{"id":83654,"date":"2025-08-08T18:02:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T18:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister"},"modified":"2025-08-11T16:13:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T16:13:16","slug":"the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister","title":{"rendered":"The Task Ahead of Gambia\u2019S New Foreign Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Following the unceremonious resignation of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Momodou Tangara, speculations swirled regarding his potential successor. Among the names widely mentioned were the Ministry\u2019s Permanent Secretary, Lang Yarboe, and the Minister of Information, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, among others. However, President Adama Barrow surprised many observers by elevating his Defence Minister, Sering Modou Njie, to the position of Gambia\u2019s chief diplomat.<\/b><\/p>\n

Despite Mr Njie\u2019s previous diplomatic experience as Ambassador to Turkey and his role in overseeing the Ministry during Dr. Tangara\u2019s absence, many questioned his qualifications and suitability for the post. Critics pointed primarily to his perceived lack of charisma and articulation.<\/p>\n

Observers had expected the President to appoint a seasoned diplomat capable of overhauling the Ministry, particularly in the wake of several scandals that emerged from some of the country\u2019s diplomatic missions abroad. In his final days in office, Dr. Tangara acknowledged that the Ministry had indeed faced scandals, mainly involving individuals he described as political appointees. His unusually candid remarks drew criticism, particularly from Gambia\u2019s Ambassador to Turkey, Alkali Conteh, who responded with a strongly worded letter condemning the former minister\u2019s characterization of the Ministry\u2019s challenges\u2014a rare move in diplomatic circles. Despite this breach of protocol, Alkali faced no consequences and remained in his position, while the minister stepped down. Some interpreted Tangara\u2019s comments as a veiled criticism of his boss, President Barrow, who is widely believed to be the one appointing most of Gambia\u2019s diplomats.<\/p>\n

Now that President Barrow has appointed Mr. Njie as Foreign Minister\u2014a decision that cannot be contested, as the president is constitutionally empowered to hire and dismiss ministers\u2014we can only urge Minister Njie to prove his critics wrong by instituting serious reforms to restore the dignity and professionalism of a once-respected ministry where diplomats rose through the ranks on merit.<\/p>\n

He should ensure that only the most competent and qualified diplomatic staff are sent abroad to represent The Gambia and its interests. Our foreign missions must not continue to serve as dumping grounds for failed politicians or rewards for political loyalists. To be clear: political loyalists can serve in these roles, provided they are competent and fit for purpose.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Minister should be granted the authority to appoint diplomats\u2014beyond ambassadors\u2014so that only professionals occupy key positions within our foreign service.<\/p>\n

The Ministry previously announced that it was working on a foreign policy document, which the public is yet to see. Such a document is urgently needed and should serve as a clear guideline for our diplomats, both at home and abroad. Our foreign relations must be mutually beneficial and not based on dependency or constant appeals for aid, if we wish to earn genuine respect from our international partners.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the success or failure of Minister Njie will be measured by his ability\u2014or inability\u2014to deliver on these reforms in the shortest time possible.<\/p>\n

Basidia M Drammeh<\/b><\/p>\n

Source: The Standard Newspaper | Gambia<\/b><\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Following the unceremonious resignation of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Momodou Tangara, speculations swirled regarding his potential successor. Among the names widely mentioned were the Ministry\u2019s Permanent Secretary, Lang Yarboe, and the Minister of Information, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, among others. However, President Adama Barrow surprised many observers by elevating his Defence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-83654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Task Ahead of Gambia\u2019S New Foreign Minister - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Following the unceremonious resignation of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Momodou Tangara, speculations swir ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Task Ahead of Gambia\u2019S New Foreign Minister\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following the unceremonious resignation of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Momodou Tangara, speculations swir ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-08T18:02:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T16:13:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/sm_1754665527.621982.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"The Task Ahead of Gambia\u2019S New Foreign Minister\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-08T18:02:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-11T16:13:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister\"},\"wordCount\":519,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/sm_1754665527.621982.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-task-ahead-of-gambias-new-foreign-minister\",\"name\":\"The Task Ahead of Gambia\u2019S New Foreign Minister - 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