Nigeria and The Gambia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation across key sectors, with both countries agreeing to revive the Nigeria-Gambia Joint Commission to advance mutual interests.
The commitment was reached during a bilateral meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and The Gambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, His Excellency Sering Modou Njie, on the sidelines of the ongoing ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone, last ,Wednesday.
Ambassador Enikanolaiye described relations between Nigeria and The Gambia as longstanding and cordial, expressing Nigeria’s determination to deepen the brotherly partnership and explore new opportunities for cooperation that will benefit both countries.
In his remarks, Minister Njie congratulated Ambassador Enikanolaiye on his appointment and welcomed his initiative to strengthen diplomatic engagement between the two nations. He commended Nigeria for its consistent support to The Gambia, particularly during the country’s 2017 political crisis, noting that Nigeria’s intervention played a significant role in restoring political stability and laying the foundation for the country’s current development.
The Gambian Foreign Minister also acknowledged Nigeria’s continued assistance through the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (TAC), whose volunteers have supported capacity building in education, healthcare and the legal sector. He further praised Nigeria’s contributions to regional peace through the deployment of troops to the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) and the training of Gambian military personnel in Nigerian military institutions.
Responding, Ambassador Enikanolaiye reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to promoting African unity, solidarity and sustainable development. He highlighted the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps as a strategic platform through which Nigeria deploys skilled professionals to African and Caribbean countries to strengthen human capacity and institutional development.
Both ministers agreed that reviving the Nigeria-Gambia Joint Commission would provide an effective framework for reviewing dormant bilateral agreements, strengthening existing partnerships and identifying new areas of cooperation for the mutual benefit of both nations.
The meeting underscored the shared resolve of Nigeria and The Gambia to deepen diplomatic engagement and reinforce regional cooperation within the ECOWAS framework.
