The Gambia and Guinea have renewed commitment to the bilateral cooperation between Banjul and Conakry, following a recent state visit to the sister republic by President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, accompanied by a high-powered delegation, on July 14.

President Jammeh was received upon arrival at the Conakry International Airport by Dr Ahmed Tidiane Souaré, the prime minister of Guinea, on behalf of President Lansana Conté. Malick Sanko, the governor of Conakry, high profile officials of Guinea and members of the Gambian community were also at the airport to receive the Gambia leader.

According to GRTS, part of Dr Jammeh’s engagement was to express solidarity with Guineans and to renew the bilateral agreements that bind the two peoples together.

Conakry and Banjul have had excellent relations, underpinned by the aspiration of their people to find common solutions to their problems with a uniform pattern of development.

The presidential entourage received a rapturous reception as Guineans nationals gathered on the side lanes of the main highway to the official presidential residence, where Dr Jammeh had an audience with his counterpart, President Lasana Conté.

President Conté has been out of action as a result of a reported stroke but his health has improved greatly and he still enjoys immense popularity. The Guinean leader had pursued a Pan-African approach to key regional and continental issues.

On Tuesday, Dr Jammeh met the Gambian community in Conakry, where they had the opportunity to discuss their welfare. Many Gambian expatriates work in the mining sector, while a good number of them engage in the re-export trade, which has been the key area of interaction between Conakry and Banjul. Their welfare has been thoroughly handled by the Gambian Embassy in Bissau and its consular bureau in Conkary.

Cherno Touray, the Gambian ambassador in Bissau, said the show of welcome accorded to President Jammeh in Bissau and again in Conakry is a manifestation of the love and confidence the expatriates bestowed on him.

Alhagie Momodou Gaye, the Gambian consul general in Conakry, said Gambian nationals are law abiding ambassadors, who have never betrayed the trust of his bureau. Guineans have on their part, reciprocated the friendship extended to their nationals in The Gambia and have ensured that Gambians based in Conakry have their rights and welfare looked after.

Many of the speakers had been living in Guinea for decades and found the country ideal for business, as Gambian interest is highly protected. Nyima Trawally and Fatoumatta Drammeh felicitated Dr Jammeh for recognising women.

Dr Omar Touray, the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs, said the president’s visit renewed the commitment of his counterpart in ensuring the protocols that guide relations between their governments are enforced.

The Gambia leader, he said, has gone the extra mile to ensure the welfare of Gambians.

President Jammeh, who was later involved with other official engagements, was represented at the meeting by the secretary of state for Fisheries and Water Resources, Yankuba Touray. SoS Touray enjoined Gambian nationals to play an ambassadorial role in their stay in Conakry. SoS Touray donated on behalf of President Jammeh, US$15,000, to assist the consular bureau in its transactions.

As Gambians get more involved in business, the price of basic commodities, as in other parts of the world, continues to soar. The Guinean currency has depreciated greatly and a bag of rice costs 215,000 Guinean Franc (equivalent to D1,250).

During the visit, the ministerial committees of the two governments held closed door sessions and a joint communiqué was issued by the two leaders at the end of a four-day working visit. The draft communique outlined the governments’ commitment to bolstering existing trade relations and their joint interest to secure their borders against foreign aggression. The communiqué also entails cooperation in the areas of fisheries, commerce, transport, the civil service and tourism.

During the visit, President Jammeh appealed to Guineans to treasure the natural resources their country has been endowed with and work for a common solution and strategy to solve their problems.

He warned against division, saying that measures that some wanted to resort to will only cost the country more. President Jammeh thanked the Guinean authorities for ensuring that Gambians in Conakry live in peace.

A good way to usher in a new year is to reflect on past achievements and shortcomings. This will allow us, as in the words of President Yahya Jammeh, to “commit ourselves to confronting the challenges before us with renewed vigour and greater collective efforts.” Collective effort is the key phrase. As the Gambia is for all its inhabitants, for it we must “strive and work and pray.”

Like in all other development-oriented societies, the Gambia government continues to strive to provide the necessary conducive working atmosphere, a prerequisite for any meaningful development. Infrastructural development has been at the topmost level of its priority list since day one of its assumption of authority; from road construction to solid buildings, which cut across all the adjoining sectors of our development aspiration: health, education, agriculture, etc, etc..

Employment opportunities are greater today than at any other time in the history of The Gambia, as the proliferation of educational facilities has corresponded well with the upsurge in institutions of greater employment prospects - the banking and financial services sectors, tourism, telecommunications, fisheries, the  list goes on and on. The 20% salary increment announced by President Jammeh is a laudable move that goes to amplify a genuine concern of a leader for his people.

The prudent administrative measures, obviously born out of ambitious minds, was what set the pace for the achievements whose blessings we are basking in today. The GDP growth of about 7%, positive control on inflationary pressures, as well as the recent HIPC completion point realised by The Gambia are all as a result of the sound monetary policies being spearheaded by government. If anything,  all these give the nation hope in its crusade to meet the demands of the Millennium Development Goals and our own Vision 2020 blueprint.

2007 shall remain a memorable year; if not for its prevalence of factors that ensured the greater level of social cohesion it witnessed, it also saw an overwhelming level of gains on the economic and infrastructural fronts. But benefits of these gains will hardly be realised for long if efforts to consolidate them dampen. As President Jammeh said in his new year’s message, there should be no room for complacency. To this end, therefore, it is reassuring to note that Operation No Compromise is here to stay.

And in the words of the President: “We shall continue to prevail over evil forces of Luciferians and of Bin Iblis.” Happy 2008 to all!