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| After years of talks of building a bridge here, the "new" Aljamdu ferry uselessly ducked at Bamba Tenta-Yelli Tenda crossing point ever-since its multimillion dollar arrival in 2011 (Photo Credit:MSJoof/TNBES/Globe/FPI/Nov2011) |
The Gambia’s Foreign Affairs
Minister, Susan Waffa-Ogoo and Senegal’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Mankeur Ndiaye,
on Tuesday renew commitments of the two Governments to put everything in place
to ensure the construction of the bridge across River Gambia.
They believe that bridging
the Yelli Tenda-Bamba Tenda crossing point in Farafenni will facilitate the
movement of persons and goods, increase the flow of bilateral trade, and
contribute immensely to the sub-regional integration.
During a similar meeting in Dakar in 2011, the Gambian side
reaffirmed that the bridge project is a national programme which shall be owned and managed by The Gambia.
However, since the bridge would
serve as corridor for integration, the Gambian side wants the Senegalese
Government to support the seeking for funding from the regional
financing envelope of ECOWAS, EU, ADB and others.
For three decades, the Bridge Project have been constrained by economic interpretation and nationalist framing of
winners and losers, according to Abdoukarim Sanneh, a UK-based Gambian researcher.
Nonetheless, the two countries have renewed their commitment to bridge the Yelli Tenda-Bamba Tenda crossing point - at the end of a two nation meeting dubbed the 6th Session of the Joint
Senegalo-Gambia Commission held from July 8-9, 2013 at a local hotel in Kololi, The Gambia.
Read on… the Final Communiqué from the Senegalo-Gambia Commission Meeting in Banjul
On the 8 and 9
of July 2013, the 6th Session of the Joint Commission between the Republic of
The Gambia and the Republic of Senegal was held in Banjul, under the auspices
of Her Excellency Madame Susan Waffa-OGOO, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of The Gambia and His Excellency Mr. Mankeur NDIAYE, Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad of the Republic of Senegal.
This high level
meeting is part of the framework of implementing executive directives given by
His Excellency Yahya A J. J JAMMEH, President of the Republic of The Gambia and
His Excellency Mr. Macky SALL, President of the Republic of Senegal, who are
desirous of seeing that the cooperation reflects the excellent brotherly and
friendly relations that happily bind the two countries and their highest authorities.
This 6th session
of the Joint Commission afforded the two Heads of delegation the opportunity to
exchange points of view on issues of mutual interest at both the regional and
international levels.
The meeting has
also enabled the experts to review cooperation in different sectors whose legal
framework is composed of several conventions, agreements and memoranda, but
also to reinforce and deepen these areas, for the benefit of the peoples of the
two countries.
Thus, the
Gambian and Senegalese experts have had fruitful discussions on economic,
sectoral, technical, cultural and scientific matters, in a cordial and
brotherly atmosphere.
At the end of
the deliberations, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of The Gambia and the
Foreign Minister of the Republic of Senegal and Senegalese Abroad signed the
Report of the meeting.
Earlier on, the
two Ministers underscored the renewed commitments of the two Governments to put
everything in place to ensure the construction of the bridge across River
Gambia in a bid to facilitate the movement of persons and goods, increase the
flow of bilateral trade and contribute immensely to the sub—regional process of
integration.
The two
Ministers also expressed their delight about the availability of the Senegalese
Side to favorably consider the request to avail the Gambian Side with French
teachers in basic education as part of technical assistance and augmentation of
the number of sponsored Gambian students in Senegalese Universities.
They also
underscored the important dimension accorded to the reinforcement of
cooperation on security, through notably, the exchange of regular strategic
intelligence and expertise.
The Republic of
The Gambia and the Republic of Senegal, through their Foreign Ministers, are
particularly satisfied with the option of giving a significant boost to the
cultural exchanges and trans-border cooperation.
Furthermore,
they expressed satisfaction about the engagement undertaken by the two Sides to
reinforce the legal framework of their cooperation through the signing, at the
earliest convenience, of draft Agreements on Culture, Tourism and Sports.
Conscious of the
strong political will expressed by the highest authorities of the two
countries, the two Sides reached satisfactory conclusions which open the way to
greater perspectives of cooperation.
The two Sides
are programmed to meet in Dakar in 2015, for the 7th Session of the
Senegalo-Gambian Joint Commission.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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