President Adama Barrow on Thursday received the Letters of Credence of the new Japanese Ambassador to The Gambia, His Excellency Tatsuo Arai at the State House in Banjul.
President Barrow congratulated the ambassador on his appointment and wished him success, expressing hope that his activity would strengthen the expanding Gambia-Japanese cooperation for the welfare of the friendly peoples of the two countries.
President Barrow highlighted the need for more capacity building and knowledge transfer between Japan and The Gambia, especially in the framework of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“The Gambia needs more of Japanese investments as returns on investment here are greatly assured, whilst more jobs can be created for our youths. This is a win-win situation,” he told the envoy.
The President used the opportunity to thank Japan for recently donating a huge volume of rice as food aid to The Gambia.
After inspecting the military guard of honor, the Japanese Ambassador conveyed fraternal greetings and best wishes from the leadership in Japan to the President and the people of the Republic of The Gambia
. Mr. Tatsuo spoke of “excellent cooperation” between Japan and the Republic of The Gambia, saying Japan admires the efforts of The Gambia in implementing democratic elections and maintaining stability.
“Our government is ready to support the sustainable development of The Gambia in various ways,” he said, announcing that Japan is now ready to sign a food aid agreement to the tune of $2Million