By Lamin Cham
The president of Senegal Macky Sall is due in Banjul later this month to attend the Senegalo-Gambia joint presidential council meeting.
According to reliable sources, the Senegalese president will lead a high-level government delegation including ministers and heads of various institutions relevant to the topics to be discussed.
The meeting between the two countries will discuss agreements they signed in various fields including road transportation, cultural co-operation, health, sport, security, defence, trade, tourism and energy.
The meeting is held every other year rotating between Banjul and Dakar.
This year’s meeting will have significance because it could be the last visit to The Gambia by Macky as president. The 61-year-old announced he is not seeking a third term in next year’s presidential election, meaning a new president will be in Dakar by April next year.
Macky’s decision has been widely welcomed in The Gambia with both sides of the political divide praising him. In the wake of this development, Sall would command a star attraction in Banjul as he probably says goodbye to the country and her people who have greatly admired and appreciated his assistance in the country’s recent political turmoil. Sall and Adama Barrow got on very well and the two have strengthened bilateral relations between the two countries to a level unprecedented in history. His departure next year on personal level will be felt by the Gambian people who must now hope that the new leader in Dakar next year would be equally warm to the country.
