Press release
President Barrow received in audience the German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, Dr Gerhard Muller at the State House on Thursday morning.
In a closed-door meeting, both parties agreed to explore various opportunities under Germany’s “Returning to New Opportunities” programme which focuses on developing and equipping skills centres and supporting start-ups amongst others to empower young people. The meeting concluded with recommendations for the technicians from both countries to continue to further their engagements in order to come up with a robust roadmap geared towards curbing migration challenges amongst young people.
President Barrow also briefed Dr Muller and his delegation on his government’s development programme and achievements in various areas including energy, agriculture, infrastructure, women and youth development.
In the area of migration, President Barrow emphasised the importance of cooperation in efforts aimed at building the capacity of young men and women as well as giving them opportunities at home and abroad.
Germany and The Gambia have a long-standing cooperation and friendship and this was further cemented with the visit of the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier in 2017. Since then, the relations have been growing stronger through the various development cooperation agreements between the two countries.
The chargé d’affaires of Germany in The Gambia, Ms Isabell Blochl accompanied the delegation which included MPS from the Social Democratic Party, the Christian Democratic Party and Free Democratic Party, and other officials. On the Gambian side, the Minister for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, James Gomez deputised for the Gambian Foreign Minister, Dr Mamadou Tangara.
President to attend 59 Ecowas Summit
Meanwhile in an unrelated developement, State House has announced that President arrow will travel to Accra, Ghana to attend the 59 Ecowas Heads of State and Government Summit from 18 to 20 June 2021.
The president and delegation are expected to depart Banjul International Airport today at noon.
