The spirit of Senegambian solidarity was on full display at the State House on Friday as Vice President Mohammed B.S. Jallow welcomed a high-level delegation of Gambian and Senegalese social workers led by Basamba Drammeh, President of Social Workers in The Gambia and Africaβs representative to the UN Commission for Social Workers.
The delegation visited Banjul as Senegal prepares to host the upcoming Africa Social Workers Conference, seeking The Gambiaβs support and reinforcing decades of cooperation between the two sister nations.
Drammeh revealed that Senegal chose The Gambia as its first stop before visiting Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and South Africaβdemonstrating the trust and strategic partnership that bind both countries. He also highlighted the mutual backing the two nations continue to show each other in international bodies like IFSW and the UN.
VP Jallow warmly welcomed the delegation and reaffirmed the deep cultural, linguistic, and historical ties that unite The Gambia and Senegal. He expressed delight that this longstanding friendship has extended strongly into civil society and community development efforts.
Both nations also pledged to support each otherβs ambitions, including The Gambiaβs bid to host the Africa Social Workers Conference in the near future.
Focus on Youth Empowerment
On the sidelines, Augustina Ugbana, Vice President of the Association of Social Workers in The Gambia, called for national support for a transformative Youth Career Development Programme aimed at guiding young people toward purposeful career paths.
The initiativeβdeveloped with the Care and Prevention Foundationβseeks to take career seminars to schools nationwide.
βMany of our young ones are misdirectedβ¦ but with proper career guidance, we can help them discover their potential,β Ugbana noted.
The programme, currently without external funding, is seeking government support and working on an MoU with the Ministry of Youth & Sports to enable nationwide rollout.
From strengthening regional cooperation to investing in youth development, this partnership between The Gambia and Senegal stands as a powerful example of unity and shared commitment to advancing social work across Africa.
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