The
relationship between The Gambia and Sierra Leone, dating back to colonial days,
continues to grow from strength to strength, the Sierra Leonean Ambassador to
The Gambia has said.
Ambassador
Soulayman Daramy said the sisterly ties between the two West African countries
takes renewed momentum with the coming into office of the Gambian leader,
President Yahya Jammeh, and his Sierra Leonean counterpart, President Ernest
Bai Koroma.
“President
Jammeh has been in office much longer than President Koroma, but even when
President Koroma assumed power, his relationship with President Jammeh has been
excellent from day one,” Ambassador Daramy said in a recent interview with The
Point newspaper at the Sierra Leonean Embassy in Bijilo.
“The
relationship has been growing from strength to strength since then,” the career
diplomat reiterated.
The
two heads of state have had excellent and very cordial meetings and
visits. President Koroma visited The
Gambia for about three times and President Jammeh had been in Sierra Leone for
Koroma’s inauguration.
In
2014, President Jammeh donated to President Koroma US$500,000 towards the fight
against Ebola, which had been battling the country.
The
Gambia is seen as the second home of Sierra Leoneans because the countries
share a lot in common. The bilateral
relationship between the two countries is historical; during the colonial days
both countries were being administered together by the British.
As
former British colonies, both countries speak the same English and both speak
Mandinka, Fula and Aku as local languages.
Successive
governments of both countries maintain the relationship but Ambassador Daramy
said it has reached an all-time high.
He
said: “One of the unprecedented
incidents manifesting the extent of the cordiality and cooperation between the
current presidents of the two countries was a telephone conversation they had
which was on the Gambia Radio and Television Services.
“This
tells you the commitment these two people have to their respective countries,
otherwise the telephone call could have been a private conversation, nobody
would know about it.”
Achievements
at home
Ambassador
Daramy said just like President Jammeh, Koroma has registered numerous
achievements, both tangible and intangible, in Sierra Leone.
President
Koroma’s tangible achievements include construction of roads and other
infrastructural developments.
“These
are the things that people see and talk about often in daily lives,” he
said. “But of course, there are other
things that you don’t see, intangible, but which actually contribute
tremendously to the development of a country.”
He
said such intangible achievements of President Koroma include fostering
relationship which other developing countries, getting more friends around the
world, and creating the enabling environment for people to trade and invest in
Sierra Leone.
“Even
though people hardly talk about the intangible achievements, indeed there has
been considerable development in that area too in Sierra Leone.”
Koroma’s
presidency is said to have focused upon rebuilding the country’s national
infrastructure after the Civil War, fighting corruption, improving the
country’s healthcare system, among other things.
His
administration has garnered praise from international funding organisations as
well as business and political leaders worldwide, including former British
Prime Minister Tony Blair who described President Koroma as “an exceptional
president who will lead his country to a bright future”.
Success
of the ambassador
On
his own side, Ambassador Daramy, since his appointment to The Gambia, has been
making efforts to leave no stone unturned in the execution of dual roles:
representing the interests of Sierra Leone in The Gambia, and working for the
interest of Sierra Leonean community in The Gambia.
For
the Sierra Leoneans, he has now brought them together to re-organised and
strengthen their union, Sierra Leone Nationals Union in The Gambia (SLENU).
He
had presided over a registration exercise to register all Sierra Leoneans
resident in The Gambia.
“We
now have a statistical data of all Sierra Leoneans in The Gambia that we can
use for development purposes, for both countries,” said Ambassador Daramy, who
in 2013 was made the ‘Commander of the Order of Rokel’ in recognition of his
long and successful service to Sierra Leone in the field of diplomacy.
He
is presently at advanced stage in organising Gambians who had attended
university in Sierra Leone into an alumni association.
Since
colonial times, Gambia and Sierra Leone has good relationship in the area of
education; most senior Gambians studied in Sierra Leone.
“So
I am trying to collaborate with my Gambian brothers and sisters to form
themselves into an alumni association so that these people can be utilised to
further contribute to scholarship in both countries,” the Sierra Leonean
Ambassador said.
Home
from home
Ambassador
Daramy has a message for the Sierra Leonean community in The Gambia: “This is your home and the only way to live
at home peacefully is to abide by the law of the country you live in. We are not strangers in The Gambia; I have
told Gambians that, and I keep telling Sierra Leoneans as well.
“This
is our home and it our responsibility both individually and collectively to
ensure that the peace and stability, as well as respect for the rule of law is
maintained. All Sierra Leoneans must
respect the rule of law in The Gambia; it is an obligation because this is not
a strange place for us.
“Thankfully,
ever since I came here, all Sierra Leoneans, minus the few odd ones, have been
law-abiding which also contributes to growing ties with the host country, The
Gambia.”
