It takes two key people to establish a meaningful relationship; the pace setters and those who are willing to take stock from the achievement of the pace setters. And it takes strong commitment and dedication to the service of one’s people to engage in relationships that aim at boosting their standard of living.

This will entail the willingness to make consultations, to learn and to share what one learns. Fortunately, this has been the trend of late in African political arena. We have seen an even stronger manifestation of this trend in our part of the continent, West Africa, and even beyond. The bond of brotherhood between African leaders is being exploited true and true. Gambians, thanks to  the dynamic leadership of the country, honored to be part of this history making.

First it was Zambia and Cape Verde, followed by Mauritania, Guinea Bissau, Senegal; the list goes on and on. Now it is the Republic of Sierra Leone. Each of these countries has a distinctive place in history, in terms of what they mean to this small country called The Gambia. And for all of them the relationship with small Gambia is mutual. The Gambian people, though, feel truly proud of the fact that they have been playing host to all these men and women of distinguishable repute.

The essence of a unified Africa is to pull together the continent’s resources and share experiences for the benefit of its people. And there can be no better way to achieving this goal than to first establish that cordial relationship that would serve as a conduit.
 
Ethnically, Sierra Leone and Gambia are bonded, just as we are in terms of religion. It is these two people that intermarriage. Gambians have been making their homes in Sierra Leone since at least thirty years ago.

And throughout this period, Sierra Leone has served as a heaven for knowledge and wealth acquisition for a whole generation of Gambians. This is a remarkable trait of the union between the two people, whose bond transcends far, far beyond mere historical tie, as we often focus on. Ours is blood relation. Indeed, the colonial masters were not mistaken when they effectively unified the two countries under one leadership, Governor Sir McCarty, during the imperial days.

Therefore, Mr President Koroma’s visit to the Gambia is one that rekindles these memories and serve as reminder for our generation of the family bond.

We cordially welcome you, Mr President, to your second home.