.
Earlier today, Mr Ceesay gave updates of their next destination on his Facebook page, the central River region “The next destination for the sponsorship tour of Norga and West African Lotto is Central River Region. Needy and deserving football clubs can contact Sainey of Janjangbureh and kanteh of Kaur. We will give high quality complete jerseys, match balls and t-shirts for the technicians. Keep sporting and remain in love with Your country, we shall support you in your football endeavors,” he wrote. Yesterday evening at 5pm Ba Jabbi and team the delivered some of the items to third tier teams Tanje United, Jambanjelly United’s male and female teams at the Serekunda East mini stadium.
The Chartableness shown by Mamadi Ceesay and Norga International Holding Company will surely take it’s rightful place in the history of The Gambia and gambian football in particular, as they continue their pursue to bring football to the doorsteps of those in some of the most disadvantaged communities across the country. I am without an iota of a doubt that this astounding show of generosity and philantropism will change the lives of so many individuals and local communities in The Gambia, big and small, as the sport has a unique power to change lives for the better and it is the best way to promote social inclusion and cohesion. I hope it will serve as a way to inspire others, to always give back to their communities and to inspire the youth into participating and pursuing sporting opportunities, particularly football, as our nation continues on it’s journey to gain footballing execellence amongst her confederates.
