President Barrow Receives Commonwealth Secretary General

Foreign Minister Dr. Tangara receives Commonwealth Secretary General Her Excellency The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland Q.C. Banjul, 7th December 2020: The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr. Mamadou Tangara, on Monday 7th December 2020 received the Secretary General of Commonwealth, Her Excellency The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland Q.C. in his office in Banjul. In welcoming the Commonwealth Secretary General, Foreign Minister Dr. Tangara commended her and the delegation for the visit to The Gambia. Minister Tangara informed her that The Government of The Gambia is 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 are crucial to the development Blueprint of the Government and extend his appreciation for the technical assistance by the Commonwealth in the areas of Human right, Rule of law, Good Governance, Education and Health. For her part, Her Excellency The Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland Q.C. said her delegation is in Banjul to share with The Gambia opportunities crafted together for the country to tap and utilise. She expressed 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, and Rule of law and Financial Accountability. She used the opportunity to thank Foreign Minister Tangara for the accurate information he provided about the great achievements and initiatives taken by the Government during the past two years. In attendance was the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Saffie Sankareh – Farage and other staff of the Ministry. It could be recalled that The Gambia formally rejoined The Commonwealth on 8th February 2018 following the unilateral withdrawal of the country by the erstwhile President Yahya Jammeh. President Barrow this afternoon received the Commonwealth Secretary General Rt. Patricia Scotland at the Governor’s residence in Kerewan, North Bank Region. According to Secretary General Scotland, the President made several commitments in relation to adhering to the Commonwealth Charter, Values, and other issues of difficulty in The Gambia when his government decided to rejoin the organisation of former British Colonies. While expressing her impression about the progress the government has made, SG Patricia said she met with several government Ministers that are determined to make a difference and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. She particularly commended the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare on the issue of addressing domestic and sexual violence and advancing the rights of women and girls in the country to ensure their full participation. “We know that if any country is to be healthy and wealthy, we have to look after all our people and 50 per cent of our people are female, so taking advantage of the assets, the talents, the energy of our women and girls is going to be critically important for The Gambia.