The foreign ministers of The Gambia and South Africa on Friday agreed on the significance of consolidating bilateral cooperation through the signing of a Mutual Visa Exemption Agreement between their countries.
The agreement, once finalized, will ease the movement of people, foster closer ties and enhance business, tourism, and cultural exchanges between The Gambia and South Africa.
The Gambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Hon. Serign Modou Njie met his South African equivalent Hon. Ronald Lamola earlier on Friday on the margins of the 9th Tokyo International Cooperation Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan.
Hon. Njie was accompanied to the meeting by the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad Fatou Kinneh Jobe.
During their bilateral meeting, the two Ministers reaffirmed the longstanding bonds of friendship and solidarity between The Gambia and South Africa, which are deeply rooted in the shared values of African unity, mutual respect, and cooperation.
Both sides welcomed the opportunity to strengthen their bilateral partnership across multiple sectors of mutual interest.
The ministers had a friendly exchange of views on avenues for capacity-nourishment and training on diplomatic etiquette. Ministers Njie and Lamola emphasized the need to further strengthen the institutional cooperation between their respective ministries. Both sides underscored the value of sharing expertise, best practices, and training opportunities to build stronger, more resilient diplomatic institutions that can address contemporary global challenges.
The meeting concluded with both Ministers expressing their firm commitment to accelerate cooperation in these priority areas and to ensure that the partnership between The Gambia and South Africa continues to grow in scope and depth.
Reacting to this new diplomatic development, the Gambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, H.E. Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, said: “This is good for both The Gambia and South Africa as it opens a new slate of more mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation for the peoples of the two nations, which is timely as South Africa becomes the chair of G20 this November.”
