The UK’s outgoing High Commissioner to The Gambia, Sharon Wardle has said she is optimistic about the future of The Gambia.
She made the statement here on Tuesday during a courtesy call on President Adama Barrow at the State House, marking the end of her diplomatic tour of duty in the country.
“We have seen and been through a lot over the past three years. Of course, many challenges remain, but I am optimistic about the future,” Wardle said told journalists after her audience with President Barrow.
Wardle arrived in The Gambia in 2017, when the country was beginning the search for new solutions to its past governance, human rights and economic challenges.
Her departure is happening at a time when the country and the world are facing “unprecedented” challenges of COVID-19. Nonetheless, she described her departure as “a sad moment” for her after feeling home in The Gambia over these years.
“I genuinely feel that the foundations are being laid for a more prosperous, more secure future for The Gambia. The transition journey is not yet done… The next 18 months will continue to be crucial to The Gambia and we will continue to render our unflinching support to the transition journey,” she said.
The UK funded several components of the government’s National Development Plan 2018-2021, including strengthening the National Assembly, the Judiciary; support to the Ministry of Justice on transitional justice programmes, the environment and many other areas of bilateral support.
