by Saikou Ceesay
His Excellency Momodou Lamin Bah, the Ambassador of the Republic of The Gambia to the United States of America with cumulative accreditation to Canada on Monday December 4th, 2023 presented his Letters of Credence to the Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary J May Simon, as the new High Commissioner of The Gambia to Canada at a ceremony held in Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada.
High Commissioner Bah conveyed fraternal greetings from His Excellency President Adama Barrow to the Governor General, the Government and people of Canada. He expressed his readiness to work with Canada to further strengthen the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries.
During a tête-à-tête meeting with the Governor General, High Commissioner Bah thanked the Government and people of Canada for their support to The Gambia’s ongoing Rohingya case and the country’s development agenda. He appealed for expansion of Canada’s development assistance to The Gambia, capacity building for the youth and the country’s diplomatic cadre, support for the implementation of the TRRC White Paper recommendations and the country’s drive for food security.
For her part, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary J. May Simon welcomed High Commissioner Bah to Canada and congratulated him on his new role as the High Commissioner of The Gambia to Canada. She said the task at hand as High Commissioner is to see how the two countries can better work together to make the world a better place.
Governor General Simon said Canada is ready to work with High Commissioner Bah to further strengthen the excellent relations between the two countries, and to continue to support The Gambia’s development agenda.
In the evening of December 4th, High Commissioner Bah was invited to a Holiday Reception hosted by Canada’s Foreign Minister, The Honourable Melanie Joly, in honour of the Diplomatic Heads of Mission in Canada. The ceremony which was held in Sir John A. Macdonald Building in Ottawa was graced by the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. High Commissioner Bah was introduced to Prime Minister Trudeau and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and had friendly exchanges with the two officials.
Saikou Ceesay
First Secretary
Embassy of The Gambia
Washington D.C.
