By Ms Sarjo M Camara (OVP)
His Excellency, Vice President Badara A. Joof has received South Korea’s Special Presidential Envoy, Sung-Min JANG on behalf of HE, President Adama Barrow, on Monday, 19th September 2022 at the State House.
Mr JANG said he brought a goodwill message from his President to His Excellency, President Barrow through his vice president. He said the visit was to foster and consolidate the outstanding relations between South Korea and The Gambia with the desire for South Korea to help The Gambia in attaining its dream of “food self-sufficiency” and the requisite technical and vocational training.
Sung-Min Jang said he was delegated to enquire about the Gambian leader’s priority areas of support that they can embark on in The Gambia and also, to extend fraternal best wishes from their country.
He thanked Vice President Joof for the excellent reception accorded him as well as the kind words of wisdom. The Korean envoy said his country shared a lot of commonalities with The Gambia. The envoy recalled that at some point, South Korea was a struggling economy but today, one of the most progressive economies in the world.
“My country wants to make everything possible to make the Gambia become a food basket for the ECOWAS region”, Mr Jung promised
Crucially, Special Envoy Sung-Min Jang is the presidential envoy for Busan’s Candidacy for the Organization of the World Exposition 2030 and Head of Future at the Korean Presidency. He was accompanied by a delegation of experts and diplomats as well as South Korea’s Honorary Consular to The Gambia, entrepreneur, Mr. Muhammed Jah.
In his deliberations, VP Joof thanked the Koreans for having The Gambia at heart. He encouraged the South Korean Envoy for them to consider agriculture and agricultural management so that The Gambia can attain food self-sufficiency in the short term and also; be able to export to the Ecowas Market in the long term.
Mr. Joof also encouraged him to engage in technical and vocational training because the country needs strong, educated, and determined youth capable of developing the country.
The Gambian VP Joof suggested an opportunity for the Koreans to do more study on The Gambia’s land and water quality to be able to respond to its needs in food security.
During an exclusive interview with the Korean Ambassador to Dakar, H.E Kim Ji-Joon also with the Special Envoy, said already, they have started experimenting on a 50-hectare Gambian rice field and by November, they will have preliminary results to work with.
The South Korean Honorary Consular to The Gambia, Mr Muhammed Jah said, there are positive signals that the South Korean Government is willing to support The Gambia to attain food self-sufficiency.
