Dakar, Senegal, 24 January, 2017 - Newly elected President of Gambia, Mr Adama Barrow has called for the support of Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in order to address the development challenges facing his country.

Mr. Barrow made this statement at his residence in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, when he received a delegation from the IsDB, led by Vice President (Sector Operations), Dr. Mansur Muhtar, who is on official mission to Senegal.

President Barrow stated that this is the time for long term partners of Gambia like IsDB to support the country in infrastructural development, agriculture, health, capacity building and governance reform.

“I am glad the political problem has been resolved. It was an African problem, that got an African solution. This will give confidence in our ability to resolve difficult situations. We have a new Gambia,” he said.

Mr. Adama Barrow told the delegation that Gambia has a lot of work to do in reforming the civil service, expanding physical infrastructure, developing agriculture, rebuilding institutions, etc. He urged IsDB and other development partners to work with his government to improve the economic situation of Gambia.

In his remarks, IsDB Vice President, Dr. Mansur Muhtar assured Mr. Barrow of IsDB commitment towards supporting Gambia. He conveyed the goodwill message of the IsDB President, Dr. Bandar Hajjar, who is committed to working with African member countries in several areas to support their social and economic development. Vice President Mansur Muhtar added that IsDB has several capacity building and technical assistance programmes, including through its Reverse Linkage program that Gambia can
benefit from, to complement its financing activities.

Dr. Muhtar told President Barrow that IsDB has been active in Gambia since 1980, and has received financing worth US $690 million. He added that curently there are 14 active projects in Gambia totalling US $158 million. The IsDB Vice President stated that he hopes with the support, guidance and leadership of President Barrow, along with his team, the implementation of IsDB-supported portfolio will improve and opportunities for collaboration strengthened.

Notes to Editor:
For information and media enquiries about this story contact:
Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u
Senior Communication Specialist
Email: myushau@isdb.org
Twitter: @jameelyushau
Tel: +966126466492