Newsletter No. 251
April 26, 2006

 

GAMBIA-JAPAN COOPERATION AGREEMENT IS RATIFIED

The Daily Observer of Banjul reported yesterday that the National Assembly of The Gambia has ratified a technical cooperation agreement with Japan. The vote was unanimous in favor of the measure.

Sheikh Tijan Hydara, Gambia’s Attorney-General and Secretary of State for Justice, who proposed the motion before the Assembly, gave statements to the following effect: “the cooperation agreement is meant to consolidate the already existing mutual cooperation between both countries. It will also help to cement the partnership between the two nations, and will help to stimulate the socio-economic advancement of the country. Japan and The Gambia have long-standing cooperation agreements in many fields.” Various other parliamentarians echoed these sentiments.

The Republic of The Gambia is a very small West African country wedged into Senegal. In fact, from 1982 to 1989 the two countries were federated as “Senegambia,” but things didn’t work out. The country is currently semi-democratic under President Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh, who has effectively ruled since 1994. The country is 90% Muslim, with most of the rest being Christians. The entire population is less than two million.

Japan had suspended cooperation with Gambia in September 1994 after the coup that brought Jammeh to power, but as the country later moved toward elections, the cooperation was resumed in March 1997. In recent years, Japan has provided aid to The Gambia for projects like poverty reduction, agricultural development, and the digging of clean wells.

Gambian leaders hope that this new cooperation agreement will lead to an expansion of Gambia-Japan ties.