Commonwealth Secretary-General arrives in Gambia
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland arrived in The Gambia on Monday for her first official visit to the West African country.
She is the first senior official to visit the country since The Gambia re-joined the Commonwealth family in February 2018, almost five years after former President Yahya Jammeh pulled it out of the association.
The Secretary-General will have discussions with President Adama Barrow, members of his government and other public figures on issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, small states, economic slowdown and other national priorities.
In a speech at a meeting with Gambia’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Mamadou Tangara, Ms. Scotland expressed the Commonwealth’s readiness to work with the Government of The Gambia in ensuring a better future for the youth and collaborate in the areas of climate change, good governance, rule of law and financial accountability.
She commended Dr. Tangara for the accurate information he provided about the achievements and initiatives taken by the Government during the past two years.
For his part, Dr. Tangara told the Commonwealth Secretary-General that the government was committed to continue working closely with the Commonwealth to spur socio-economic development for The Gambia and all member states.
He said partnership in the areas of health, judiciary and education were crucial to the development blueprint of the Government and thanked her for the technical assistance of the Commonwealth in the areas of human rights, rule of law, good governance, education and health.
-0- PANA MSS/MA 8Dec2020
