Mrs Helene Cave, the new Charge d’Affairs of the European Commission in The Gambia, arrived in the country on October 11, to take up her new job.

She replaces Mr Thierry Mathisse, who left the country after a four-year term in Banjul.

According to a release issued by the European Commission’s Offices in Banjul, Mrs Helene Cave is in the process of paying courtesy calls on the authorities and the diplomatic community, in a bid to establish contacts with stakeholders in The Gambia’s development processes, including the private sector and the civil society.

Before taking up her new assignment, Mrs Cave was in charge of Trade, Private Sector, Fisheries, Culture and Regional Integration issues at the EC Offices in Dakar, Senegal, where she worked for four years.

She has also served in various capacities at the European Commission headquarters - Joint Research Centre, Science, and Trade - and was fully involved in the negotiation of various UN environmental conventions (Kyoto Protocol, Basel Convention).

The EC Banjul Offices, described Mrs Cave as committed to working in close and cordial relations with the Gambian authorities and other stakeholders for the development of the country in order to further improve the EC/Gambian cooperation in line with the Cotonou Agreement. The release indicated that Mrs Cave is “religiously married” and worked for the private sector before joining the European Commission.