Ambassador Lang Yabou, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed deputies that the petition in question must have been taken by event because it was in 2020 when the world was in lockdown.
Permanent Secretary Yabou said they at Foreign Ministry are very much concerned about their mandate, saying that the petition, which was filed during the Corona period, “no longer stands”.
PS Yabou further informed deputies that the Ministry was not given significant amount of money to evacuate Gambians from UAE.
For budgeting, PS Yabou said it is critical and it would remain critical, adding that missions around the world face emergency situations. “But I think it is mainly our resourcing which has been done,” he remarked, saying that people would continue to compare the Foreign Affairs with similar ministries in other countries.
Nominated member Fatoumatta Jawara, in her contribution to the discourse, said: “It is better we reduce the embassies in order to minimize cost.” More effort is needed to get things done better, she added.
