President Jammeh receives Wade’s envoy, new UNICEF Rep

President Yahya Jammeh Friday received in audience a special envoy of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade and the newly-appointed country representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

Samuel A. Sarr and Aiehatou Diawara respectively held separate close-door meetings with the Gambian leader.

Speaking to journalists shortly after meeting the Gambian leader, the UNICEF country representative, a Malian national, told journalists that part of her discussion with President Jammeh was the reviewing of the progress made so far in the area of immunization.

According to her, there are positive trends, when it comes to reduction of child mortality.

“We have also discussed the challenges that we need to address and, hopefully, within the new country programme that was just approved by the UNICEF executive board, we will be able to address those challenges and consolidate the results achieved,” she added.

Noting that she also discussed with the Gambian leader the programme of cooperation between the Gambia government and UNICEF, Ms Diawara expressed her resolve to work very closely with the relevant authorities and partners, with a view to consolidating the achievements, as well as addressing the challenges.

Also speaking to journalists, shortly after holding talks with the Gambian leader, was President Wade’s envoy, a senior state minister attached to the Senegalese presidency, Samuel Sarr, who said he was in Banjul to reinforce the already existing ties between The Gambia and Senegal.

“I was very happy to meet the President because, as you may know, I am half Gambian and half Senegalese. As a young senior state minister, I see that President Jammeh is a leader and his brother expressed all the gratitude for the good relations that President Jammeh is promoting between the two countries, and also within the sub-region,” Sarr told journalists.

According to him, the Gambian leader has been invited to Dakar by his Senegalese counterpart.

On the relationship between the two countries, Sarr stated that both Wade and Jammeh have the same vision about the development of the Senegambia region.

“People can try to create problems between the two countries, but what is important is that the people of the two countries, including the two heads of state, have the same vision, which is more important,” he said.

“I have no doubt that the two Foreign Affairs ministers have been directed by their respective leaders to further cement the relations,” Sarr further stated.