Banjul, Brooklyn Park bridge cities, forge stronger ties

Rohey Malick-Lowe, the Mayor of Banjul, shared an insightful update on her Facebook page about a significant diplomatic engagement with Hon. Hollies Winston, the Lord Mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

This meeting was facilitated by the leadership of the Gambian Association in Minnesota and the Minnesota UDP Chapter.

The key focus of the visit was to advance the Sister City Agreement that was signed between Banjul and Brooklyn Park last year, with the Gambian Association in Minnesota playing a pivotal role in sponsoring and facilitating it.

The dialogue resulted in a series of collaborative initiatives set to unfold in the near future. By April 2025, councillors and staff from the Banjul City Council, along with members of Refela, are set to visit Brooklyn Park for capacity-building activities with local organizations.

This initiative aims to foster knowledge and skill enhancement over a four-week period. Meanwhile, residents of Brooklyn Park, including youth and women, are invited to experience Banjul as part of the Expedition Gambia Initiative by the end of December 2024.

The collaboration extends into virtual realms as well, with plans to facilitate online capacity-building and knowledge exchanges between city staff from both cities by 2025.

Additionally, Banjul is set to receive waste collection equipment to bolster its waste management system, alongside sports gear to engage the city’s youth and girls in sports, enriching their involvement in local activities.

Further support is pledged in the form of technical, material, and human resources for schools, hospitals, cultural groups, and women farmers in Banjul and the Greater Banjul Area.

The Gambian Association in Minnesota is committed to working closely with both cities to ensure the effective implementation of the MOU, with hopes that these initiatives will bring about significant changes.

The meeting concluded with a heartfelt reaffirmation of commitment to the Sister City MOU, further cemented by an exchange of gifts and family photos to commemorate the occasion.

Malick-Lowe expressed her gratitude, stating, “I sincerely thank my brother, Mayor Hollies Wilson, and his entire team for their commitment and the warm hospitality.”