The President of Guinea, Alpha Condé, has elevated his Gambian counterpart, Adama Barrow, to the Dignity of “Croix de l’Ordre National du Mérite,” the National Order of Merit of Guinea. The Gambian Head of State’s three-day stay in Conakry ends this Sunday. According to a presidential decree published in the Guinean media on Saturday evening, Alpha Condé awarded the medal to Adama Barrow for his quality contribution to strengthening relations of friendship and cooperation between Guinea and The Gambia.
On a friendly visit to Guinea, Gambian President Adama Barrow was granted all the Guinean State honors, including a presidential banquet and this honorary distinction.
The two Heads of State had a tête-à-tête and discussed strengthening the cooperation between Conakry and Banjul, particularly in the energy, economic, and tourism fields, among others. From all indications, there is no cloud between President Adama Barrow and Alpha Condé, even though the latter was a staunch friend and a partner in business to former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh. Alpha Condé took the trouble to come to Banjul in January 2017 to save Yahya Jammeh from the wrath of an ECOWAS military intervention that would have certainly determined otherwise the faith of the then Gambian dictator than his current exile in Malabo.
Almost five years down the line, Alpha Condé seems to have also won the trust and friendship of Yahya Jammeh’s successor. Adama Barrow especially counts on Alpha Condé to speed work on the Souapiti hydroelectric dam to inject the desperate electricity The Gambia needs to stabilize its domestic supply. Barrow hopes to see the completion of this interconnection project in late October to enable him to wield a secret boot during the November presidential campaign.
Upon arrival in Conakry Thursday, President Adama Barrow said he came to “learn from his big brother.”
“My big brother is an experienced president, and it’s no secret. For my part, I am a young president, so I come to learn from him. I am pleased to be his guest, “said Adama Barrow.
To which President Alpha Condé replied: “Obviously, I am older and older than President Adama Barrow. I am ready to exchange my experiences with him”, assured Alpha Condé.
The Guinean chief executive also welcomed the visit to Conakry of Yaya Jammeh’s successor. He promised to make himself available to his guest in case of need to strengthen cooperation between Guinea and The Gambia.
“It is a great pleasure for me to receive my brother President Adama Barrow. The Gambia has experienced some upheavals, but thank God. The country is quiet. It is moving forward and has made a lot of progress. Of course, Covid-19 caused some damage to The Gambia’s économy and reduced its GDP. But we hope that The Gambia will experience more and more favorable economic development. We wish President Barrow and The Gambia prosperity and health. Guinea will always be at the side of The Gambia to support it, and we will do our utmost to strengthen cooperation for the benefit of our two peoples,” Alpha Condé assured.