13 Feb 2024

The new High Commissioner of The Gambia to Botswana, Dr Fatoumata Ceesay has extended a proposal for her country’s President, Mr Adama Barrow to visit Botswana this year, and officially commission Jawara road in Gaborone. 

Dr Ceesay made the proposal to President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi at the Office of the President on Tuesday morning while presenting her credentials to mark the commencement of her diplomatic tour of duty in the country.

Jawara Road, named after The  Gambia’s founding President, the late Sir Dawda Jawara, after he had visited the country in the 1970s, is symbolic of the two country’s historic relationship, and as such Ambassador Ceesay pledged to get her country’s current head of state to visit Botswana and symbolically commission the road.

President Masisi in turn extended an invite for a full state visit where the two countries could explore areas of mutual cooperation and sign memoranda of understanding to lay the ground for practical collaboration in strategic fields.

Dr Masisi said that 1970s state visit brought together the two countries founding presidents and saw Sir Seretse Khama hosting President Jawara, whom he called friend and compatriot, leading to the two states enjoying cordial relations since.

He said a potential state visit this year would be a brilliant opportunity for the two countries to formally work on establishing tangible mutually beneficial partnerships.

Other envoys who presented their Letters of Credence were Ambassador Ntsime Jafeta, the High Commissioner of Lesotho, and the new Ambassador of Indonesia, Mr Saud Krisnawan.

The Lesotho envoy said the peoples of the two countries  shared cultural and linguistic roots, that were further developed at independence, particularly in the education sector, through the then University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.

President Masisi and Ambassador Jafeta, who conversed in their two countries’ national languages, Setswana and Sesotho, said the two states still had room for further cooperation through bilateral instruments and as regional partners in the Southern African Customs Union.

Indonesia envoy Ambassador Krisnawan said he sought to deepen ties with Botswana, which were officially launched with the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2012. He also expressed  his country  willingness to share its experience with Botswana, which included strong tourism sector, a good road network , flourishing banking, textile as well as food and beverage sector. ENDS