The president of the National Assembly of the Republic of Ivory Coast, Guillaume Soro, Friday afternoon held a closed-door discussion with President Jammeh at State House in Banjul. He was accompanied to the presidency by his Gambian counterpart, Honourable Abdoulie Bojang.

Speaking to reporters in a brief interview at the end of the meeting, Soro, a former prime minister under both Former President Laurent Gbagbo and incumbent Allassan Quattara, said he was in Banjul at the invitation of Speaker Abdoulie Bojang.

His words: “I am also here to show my fraternity and friendship to His Excellency, the president of the Republic of The Gambia and you very well know that he [the president] is someone we all appreciate a lot and we also share with him.

So it is therefore important for us to come and meet His Excellency, the president to see what he has done since his accession to power and also in the same vein to reinforce the relationship between the Republics of The Gambia and Ivory Coast.

The speaker of the Assembly is a leaving witness to what the president said and that is, he has adopted us as brothers who could work hand in glove for the development of Africa.”

Al Kharafi Group

In a separate development, the Gambian leader also granted audience to the eldest son of Al Kharafi of the Al Kharafi Group. Marzouk Al Kharafi, who also held a closed-door meeting with the president, spoke with the journalists shortly after emerging from the discussions.

He explained that he was at State House to among other things congratulate the Gambian leader on his 47th birthday. He said their discussion centered on the opportunities on how to expand their diverse businesses in the country and further invest.

“We have diversified investments – hotels, farm and construction,” he stated, while specifically disclosing that they are looking forward to expanding their business in the farming sector given the employment and others that it created.