By Seedy Jobe
The information minister of The Gambia and his Guinea-Bissau counterpart pledged Tuesday to deepen cooperation between their countries’ media institutions, framing the effort as part of a broader push to strengthen ties between the two West African neighbors.
Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, Gambia’s minister of information, media and broadcasting services, hosted his Guinea-Bissau counterpart, Dr. Abduramane Turé, the minister of social communications, for a working visit that culminated in a joint press conference at the ministry’s conference hall here. The two ministers used the appearance to outline shared priorities and brief reporters on the state of bilateral relations.
The session was attended by Guinea-Bissau’s ambassador to The Gambia, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information, and senior officials and staff from the Department of Information Services.
Dr. Ceesay welcomed the delegation and called the visit historic, pointing to what he described as deep cultural and historical bonds between the two nations that predate the colonial-era borders separating them.
“We share the same heritage, the same history, the same geographical location,” he said. “The only difference between us is that they speak Portuguese, and we speak English. That should not be a barrier between us in working together for the benefit of our people.”
Dr. Ceesay said the two countries’ information ministries were well positioned to lead integration efforts that could eventually extend to other sectors of government. He pledged his ministry’s full cooperation with its Guinea-Bissau counterpart and relayed greetings from President Adama Barrow, recalling the welcome Mr. Barrow received during a visit to Bissau last year. He also congratulated Dr. Turé on his recent appointment.
“Whatever we can do to transcend these borders and the language, to promote total integration across multiple sectors between the two countries, is a welcome move,” he said.
Dr. Turé thanked the Gambian government and President Barrow for the hospitality shown to his delegation. He said the geographical proximity and shared history between the two countries provided a strong foundation for closer collaboration, particularly at a time when rapid technological change and the rise of digital platforms have given media a more strategic role in society. Both nations, he said, face similar challenges that call for coordinated, sustainable responses.
Dr. Turé added that Guinea-Bissau was working to modernize its public media institutions, including by training staff, upgrading technology, and adapting to the demands of the digital era.
“We are convinced that public media outlets must be modern, professional, reliable, and capable of serving the public interest with rigor, responsibility, and independence,” he said.
He described the trip as an opportunity to learn from The Gambia’s experience and to identify concrete areas of cooperation, including practical steps to strengthen media professionalism and public service delivery in both countries.
The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau are close neighbors that share ethnic groups, cultural traditions, and, in parts of the population, overlapping languages. The two countries also maintain active bilateral relations in trade, regional security, and development cooperation.
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