Nigeria, Gambia to revive joint commission for stronger ties

Nigeria and The Gambia have agreed to revive the Nigeria-Gambia Joint Commission to review existing agreements and explore new areas of cooperation.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa, Spokesperson of the Ministry.

Enikanolaiye stated this during a bilateral meeting with Sering Njie, The Gambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, on the sidelines of the ongoing ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The minister said the bilateral relations between both countries had remained excellent over the years, stressing the need to deepen the existing brotherly ties.

He said reviving the Joint Commission would provide an opportunity for both countries to strengthen collaboration and identify new areas of mutual benefit.

Enikanolaiye thanked Njie for his commitment to strengthening the friendship between the two countries, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to promoting pan-African unity, solidarity and development.

He also highlighted the role of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC), through which Nigeria deploys professionals to African and Caribbean countries to support manpower development.

The minister said the initiative remained a key platform for advancing cooperation and capacity building among developing nations.

In his remarks, Njie congratulated Enikanolaiye on his appointment and appreciated his efforts toward strengthening relations between the two countries.

He said The Gambia remained grateful to Nigeria for its leadership role during the 2017 political impasse in the country.

Njie attributed the country’s political stability and current development partly to Nigeria’s timely intervention, including the deployment of troops under the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and the training of Gambian military personnel in Nigerian military institutions.

He further appreciated Nigeria’s support through the deployment of TAC volunteers, which had contributed to capacity building in The Gambia’s education, medical and legal sectors.