New UNICEF Country Rep, Wade’s Envoy Meet President Jammeh

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Hatab Fadera

27 June 2011

In separate engagements at State House on Friday, the president of the Republic, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh received in audience the newly appointed United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country representative, and the special envoy of the president of the Republic of Senegal, Maitre Abdoulie Wade.

First to be received by President Jammeh was the new UNICEF Country Representative, Aiehatou Diawara who held a closed-door meeting with the Gambian leader. Madam Diawara, a Malian national told journalists shortly after her meeting with the Gambian leader that their discussion centered on many issues, including the Programme of Cooperation between the government of The Gambia and UNICEF.

She said: “We have reviewed the progress made so far mainly in the area of immunization, and also we can see some 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.”

Quizzed on what positive impact she hopes to achieve during her tenure, Madam 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. She added: “What we will be also doing – we have good cooperation in some social areas but we still need to reach children and then to identify who these children are; where they live and why they cannot access the basic social services. So, we will develop specific strategies to implement and make sure that those children have access to those services.”

Wade’s envoy

Also speaking to the State House press corps shortly after having a closed-door meeting with the Gambian leader, the special envoy of President Wade, Samuel A. Sarr, who is also a senior state minister attached to the Senegalese presidency, explained that his visit was among other things to reinforce the ties existing between Dakar and Banjul. “I was very honoured to be received by His Excellency as the special envoy from his brother, friend, President Wade. President Wade sent me to reinforce his ties with his brother and friend,” he stated.

The Senegalese envoy, while asserting that the two presidents have a common interest vis-à-vis the development of the sub-region and the continent at large, disclosed that the Gambian leader has been invited to Dakar by his Senegalese counterpart. “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,” he added.

State of relations

Commenting on the state of Banjul-Dakar relations, Sarr reiterated that the two leaders have the same vision about the development of the Senegambia region, saying “they have good Foreign Affairs ministers who are working towards cementing the relations”. “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. I have no doubt that the two Foreign Affairs ministers have been directed by their respective leaders to further cement the relations,” he concluded.

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