In a brief ceremony at State House on Thursday, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has donated food items to needy Gambians.
The development agency made the donation through Fatou Bah Barrow Foundation.
One of the beneficiary organizations of the donation is Tanka Tanka, Gambia’s only psychiatric hospital.
The items include 200 25kg bags of rice and 20 50kg bags of sugar. Other items include 20 cartons of dates, 8 cartons of tea, 50 cartons of 5 liter gallons of cooking oil and 50 cartons of 500g of spaghetti.
This is one of the many donations TIKA has made to Gambians through several state institutions since it opened its office in Gambia barely a year ago.
“As TIKA has a coordination office in the Gambia, now we expect more development cooperation in the coming years,” said Mehmet Akif Eyigun, TIKA resident representation in Gambia.
The presentation ceremony was witnessed by permanent secretary at the First Lady’s office Alima Tambadou, the chair of the First Lady’s foundation Fatou Ceesay and staff of TIKA. Also present was the Turkish Ambassador Ismail Sefa Yuceer.
Yuceer said there could not be a better time to do a donation to needy people as Ramadan. “We are sure that this donation will go to the neediest people in Gambia,” said Yuceer.
“Turkey is committed to the development agenda of the Gambia.” Turkey supports Gambia in so many areas including capacity building and financial support.
In the country’s recent donor meeting in Brussels in 2018, Turkey donated $500, 000 in support to President Adama Barrow’s 5-year development agenda which is already received by Banjul, said Yuceer.