Nigeria, Gambia to sign pact on technical aid agreement
NIGERIA and the Gambia are to sign a bilateral agreement on the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme that has existed between the two countries after over two decades of its operation.
The formal signing of the technical cooperation between the two countries would be performed tomorrow at Banjul, the capital city of Gambia. Signing on behalf of the Nigerian government is the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bagudu Hirese, who had already arrived in Banjul from Nigeria while the Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs would sign on behalf of his government.
Nigeria’s Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Obase Okongor told The Guardian at the Nigerian House in the Bakau area of the country that the formal signing of the pact would consolidate the gains of the bilateral relationship between the two countries, especially concerning the technical aid corps scheme.
Okongor, who stood for the Nigerian High Commissioner, Mrs. Esther John Audu, said the technical aid corps had been in operation since its existence based only on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries, but the formal pact being signed tomorrow, would now give formal legal backing to the scheme and allow for the full exploration of every aspect of the pact.
Through the technical pact, Nigeria has been posting professionals from different fields to serve in the Gambia to help boost the developmental effort of the country. Hundreds of Nigerians, he said had served under this scheme, which he said had been of great assistance to the Gambian people.
Some notable Nigerians that have served in the Gambia over the years include the late Akinola Aguda, who at a time was the Chief Justice of the Gambia, while Mr. Laloko Kashimawo, has served as the football coach of the Gambian national team and the current Chief Justice of the country, Justice Emmanuel Akomaye, is a Nigerian. He is among the five Nigerian professionals to have served in the country recently that were recalled by the Gambian government.
While revealing that over 30, 000 Nigerians lived in the Gambia, he described the existing relationship between the two countries as very strong and fruitful. “We have a very strong relationship with the Gambia,” he said, describing the country as very peaceful and attractive to Nigerian businessmen and professionals who have over the years established their presence in the country.
One of the areas in which Nigerian businesses have shown heavy presence is in the banking sector, where of the over 13 banks in the country, eight are Nigerian banks with more still coming into the sector. This, he said, was an indication that The Gambia had a favourable economic climate, which had also been driven by the cordial relationship between the two countries.
In addition to the banking sector, aviation is another sector that Nigerian operators have been exploring in the country with about eight regular weekly flights to the country from the previous two weekly flights. Arik Air and Virgin Nigeria are two of the Nigeria airlines now operating into the country.
From Andrew Iro Okungbowa,
Banjul, Gambia
The Guardian Newspaper