Nigeria and The Gambia have agreed to reinvigorate their diplomatic partnership by reviving the Nigeria-Gambia Joint Commission, a move aimed at expanding collaboration in areas of mutual interest.
The agreement followed talks between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and his Gambian counterpart, Sering Modou Njie, during the ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit held in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
In a statement released by Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, Enikanolaiye described the relationship between both countries as longstanding and cordial, stressing Nigeria’s readiness to broaden cooperation for shared development.
“The Nigeria-Gambia bilateral relations have been excellent over the years.
“We intend to enhance and deepen the brotherly ties between our two countries and further explore opportunities for collaboration to the mutual benefit of Nigeria and The Gambia,” he said.
Njie welcomed the renewed commitment and thanked Nigeria for its support during The Gambia’s 2017 political crisis, saying the intervention played a major role in restoring peace and democratic order.
“The Gambia remains grateful to Nigeria for the leadership role the country played during the political impasse experienced in 2017.
“The political stability and current development in The Gambia are attributable to Nigeria’s timely intervention, a feat that remains indelible in the history of our country,” he said.
He also praised Nigeria’s contributions through the Technical Aid Corps scheme, the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia and the training of Gambian military officers in Nigerian institutions.
Enikanolaiye reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to African integration, noting that the Technical Aid Corps remains one of the country’s key platforms for supporting human capacity development across Africa and the Caribbean.
“Nigeria remains committed to promoting pan-African unity, solidarity and development, especially through the framework of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps.
“The programme enables Nigeria to deploy highly qualified professionals to African and Caribbean countries to support manpower development,” he said.
The ministers agreed that restoring the Joint Commission would provide an opportunity to revisit existing bilateral agreements, strengthen implementation and identify fresh areas for cooperation between Nigeria and The Gambia.