The release said further that in view of Mr Owens resignation, the responsibility of running the day-to-day affairs of the Agriculture Ministry, consequently, falls in the hands of the President, who is now the minister.
Mr Owens, born in 1950, was first appointed as deputy minister of Agriculture in February 2012; he was confirmed a full minister one month later.
A retired agricultural and rural development consultant, Mr Owens started his professional career at the Department of Agriculture in 1967.
Mr Owens is the sixth Gambian minister to resign from the cabinet.
The first to resign was the former minister of Foreign Affairs, Momodou Lamin Jobe, who resigned in August 2001, after serving in the post for about four years; no reason was made public for his decision.The second to resign was Abdou Salam Secka who was appointed minister of Trade in March, but resigned less than a month later “for personal and professional reasons”. Ann Therese Ndong Jatta and Satang Jow, all ministers of Education and Joseph Joof, former minister of Justice all also resigned from their ministerial posts.
