By: Fatou Krubally
The Gambia and Indonesia on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations as senior officials from both countries opened the second meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Kololi.
The two-day meeting is focusing on expanding cooperation in trade, agriculture, education, diplomacy, tourism, migration and regional affairs, with recommendations expected to be submitted to the foreign ministers of both countries during a ministerial session on Wednesday.
Opening the technical meeting at the African Princess Beach Hotel, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Ambassador Lang Yabou, described the meeting as an important milestone in relations between the two countries.
He said diplomatic relations established in 1982 have continued to grow on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality and South-South cooperation.
According to Yabou, Indonesia has supported The Gambia through technical assistance, scholarships, agricultural development, capacity-building and human resource development programmes.
He identified the Indonesian-supported Agricultural Rural Farmers Training Centre in Jenoi, Lower River Region, as one of the flagship projects of the partnership, noting its contribution to agricultural development.
Yabou said the Joint Commission provides an opportunity to review progress and explore new areas of cooperation, including trade and investment, education, research, tourism, parliamentary exchanges, diplomatic training, migration governance and consular affairs.
“The Gambia remains committed to ensuring that this Joint Commission produces practical and measurable outcomes that will benefit our peoples,” he said.
Leading the Indonesian delegation, Director for African Affairs at Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deivi Justicia Meidiwaty, said the meeting coincides with the 44th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
She said bilateral trade reached US$61.1 million in 2025, driven mainly by Indonesian exports, and expressed the hope that future cooperation would promote a more balanced and diversified trading relationship.
Meidiwaty also highlighted Indonesia’s support for the Jenoi Agricultural Rural Farmers Training Centre, describing it as a flagship South-South cooperation initiative that has recently undergone rehabilitation with funding from the Indonesian government.
She said discussions would also cover the proposed memorandum of understanding on a general framework for cooperation, collaboration in multilateral forums and Indonesia’s proposed preferential trade agreement with ECOWAS.
The Joint Commission is expected to conclude with recommendations aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between The Gambia and Indonesia across a range of sectors.
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