The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr. Mamadou Tangara, on 19th January 2020 met the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, in his office in Doha.
Minister Tangara is on a follow-up visit to Qatar on various cooperation agreements reached between The Gambia and Qatar. The two diplomats discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
In a separate engagement, the Minister was received by the second vice chairman of Qatar Chamber, Mr. Rashid bin Hamad al-Athba. During the meeting, Minister Tangara commended the State of Qatar for the fruitful relations it has over the years with The Gambia. He used the opportunity to call on Qatari investors and businessmen to visit The Gambia to be able to identify investment opportunities. Minister Tangara has informed Mr. al-Athba that tourism is one of the most promising sectors in The Gambia.
For his part, al-Athba informed Dr. Tangara that Qatari businessmen are looking forward to identifying investment opportunities in all the sectors in The Gambia.
The Honourable Minister in a similar engagement also met with the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Charity, Mr. Yusuf Bin Ahmad Al Kuwari. They discussed possibilities of extending the work of Qatari Charity in The Gambia in the near future.
The Minister also held discussions with, Mr. Musfir Al Shahwani, Deputy Director General for Development Projects of Qatar Fund For Development. It may be recalled that officials of the Qatar Fund for Development in September last year dispatched a 13 man delegation to The Gambia for evaluation and studies in various sectors.
Still on his diplomatic engagements, Minister Tangara had audience with H.E. Shaikh Nawaf Bin Jasim Bin Jabr Al – Thani, Chairman Katara Hospitality. Their discussions centered on ways of getting Katara Hospitality to invest in The Gambia. The Minister also met Mr. Fahad Al Sulaiti, Chief Executive Officer, Education For All (EAA). The Gambia is now one of the priority countries in the programme of EAA and studies are on the way to include The Gambia in the “zero” category school dropout.
In his wrap–up engagement, the Honourable Minister on 20 January held audience with Dr. Ali Bin Fetais Al Mari, Attorney General of the State of Qatar. Discussions between the two leaders focused on bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
Minister Tangara was taken on a conducted tour and he visited Rule of Law and Anti – Corruption Centre (ROLACC). He was hosted by Dr. Yaser Al Refai, acting Director of the Centre. The two leaders discussed the possibility of initiating capacity building for Gambian Civil Service.
Source: Culled from Ministry of Foreign Affairs- The Gambia