State House, Banjul, 24th July 2024: The Gambia and India have reaffirmed their commitment to expand their partnership in the spirit of South-South cooperation for the progress, prosperity and development of their people. This came after a meeting between The Gambian leader His Excellency President Adama Barrow and H.E. Dinkar Asthana, High Commissioner of India to The Gambia at State House, on Wednesday.

The meeting covered discussions on The Gambia-India bilateral and multilateral relations, capacity building, trade and economic relationship and several other significant initiatives of great interest to both countries.

During the meeting, President Barrow thanked the Indian Government for its continues support in capacity building of Gambian civil servants and growing the economy.

The bilateral trade between the two countries has been growing steadily, and the High Commissioner reiterated India’s commitment to support The Gambia’s development initiatives

The Gambia is a beneficiary of India’s Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) scheme for export of commodities to India and this scheme is encouraging to increase exports. The initiative facilitates greater market access for Gambian products in India and vice versa to boost bilateral trade.

Moreover, The Gambia has been a recipient of India’s development assistance aimed at building productive capacities, institutional strength, infrastructure development and technical expertise to create long term sustainability. The assistance has been extended for developmental projects in the fields of construction, agriculture, water and power.

The Gambia and India are both members of the Commonwealth and share longstanding warm and friendly relations, underscoring their commitment to mutual development and cooperation.

The meeting marks a significant step towards enhancing The Gambia-India bilateral relations, with both sides optimistic about future collaboration.