On the sidelines of a high-level summit in New York City, The Gambia and Türkiye formalized a new era of bilateral cooperation focused on human development and social equity.
The Strategic Partnership
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, establishes a formal bridge between The Gambia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare and Türkiye’s Ministry of Family and Social Services.
The agreement was signed by Hon. Fatou Kinteh and her Turkish counterpart, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, marking a significant diplomatic milestone in social policy.
Core Areas of Collaboration
The framework centers on four primary pillars designed to modernize and strengthen social safety nets in both nations:
Women’s Empowerment: Joint initiatives to reduce gender inequality and increase economic participation.
Child Protection: Developing more robust systems to safeguard the rights and well-being of minors.
Family Support: Strengthening the “nuclear unit” through social services and resource sharing.
Program Development: Sharing technical expertise and “best practice” models to improve the efficiency of social welfare delivery.
Leadership Perspectives
Hon. Fatou Kinteh emphasized that this partnership is less about traditional aid and more about knowledge exchange. She noted that the collaboration would allow The Gambia to adopt proven Turkish models for addressing complex social vulnerabilities.
Representing Türkiye, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş reaffirmed her country’s commitment to supporting initiatives that prioritize the most vulnerable segments of society, signaling that this MoU is the first step in a long-term technical alliance.
