Nigeria and The Gambia have taken fresh steps to strengthen their diplomatic relationship, with both countries agreeing to revive the Nigeria-Gambia Joint Commission and expand cooperation across key sectors.
The decision was reached during a bilateral meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and Gambian Foreign Minister, Sering Modou Njie, on the sidelines of the ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, Enikanolaiye commended the long-standing relationship between both nations and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening the partnership.
“The Nigeria-Gambia bilateral relations have been excellent over the years.
“We intend to enhance and deepen the brotherly ties between our two countries and further explore opportunities for collaboration to the mutual benefit of Nigeria and The Gambia,” Enikanolaiye said.
Responding, Njie congratulated Enikanolaiye on his appointment and welcomed Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
“The Gambia remains grateful to Nigeria for the leadership role the country played during the political impasse experienced in 2017.
“The political stability and current development in The Gambia are attributable to Nigeria’s timely intervention, a feat that remains indelible in the history of our country,” the Gambian Minister said.
Njie also applauded Nigeria’s continued support through the deployment of Technical Aid Corps volunteers, its contributions to the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia, and the training of Gambian military personnel in Nigerian military academies.
Enikanolaiye, in his response, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to promoting pan-African unity, solidarity and development.
“Nigeria remains committed to promoting pan-African unity, solidarity and development, especially through the framework of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps.
“The programme enables Nigeria to deploy highly qualified professionals to African and Caribbean countries to support manpower development,” he said.
Both ministers agreed that reviving the Nigeria-Gambia Joint Commission would create an avenue to review dormant bilateral agreements and identify new areas of cooperation between the two countries.