President Barrow’s visit to Dakar

Our President left Banjul yesterday for a three-day working visit to Dakar, Senegal.

We understand that his mission involves signing a new agreement of cooperation in the fields of security, transport, trade, the Senegambia bridge and other areas of interest.

This sounds good, as these aspects are salient in holding together a thriving economy.

Security is paramount in upholding a peaceful and just society that provides the parameters for confluences of development activities to take place or thrive in nation-building.

Therefore, it is not bad at all that Mr President is letting security takes pride of place in the set of issues to be discussed in his meeting with his counterpart in Senegal. As a matter of fact, Senegal presently has a serious stake in our security realm.

As for the Senegambia bridge, it has been a long-time issue, with people holding different views about its construction or realisation. This deserves thorough consideration and proper arrangement in trying to bring it into fruition. After all, bridges are connecting points to facilitating movement of people and goods, hence the aspect of transport fits neatly into it.

As regards trade, this is one area a responsible government should invest adequate interest and effort in, to ensure the country maintains optimal commerce, growing revenue, enough international trading currencies or foreign exchange and improving per capita income via consistent trade growth.

So it is essential that Mr President is carrying along that portfolio for discussion with his brother and friend in our sister republic.

As reported, there are other issues that will be discussed by both leaders and state machineries.

So we wish them well and a successful mission!

The Gambia and Senegal are one, and one can say there are no two neighbouring countries that have similar traditions, family mix, interdependence and other attributes than Senegal and The Gambia.

This has been emphasised by especially the two leaders of both nations, even in their current three-day meeting in Dakar.

We, therefore, expect positive outcome from that meeting, which entails signing a security treaty, more trade cooperation and actualising the transnational bridge between the two nations.

“The Gambia and Senegal are one.”

President Adama Barrow