First Lady Fatima Jabbie Bio of Sierra Leone on Friday 13th March 2020 paid courtesy call on His Excellency President Adama Barrow at State House in Banjul.
First Lady of Sierra Leone was accompanied to State House by the Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to The Gambia.
First Lady Fatima Jabbie Bio explained to press after her meeting with the President she said that she had an opportunity to talk to His Excellency President Adama Barrow about the bilateral relationship between The Gambia and Sierra Leone and knowing that the President of Sierra Leone is his brother they will find ways of showing the world that Sierra Leone and The Gambia have a strong connection.
She further explained that she also discussed the education issue “because in Sierra Leone we have free quality education and there is no nationality attach to it and Sierra Leoneans in The Gambia are claiming that when they go to pay for school fees and they are ask to pay something different from their Gambian citizens and we want government to look into that issue. Another issue is that the residential permit is really a serious issue to the Sierra Leonean living in The Gambia and we understand that Sierra Leonean and Nigerians are the two countries that pay highest residential permit fees for them to stay in The Gambia and that is not the case in Sierra Leone for Gambians in Sierra Leone was because of the effort of President Barrow and her through Gambia’s embassy they are not paying anything. The President promise that he is going to look into the issue so that Sierra Leoneans can live in the Gambia happily and in harmony with no fear.” She elaborated.
First Lady Fatima Jabbie Bio described that she had a “wonderful discussion with President Barrow and I have been appointed as Sierra Leonean envoy to The Gambia. I think I need to achieve something as Sierra Leonean envoy to The Gambia and this is my first assignment. President Barrow promised that he is going to look into and should make so something is done about the issues raised so that I can present good report to the President of Sierra Leone. We have to look into all the issues that matters between the two countries.” She concluded.