Gambia, Sierra Leone sign joint commission agreement to boost economic cooperation

Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr. Mamadou Tangara, and Sierra Leonean Internal Affairs Minister, Mr. David Panda Noah, on Wednesday signed a Joint Commission agreement to boost economic cooperation

According to statement made available, the deal is meant to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the areas of economic development, trade and investment policies, financial services, information and intelligence sharing, education, health, tourism and culture.

Other areas covered in the agreement are infrastructure development, security and military, agriculture, agro-processing, forestry and livestock development, fisheries and maritime resources, science, technology and innovation, youth and sports, local government and issues of traditional Leaders, migration and settlement of the nationals of the two countries.

In his remarks, Dr. Tangara welcomed the Sierra Leonean delegation to the country and assured them of the commitment of President Adama Barrow and his counterpart, President Julius Maada Bio, to develop their countries.

He said the visit by the Sierra Leoneon delegation to The Gambia is an indication of the excellent bilateral ties between Banjul and Freetown.

Tangara informed the delegation of President Barrow’s intention and focus to leave a legacy that would be the envy of the world.

This, he added, is based on consolidating democracy and improving the socio-economic status of Gambians.

He further commended Sierra Leone for the immense contribution it made to the development of the human resource base of The Gambia through education, recalling that many Gambians in the past decades undertook their studies in Colleges and Universities in Sierra Leone through scholarships.

For his part, the Internal Affairs Minister of Sierra Leone, David Panda Noah, thanked the government and people of The Gambia for the warm welcome.

He said the trip was possible as a result of the shared opinion of the two Presidents in developing their respective countries.

“It is time to put words into action,” he added.