๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad of The Gambia is pleased to inform the public that Her Excellency Salimatta E. T. Touray, Non-Resident High Commissioner of the Republic of The Gambia to the Republic of Rwanda, presented her Letters of Credence to His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, on 6 March 2026.
The ceremony formally accredited Ambassador Touray as The Gambiaโs High Commissioner to Rwanda. She was accompanied by Mr. Lamin Suwareh, Senior Protocol Officer of the Embassy of The Gambia in Addis Ababa.
During the meeting, Her Excellency conveyed warm greetings and best wishes from His Excellency Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia. She also highlighted several priority areas for enhanced cooperation between the two countries, including security collaboration, capacity building for civil servants, legal training, agriculture, food storage systems, trade and investment, migration management, diaspora engagement, and initiatives aimed at addressing youth unemployment.
Speaking to journalists following the audience with President Kagame, Ambassador Touray described Rwanda as a trusted partner whose development experience offers valuable lessons for The Gambia. She reaffirmed The Gambiaโs commitment to strengthening diplomatic relations and development cooperation with Rwanda.
The High Commissioner further outlined The Gambiaโs interest in learning from Rwandaโs internationally recognized progress in digital governance, public service delivery, and security management. In particular, she highlighted Rwandaโs flagship digital government services platform, ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ฃ, which has transformed access to public services by enabling citizens to process key government documents online.
Ambassador Touray noted that cooperation between the two countries is already taking shape following the signing of a General Framework of Cooperation in 2021, covering key areas such as security and defence cooperation, public service reform, and judicial collaboration.
She also emphasized opportunities for collaboration in education, including student exchanges in technical and higher education particularly in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Discussions are also underway regarding cooperation in legal education, including exchanges between law schools and bar training institutions in both countries.
Looking ahead, the High Commissioner underscored the importance of trade and investment in strengthening bilateral relations, particularly within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Both governments are exploring ways to increase trade flows and promote investment opportunities between businesses in the two countries.
On migration management and diaspora engagement, Ambassador Touray noted that The Gambia, which has a significant diaspora population, is interested in learning from Rwandaโs policies and strategies for effective diaspora engagement.
โAs High Commissioner of The Gambia, I am here to further strengthen the relations between our two countries. Our aim is to ensure that this partnership continues to grow so that both nations and their peoples benefit mutually,โ she stated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad congratulates Her Excellency Ambassador Salimatta E.T. Touray on this important diplomatic milestone and wishes her success in advancing the strong and growing relations between The Gambia and Rwanda.
