GRTS Press Release

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission in response to the public outcry over contracting a for-profit media company QTV over the national broadcaster did proof, gladly, that GRTS have the competence to do the job. However, what they did not mention was how they went behind our backs and acted in such manner that “the balance tipped in favor of QTV”. This they claimed was “largely because of the huge differences in their respective charges. QTV was asking for D150, 000 for a month’s filming irrespective of number of sittings or where the sittings are held. GRTS was asking for D30, 000 for a day’s filming, D200, 000 for a week’s filming, and D800, 000 for a month’s filming”. And they added “clearly, we cannot afford the kind of money GRTS is asking for”.

GRTS considers it very patronizing for the TRRC to use such flimsy but cynical financial excuses as a bait to obfuscate its unfortified gaffe of deliberately denying the public broadcaster its rightful position. It is a pity that some people also bought into this excuse; unfortunately they never bother to ask why is GRTS covering the Janneh Commission and the CRC for free.

I am just tempted to ask when does finance become an issue in GRTS coverages for national events? Lest you forgot, during the formative stages of the TRRC, GRTS was the only TV station that went countrywide from region to region, together with the print media, to cover the sensitizations leading to the mandate of the TRRC. The national broadcaster did not charge a penny, for we know it was our mandate to cover. Besides, there was no money at that time, because had there been some funding, GRTS will be dealt the same blow.

Should we clarify to the public, GRTS held several meetings with the Attorney General and team, and the TRRC on modalities for the recording and broadcast of proceedings of the Commission. It was agreed at that time that GRTS should create a special media portal which will allow all other media operators to access vital information and recordings of the proceedings of the TRRC in an unrestricting fashion. We are strongly convinced that more than anyone, we have the capacity, competence, country-wide reach as well as ability to not only cover and relay the proceedings of the commission, but professionally translate the contents of all proceedings in all local languages across our respective medium (TV, Radio and Online).

It came as a shock therefore to learn that the TRRC has contracted QTV, a private entity with a pure profit mandate with no edge over GRTS, to lead such an important national undertaking. The budget we presented to them recently is hewed from the computations made earlier, where it was agreed that GRTS will be in charge of securing relevant airtime from other private radio, TV and community radio stations to relay the proceedings of the TRRC. As opposed what the TRRC is saying, this budget was comprehensive and meant for the following:

• Comprehensively record in HD with high quality audio the live hearings of the Commission using multi-camera system with a minimum of three cameras
• Mask footage and distort audio on the fly when necessary.
• Provide time delay for live materials so as to allow management of information.
• Provide multiple live feeds with the TRRC logo at all times to TVs and Radios for broadcast.
• Stream live the hearings on TRRC website and social media including Facebook and YouTube.

That is why it does not make sense to us for an established media house to fulfill all these conditionalities with at least 3 cameras on a daily basis for one month for only 150, 000. That would imply charging D5000 per day, even when going to the provinces. The TRRC also justifying their actions claimed that what they did was essentially rent QTV’s equipment and personnel support to film their proceedings and facilitate their processes. But what we see unfortunately is that QTV was doing a live broadcast of the proceedings both on Radio and TV, contrary to what the TRRC stated. All these goes to show that the TRRC have not really spoken yet.

Finally, for those arguing that GRTS is funded by Tax payer’s money and therefore must cover the TRRC for free, what they fail to understand is that GRTS does not receive any subvention from government. The revenue we receive as GSM levy is what we use as operational cost to service our liabilities with other institutions like NAWEC, GAMTEL, Social Security, etc. GRTS has tariffs for various Paid-for-Programs and if the TRRC invite us to submit our charges, you think we shouldn’t? After all, is there anything wrong with the TRRC engaging us on our tariffs for negotiations, in the nation’s interest? Nay, but since the availability of funding for the TRRC, the commission overlooked GRTS and never engaged us on any form of discussions whatsoever on covering the hearings.

What we received instead was a letter on the Friday the 21^st of December after working hours, requesting for a proposal, in both soft and hard copies, as well as do a presentation by Monday the 24^thDecember, at 13:00 GMT, failure of which they will forfeit the opportunity. All this was meant to kick us out, as can be understood now. GRTS once again considers the actions of the TRRC as grossly inappropriate and recommends an immediate and unreserved correction of this unfortunate anomaly as soon as possible.

By Assan Jallow, a Gambian Citizen Residing in the United States

Section 62, subsection (2) of the Constitution of The Republic of The Gambia (1997; Reprinted 2002) states that “A person who holds the citizenship or nationality of a country other than The Gambia, shall notbe qualified for election as President.” Section 70, subsection (2) and Section 71, subsection (2) also prohibit an individual with dual citizenship from serving as vice president, or secretaries of state and the cabinet, respectively.  As the constitution is currently being reviewed by the Constitutional Review Commission through a consultative approach, I would be remiss not to take the opportunity to provide my opinion on the eligibility of an individual running for the Office of the President, or serving as vice president or cabinet member in the government.  The executive branch, in practice, undoubtedly wields the most powers (delineated in Section 76) in our government.  This paper puts forth the case to eliminatethe requirement that prohibits dual citizens from being eligible for the Office of the President, Office of the Vice President, and for other cabinet positions.

1. Dual Citizenship and Conflicting Loyalties:Some will argue that dual citizens are conflicted when serving in high office.This may be a greater concern in some Western countries, but for a country like The Gambia, I will argue the contrary.   It is clear that constitutions are tailored to the context of each country.  According to a World Bank report (The Gambia: Social Safety Nets Diagnostic; 9 June 2018), poverty in The Gambia stands at 48.6 percent nationally and almost 70 percent in rural areas.

Hence, the overwhelming number of Gambians who acquire citizenship of another country do so not because of lack of loyalty or commitment but rather because of the limited economic and educational opportunities in The Gambia.  These people find more attractive opportunities in their host or adopted countries, including ease of movement and greater economic and educational benefits.

I am yet to meet a Gambian abroad with dual citizenship who is not committed or loyal to his or her motherland. On the other hand, I am yet to meet a Gambian who would not jump at the opportunity to acquire a U.S. citizenship or other advanced economies’ citizenship.  It is a known fact that the elite and the upper-middle class in The Gambia will move mountains to have their children born in the United States, a country that provides citizenship to all born within its territories.  It is also common in The Gambia for government officials to have their wives give birth in the United States.  Former President Yahya Jammeh, whose tenure saw the current constitution put into law, had both of his children born in the United States.  The current President, Adama Barrow tried his luck in the United Kingdom and sent his son to the United States for schooling since coming into power.

Another argument is that people with dual citizenship may be biased in favor of their adopted country.  This argument, in my opinion, is weak as governments or leaders all over the world, especially in developing countries, have always shown biased in favor of some countries over others.  For instance, the previous government of The Gambia was cozy with the Republic of Taiwan while the current government is befriending mainland China despite the fact that the leaders have or had no ties to China or Taiwan.  Politicians will seek the greatest personal or national benefit from any country irrespective of whether they have ties with that country.  Therefore, it is the character of the leader and not his or her dual citizenship status that should be questioned.

Another argument is that people with dual citizenship will be able to seek sanctuary and run to their adopted country after leaving office, especially when they want to avoid prosecution.   Almost all leaders or dictators who were forced into exile, including Idi Amin of Uganda, Mobutu Sese Seko of formerly Zaire, Hissene Habre of Chad, and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, were able to find sanctuary in a country that they have no citizenship status.

Hence, the case against dual citizens vying for high office in The Gambia, in my opinion, is merely to narrow the political field and nothing to do with loyalty to country.  It should be left to the electorate to determine ones loyalty and commitment to country.  After all, many countriessuch as the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Israel do allow dual citizens to become president, prime minister, or chancellor.  It should suffice for anyone elected or selected to serve in the executive to be required to make a declaration or oath of allegiance to The Gambia.

2. The Diaspora and their Contributions to The Gambia’s economy: In 2017, remittances, that is money sent by Gambians living abroad, amounted to about $200 million (underreported due to large informal transfer channels) which contributed about 22 percent of GDP (the value of the whole economy).  The level of remittance-to-GDP for The Gambia is one of the highest in the world.  This further attests to the diaspora’s loyalty and commitment to their motherland, The Gambia.  For a segment of the population that contributes so much to their home country, it would be grossly unfair and unpatriotic to exclude them from serving at the highest levels of government.

3. Higher Level of Human Capital: According to the World Bank, The Gambia has one of the highest net migration rates in Africa as well as in the world. In 2015, according to a World Bank report (The Gambia: Social Safety Nets Diagnostic; 9 June 2018), 65 percent of 16-30-year-olds interviewed said that they have at least two friends or relatives who had migrated using the “back way”.  According to the same report, The Gambia lies toward the bottom, ranking 173rd position out of 188 countries in 2017 of the UN Human Development Index.  Anecdotal information suggests that The Gambia has a high number of people in the diaspora in positions of significant responsibilities, including respectable and senior positions at the World Bank, IMF, United Nations, African Development Bank, etc. Unlike other countries with great human capital, The Gambia cannot afford to exclude this group of people from contributing fully to its development, including running for and serving at all levels of political office.

4. Persons Born with Dual Citizenship Status:More than ever, there are many people born abroad of Gambian parent(s). Hence at the time of birth, these people have automatic dual citizenship. For instance, a person may be born in the United States (a trend that is on the rise) by a Gambian mother and shortly upon birth, is taken to Gambia and spend most of his or her young life in The Gambia.  This person would be a U.S. citizen by birth automatically and a Gambian citizen by descent (per Section 10 of the constitution of The Gambia).  Section 12A, subsection (1) states that “A citizen of The Gambia who acquires the citizenship of another country may, if he or she so desires, retain his or her citizenship of The Gambia.” With the constitution allowing for dual citizenship, I strongly believe that the constitution should not then bar these same people from serving in the highest offices in the land, especially when these groups of Gambians do not acquire dual citizenship by their willful intent but rather through decisions made by their parent(s).  Many in this group would hesitate to renounce their other citizenship to be able to serve in cabinet for fear of getting hired and fired by the president since there is no due process as the president is vested with powers to hire and fire at will.

I hope that as globalization continues, The Gambia will look both inward and outward for the best Gambians to run the affairs of our beloved country.  The current political class should not see the diaspora constituency as a threat to their political viability but rather should make the political landscape more inclusive for allGambians, regardless of dual citizenship status.

Dr. Omar Janneh

After some 19 years of hiatus, the National Executive of the PPPconvened its first congress on December 28 to 30, 2018. On 30^thDecember 2018, the Congress delegates attempted to elect the Party’s next Secretary General and Party Leader. The two aspiring candidates that emerged for the position of Secretary General and Leader of the Party and their resumes are follows:

1. Bakary B. Dabo:

Early informal association

• He was raised, by coincidence, in the late Sanjally Bojang’s house, thede factoHead quarter and operational base of the nascent PPP.
• He grew up supporting and serving the party.

History of association as member, militant & servant of the PPP

• 1979 – Formalised membership of the party.
• 1981 – Nominated MP, elevated ex-officio to membership of [a] the Party’s National Executive Committee [b] its Directorate, the Central Committee of the Party and [c] the party’s Parliamentary Committee – held all three positions until the banning of the party in 1994.
• 1981 – Co-opted, as Member, onto the Editorial Board of The Gambia Times, the official organ of the PPP.
• 1982 – Elevated to position of Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Gambia Times, and held position for ten years before relinquishing it in 1992.
• 1982 – Co-opted as Member of the Party Secretariat.
• 1982 – Assigned by the Party Secretariat to assume the functions of party Acting Honorary Treasurer, following demise of the late Alh A. B. N’Jie; duly elected Honorary Treasurer by the 1983 Extra-ordinary Congress, and re-elected successively by the 3rd and 4th Ordinary Congresses of the Party, in Basse and Mansakonko, respectively – held position until the banning of the party in 1994.
• 1982 – Concurrently, appointed Chairman of the party’s Finance Committee. In the dual role of Chairman, Finance Committee and Treasurer, I managed the finances of the party, including fund-raising, budgeting, control of expenditure and accounting.
• 1984 – Appointed by the Party Secretariat to head, in the role of Chairman, the newly created Political Education Unit [PEU], supported by the German SDU’s Freidrich Ebert Foundation – held position until the banning of the party in 1994.
• Member of the National Executive Committee, Member of the Central Committee, and National Treasurer.

Other responsibilities assumed

• Chaired the Planning and Organising Committee for both the 4^thand 5^thOrdinary Congresses;
• Acted as Liaison Officer for relations with diaspora branches [at the time limited to branches in Zinguinchor, Kaolack, Dakar, Nouakchott, Sierra Leone and France]
• Acted as Focal Point for contacts and relations sister parties [limited at the time to the Parti Socialiste of Senegal, the PAIGC of Guinea Bissau and the Labour Party of the UK], as well as with the Socialist Internationale where PPP enjoyed observer status and the Inter-African Socialist of which PPP was founder member.

Employment history:Not provided as part of the submission to the National Executive when he announced that he was contesting for the role of Secretary General and Leader of the PPP. However, this articlehas given details of some of Mr. Dabo’s qualifications.

2. (Muhammed) Papa N’jie

History of association as member of the PPP:Much has been said of Mr. Papa N’jie’s father’s commitment and generous contribution to the PPP, however I am unable to find any evidence of Mr. Papa N’jie’s own personal involvement with the PPP.

Known employment history over the last 26 years

• Worked at MOA, NGOs and NAWFA.
• Farmers’ Manager, in which he managed over 48, 000 farmers to grow sesame.
• Worked for The Gambia Investment, Promotion and Free Zone Agency where he served as Director of Investment, Promotion Marketing. His job was to create a marketing strategy for the agency to go and attract investors to invest in The Gambia and also to encourage local investment.
• Worked for the American Embassy in Banjul for 8 years as Public Diplomatic Assistance, Culture Affairs Assistant and Education Adviser.
• Since2012, he has served as the President of The Gambia Basketball Association. It is noteworthy that Mr. N’jie and his Executive have regularly organised national basketball league which produced teams from the Greater Banjul areas and some part of Kombo. [An observation: It is unclear if it crossed the minds of the Association’s Executive to consider developing some talent in the provinces or organise league games in the provinces.]
• Competed as a UDP Mayoral candidate for KMC, but lost to Talib Ahmed Bensoudadespite his bid to make KMC the commercial capital of the country.

With the information above before them, one would hope that the delegates registered to vote would make an informed choice, knowing what each of the aspirants would bring to their party. And given that the current “Coalition government” needs a good jolting to wake it from its slumber and begin its programme of activities as per the Coalition 2016 MOU, the Coalition 2016 manifestoand also given that the PPP needs serious reawakening, one hopes that the voting delegates would choose a candidate under whose leadership the party would be rebuilt and returned to its former glory, ready to form a government at the next elections this year (2019).

Following the elections, Mr. N’jie was announced the winner with 272 votes and Mr. Dabo 227 votes. Mr. N’jie expressed his delight of being elected to lead the PPP. He said that his victory was an indication that the PPP was reviving to suit the younger generation. And it seems clear that the voting delegates are over the age of 18, which is the accepted age to be a member of the PPP. If the dust settles and Mr. N’jie is confirmed the Secretary General and Leader of the PPP, Mr. N’jie, under the watchful eyes of Mr. Omar Amadou Jallow (aka OJ), may be able to unite the party members and rebuild the PPP to its former glory.

However, the celebrations in the camp of Mr. N’jie seemed muted or short-lived because on January 1, 2019, the PPP interim National President Alh. Yahya Ceesay and two other members of the National Executive Committee (Hon. Dudu Taal and Hon. Kalilu Singhateh) issued an unsigned press statement rejecting the results of the PPP December 30, 2018 electionsciting serious irregularities, namely that Mr. N’jie is not a bona-fide PPP member. Other irregularities cited included the registration of unqualified constituency delegates, bribery and intimidation of delegates by withholding transport funds and food. But if Mr. N’jie was not a bona-fide PPP member or that his candidature as a bona-fide member of the PPP was not approved by the National Executive Committee of the PPP, I find it perplexing that he was allowed to proceed as an aspirant to lead the Party. I think we deserve to know why this happened. And if the allegation is true, does this mean that the National Executive of the PPP was unable to follow their rules or processes? And given the content of the press release, one cannot also help but wonder if all of the delegates who voted were a true representation of the constituencies they are supposed to represent and if they also fulfilled the voting criteria as per the Constitution of the PPP. Indeed, is it provocative to question the nationality of the delegates? I ventured into this area because shortly after the elections, a reliable source told me that a delegate waiting in the queue to vote was heard of asking another “Kan lanyo votal sahk” (Wollof for “who are we supposed to vote for”)? Apparently, the colleague answered by pointing to Mr. N’jie’s photo.

In the 19 years of inactivity, it seems that the PPP under its more recent leadership made little or no effort to reach the voters in the provinces. Besides, there is ample evidence that less than a week before the Congress, only 23 constituencies were known to have the required 10 delegates each to be able to vote. This begs the obvious and relevant questions: How were the delegates from those 23 constituencies chosen or selected- do they adequately represent the views of their constituents? What is surprising too is that on or just before the day of the elections, we were made aware that all of the delegates from the remaining 30 constituencies had been composed. On this last point, one might consider this: Assuming that my dad came from Sika (Upper Nuimi) and I and my kids were born and have lived in Hagan Street all the while, can any of my sons/daughters vote for a Constituency in Nuimi or Upper Nuimi? It will be interesting to find out if the findings of Alh. Yahya and his team into the election irregularities would uncover how the delegates from the 53 constituencies were composed and if they were truly representative of the constituencies they are supposed to represent. We hope that that such a report will receive the blessing of the majority of the reported 84 Executive members of the PPP. Overall, it seems clear to me that the PPP has a lot of house-keeping work to do and would need the wisdom and dynamism of a capable leader to reawaken the party’s spirits and return it to its former glory.

Another point that an observer could not miss was that during and leading up to the Congress, OJ clearly endorsed Mr. N’jie. While there is nothing wrong with that, I think it was obvious and possibly inappropriate for OJ and Mr. Kebba Jallow to hug or hijack the proceedings of the 2018 PPP Congress. Principally, they were the two that spoke. In fact one could be forgiven for thinking that OJ was invited as the chief griot of Sir Dawda, Mr. N’jie’s father (Alh. Musa N’jie of blessed memory) and he also indulged by telling us about his own personal sacrifice for the party and country. This left me rather confused and I wondered if Mr. Dabo was competing for the leadership of the Party against Sir Dawda, Late Mr. N’jie Sr., Mr. Njie Jr., or OJ himself. I think this must go against the principles on which any decent party would be founded; it left me wondering if this is what the PPP is about.

It is now alleged that contrary to the view OJ expressed many a time that he had no PPP leadership ambitions, but his behaviour during and after the Congress seems to indicate the contrary. Could it be that he is not confident to compete against Mr. Dabo as Secretary General and Leader of the PPP? Anyhow, if he does not have any leadership ambitions, he appears to have an appetite for a prominent role within the party. Indeed in a recent interview, he expressed that he would remain in the Executive Committee of the party and would advise(listen to the full programme or from 58.55 mins onwards). One hopes that OJ knows that power is difficult to share. If he does not know this already, there is some time for him to learn something from the unfolding divorce between Mr. Ousainou Darboe and President Barrow.

Any objective observer may have also noted that the proceeding of the Congress was rather untidy. It seemed that OJ was in charge of electing the party President, Treasurer, etc. and it is unclear if the proceedings were recorded. To ask the members to raise their hands in support of a candidate to occupy party positions such as President, Treasurer and so on seems to me something the PPP and any serious party should have long graduated from.

As we wait to hear more about the alleged election irregularities and the allegations turn out to be true, the damage that may cause to the reputation and credibility of OJ and Mr. N’jie may be colossal. But regardless of the findings, it seems that the PPP as a party has been poisoned and would need a lot of skilled effort to administer the correct dose of solution to help bring the members together as well as help the party to grow. In my view, undignifiedposturing, including spreading lies and defamations about party members will not help rebuild the PPP and attract new members to the party.

The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr Mamadou Tangara on Saturday 5^thJanuary 2019, received the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, H.E Wang Yi.

His Excellency Wang Yi was on a two-day working visit to The Gambia.

Welcoming H.E Wang Yi and entourage at the bilateral meeting in Banjul Saturday, Honourable Tangara thanked China through the visiting Foreign Minister and assured him of Gambia’s recognition of the One-China policy.

“I have the singular honour to welcome you, our distinguished guest State Councillor Wang Yi and your entourage who are visiting the Gambia for the first time. Your Excellency, your maiden visit to The Gambia is the first high-level visit from the Government of The People’s Republic of China to The Gambia and as such, marks yet anothermilestone of ourfriendly cooperation which has grown from strength to strength over the past two years.

I also wish to extend, through you, the best regards and cordial greetings of The Gambian people to the brotherly people of China and do hope that this visit will be the first of many more to come in the future,” he told his counterpart H.E Wang Yi.

Dr Tangara said H.E Wang’s maiden visit to the Smiling Coast will translate into a new era of closer and stronger cooperation between our two governments and peoples.

“Through this visit today, we remain assured of the partnership and support of China, its government and people, as has been for the past two years.

We are confident that we will now move progressively towards cementing our bilateral gains by expanding the scope of cooperation in all areas of economic and technical cooperation.  I wish to use this opportunity to recognise the good work that your Embassy,  headed by Ambassador Ma Jianchun who recently assumed duties,  are doing in representing your government in The Gambia,” Honourable Tangara added.

For his part, H.E Wang Yi thanked Foreign Minister Tangara for the warm welcome. He said there has been rapid progress of cooperation between The Gambia and China since the resumption of diplomatic ties in 2016.

Issued by the Communication Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad

Over the past several days the TRRC has had to manage a lot of controversy surrounding the award of a contract to QTV. One of the rumors making the rounds is that QTV was awarded the contract because Muhammed Jah has a brother working at the TRRC. Nothing is further from the truth. Muhammed Jah has no brother that we know of working at the TRRC. It is also not true that QTV is awarded the contract because Muhammed Jah and the TRRC Executive Secretary attended Fourah Bay College at the same time. Equally erroneous are suggestions that this is a deal designed to either steal or waste taxpayers’ money, or that there is some kind of bribery and corruption involved.

Contrary to these and other erroneous and wild speculations especially on social media, QTV is not granted exclusive coverage rights for the TRRC proceedings. The contract is for QTV to provide technical backup for the TRRC media team by providing the technical capacity to record, edit, and process the proceedings as necessary. The TRRC media team will supervise the process and distribute audio and video footage to all interested media houses to publish as they wish.

The primary reason for the TRRC’s seeking help with this work is that the commission does not currently have the resources to purchase and install its own video recording and processing equipment. Moreover, the award of the contract followed a rigorous and transparent bidding process, including solicitations of proposals and subsequent presentations by all interested media houses before members of the TRRC Contracts Committee and Communications Unit on December 21st, 2018 at the TRRC conference room.

At that meeting with the Contracts Committee and Communications Unit, presentations were made by every media houses that submitted a proposal. These were Impact Palace (EyeAfrica TV), QTV, Mediamatic (Paradise TV), GRTS, and State of Mic. Each of these media houses were expected to justify their individual charges and demonstrate how they meet the following requirements:

1. Their capacity to record live proceedings and other activities of the Commission without hindrance
2. Their capacity to facilitate video conferencing testimony for witnesses outside The Gambia
3. Their capacity to distort voices/images of witnesses who request anonymity
4. Their capacity to develop a mobile App for the TRRC so the public can access proceedings

After the departure of the media houses, the Contracts Committee and Communications Unit deliberated at length and decided that in terms of the TRRC’s needs, QTV and GRTS were the best qualified bidders. The balance tipped in favor of QTV largely because of the huge differences in their respective charges. QTV was asking for D150, 000 for a month’s filming irrespective of number of sittings or where the sittings are held. GRTS was asking for D30, 000 for a day’s filming, D200, 000 for a week’s filming, and D800, 000 for a month’s filming. Clearly, we cannot afford the kind of money GRTS is asking for. And so it should be obvious why we opted to go for QTV.

Let us reiterate at this point that what we did is essentially rent QTV’s equipment and personnel support to film our proceedings and facilitate their processing. Every interested media house, including QTV and GRTS, will receive footage and audio recordings of the hearings from the TRRC media team for airing and publishing as they deem fit. The TRRC owns the rights and will keep all recordings for our archives.

Meanwhile, journalists from all interested media houses – national and international – are currently being accredited to cover the proceedings. Journalists can sit in the hall and take notes but due to the potential sensitivity of some of the proceedings, only contracted partner cameras will be allowed in the hall to record the proceedings for later release to all media houses at the same time. Due to limited space capacity in the main hall, at least one large screen will be placed at the entrance to the hall so that journalists and others who may not fit inside can still watch the live proceedings.

Media Advisory

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad of the Republic of The Gambia wishes to inform the public that His Excellency Mr Wang Yi, State Councillor and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China will arrive in The Gambia tomorrow, Saturday, January 5 for a two-day working visit.

H.E Wang Yi will hold official talks and exchange views with Honourable Mamadou Tangara, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad on strengthening comprehensive strategic partnership established between the Republic of The Gambia and the People’s Republic of China.

H.E Wang Yi will also pay a courtesy call on His Excellency President Adama Barrow at State House in Banjul tomorrow afternoon.

The Press is invited to attend both the arrival at 11:50 and the bilateral meeting at Atlantic Hotel in Banjul at 2pm.

Issued by the Communication Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad