European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica yesterday signed a 75 million euros pledge of support to The Gambia with its newly elected President Adama Barrow, putting an end to a four-year freeze on all aid from the European Commission implemented by Barrow’s predecessor.
The support comes into effect immediately and will be followed by another package as early as summer 2017, Mimica told Devex, amounting to an unprecedented 150 million euros of new support, in addition to unlocking 60 million euros in previously frozen aid for the 2016-2020 funding cycle.
The move is another stark departure from the policies of Barrow’s now-exiled predecessor, Yahya Jammeh. Barrow pledged last week to “rejoin the international community” and accept assistance from multilateral organizations, including the EU, the United Nations, the African Union and the Commonwealth, “because these are the partners that Gambia needs,” Barrow said at a press conference in Banjul on Thursday.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.