Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – There is an uncomfortable truth many of us sense but rarely articulate: as a society, we have gradually grown more tolerant of mediocrity and less protective of excellence. This is not about any single government or administration. It is about all of us, our habits, our expectations, our collective standards, and the culture we reinforce every day.
Mediocrity does not announce itself. It creeps in quietly when lateness becomes routine, when deadlines turn into suggestions, and when responsibility is deflected rather than embraced.
It grows when those who take their work seriously are mocked for “overdoing it,” and when what was once unacceptable becomes normal. What should alarm us becomes something we casually shrug off.
Yet mediocrity comes at a cost, whether in the public sector or private institutions. Wherever competence is not protected, systems weaken.
Wherever shortcuts replace honest effort, progress slows. And wherever excellence is misunderstood, resented, or discouraged, the next generation learns to lower its sights instead of raising its ambition.
Excellence, by contrast, is demanding. It requires discipline, humility, consistency, and the courage to do the right thing even when no one is watching.
It thrives in workplaces that reward merit, in families that model responsibility, and in communities that encourage individuals to bring their best forward. Above all, it depends on a culture that respects effort, learning, and continuous improvement.
Societies that rise are those that make excellence a habit. Excellence strengthens every institution, fuels innovation, builds trust, and expands what people believe is possible. When a nation refuses to settle for “good enough,” its citizens begin to discover the full extent of their potential.
But when mediocrity becomes the norm, excellence can feel lonely. Those who push themselves often stand apart, sometimes even misunderstood. Yet these are the people who move nations forward. They uphold standards when others relax them.
They insist on integrity when cutting corners becomes fashionable. They refuse to compromise simply to blend in.
My own experience in public service taught me this early. I joined the Gambia Government in 1983 as a Cadet Economist at the Ministry of Economic Planning and Industrial Development, an institution remembered for its high standards of professionalism.
The culture there was built on merit, discipline, and humility. Young officers were not only trained, they were challenged, mentored, and entrusted with real responsibility from the outset. Excellence was not an exception; it was the expectation.
Later, as Principal Economist responsible for compiling, preparing, and analyzing the Government’s Development Budget, I worked under Baboucarr Sompo Ceesay, who reported to Mr. Alieu Ngum, with Abdou A. B. Njie serving as Permanent Secretary.
It was demanding work requiring precision, coordination, and a deep commitment to national development.
Part of the job involved presenting and defending the Development Budget before World Bank and IMF Country Teams, rigorous, highly professional sessions. I remember one meeting vividly.
Sectoral submissions had arrived unusually late, giving us little time for a thorough analysis. During the presentation, the World Bank Team Leader, Mr. Vladimir Radasik, sensed my discomfort.
Being a seasoned professional, firm but fair, and never one to embarrass anyone, he adjourned the meeting to the following Monday, giving us space to prepare properly. Present that day was Mrs. Lucy Fye, then Head of the Macroeconomic and Financial Analysis Unit at the Ministry of Finance.
When she returned home, she relayed the incident to her then-husband, Serigne Omar Fye. He sought me out immediately – not to criticize me, but to protect me and, more importantly, to safeguard the integrity of the system. His message was clear: such a lapse must never happen again.
That episode taught me something profound about institutions that value excellence. Even our partners acted with respect. Radasik could have exposed our shortcomings, but he chose professionalism. Lucy and Serigne Omar were guided by duty, not blame.
Their concern was not about individuals – it was about preserving the credibility of our institutions.
Those were times when ministries, agencies, and partners supported one another; when colleagues corrected each other privately so the institution could stand confidently in public; when mistakes were addressed firmly but constructively; and when excellence was seen as a shared responsibility, not a burden carried by a few.
Reclaiming excellence today requires this same spirit. It begins with honesty about where we are and continues with a collective commitment to raise our standards again.
It calls on families, schools, workplaces, and public institutions to reward competence, respect discipline, insist on accountability, and encourage those who choose the harder path of doing things well.
This is ultimately a message about national character. We stand at a crossroads: continue allowing standards to erode, or rebuild a culture anchored in quality, professionalism, and responsibility. Excellence is not elitism. It is service. It is pride. It is nation-building.
If we truly desire progress, then excellence, not mediocrity, must once again become our shared expectation and our national habit.
