July 28, 2021
A delegation of Ministers from Sierra Leone headed by the Internal Affairs Minister, Hon. David Panda Noah has today 14th July 2021 paid a courtesy call on The Gambia’s President, His Excellency Adama Barrow at his State House office in Banjul.
Head of delegation Hon. David Panda Noah extended greetings from His Excellency the President, Dr Julius Maada Bio to his counterpart. Explaining the essence of the courtesy visit, the Internal Affairs Minister said they were in The Gambia to sign a General Framework of Cooperation Agreement for the establishment of a Joint Commission between the two countries cognizant of the two sister countries’ strong cultural ties, huge economic and commercial interconnectedness.
His Excellency Adama Barrow welcomed the ministers and lauded the initiative to sign the Cooperation Agreement for the establishment of a Joint Commission between the two countries. Tracing pre-historic times, President Barrow revealed The Gambia and Sierra Leone have had a longstanding bilateral relationship, adding that the Joint Commission Agreement between the two countries would further strengthen ties and promote relationships in the economic and technical fields.
He added that: “The Gambia and Sierra Leone were being administered together by the British since 1816. The Gambia was administered by a Governor under the Crown Colony who was answerable to the Governor in Sierra Leone. The Gambia territory was governed from Sierra Leone from 1821 to 1866. When The Gambia and Sierra Leone were served in 1888, The Gambia became a separate colony, and that was how it continued until both countries gained independence,” the President noted.
President Barrow reiterated that both countries have a lot in common, observing that “Sierra Leone easily fits into The Gambia system, vice versa. This is so because the two countries share some cultural similarities”. He also mentioned that majority of Gambians acquired secondary school education in Sierra Leone, and many high profile Gambians in senior administrative positions also acquired university education in Sierra Leone.
“I have a very good working relationship with my counterpart President Bio of Sierra Leone. In that regard, I assure him of The Gambia’s support to the establishment of the Joint Commission,” H.E Barrow concluded.