By Lamin Njie
The Chinese ambassador to The Gambia, His Excellency Liu Jin, on Wednesday, 17th April 2024 paid a courtesy call on Honourable Abdoulie Jobe, Minister of Tourism and Culture, at his office in Banjul.
On receiving the ambassador and his team, Minister Jobe thanked him for the visit and reassured him of his Ministry’s commitment to promoting the existing bilateral relations between The Gambia and the People’s Republic of China.
He described the visit by the ambasaador as a demonstration of the love and care, the government and the People’s Republic of China have for the Government of the Gambia and its people.
“This is a clear demonstration of the trust between The Gambia and the People’s Republic of China. We will take this to another level for the betterment of the two countries; especially in terms of culture and tourism,” he said.
He underscored the importance of culture and the need to nurture it at all levels.
“The Government of the People’s Republic of China has provided so much assistance to The Gambia in the areas of energy, health, and agriculture. Also, there were cultural visits by Gambians to China and this has benefited a lot of Gambians in terms of capacity building among others,” Minister Jobe further remarked.
Ambassador Liu Jin thanked Minister Jobe for the warm welcome accorded him and his team and used the opportunity to congratulate him on his appointment as Minister of Tourism and Culture.
He reassured the Minister of his government’s full commitment to continue to support the development agenda of Barrow government in the areas of energy, culture, and their commitment to the maintenance of peace and stability not only in The Gambia but also the world at large.
In a separate but similar engagement, Mandisa Mashologu, the UNDP Resident Representative in The Gambia, also paid courtesy call on Minister Jobe.
The UNDP top diplomat and Minister Jobe discussed different key issues relating to women and youth empowerment projects, particularly in the tourism sector.
They also talked about the need to collaborate and support the government’s new development plan ‘Yiriwa’ through the UNDP country programmes.
