Bissau: Vaz visitou as quintas de Jammeh

The president-elect of the Republic of Guinea Bissau Tuesday visited several farms and other agricultural projects of his Gambian counterpart, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh in Kanilai as part of his engagements of his two-day working visit to Banjul.
His Excellency Jose Mario Vaz arrived in The Gambia on Monday as guest of President Jammeh in an attempt to renew and reinforce ties between Banjul and Bissau. The visit was his first official trip to Banjul, coming hard on the heels of last month's successful election in which he swept the polls by 61.9 percent. The polls also ended the two-year transitional government in Bissau, instituted after the April 12, 2012 military takeover that disrupted a presidential run-off that year.
Vaz visited Kanilai after what was described as successful bilateral talks with his host at State House in Banjul, during which Jammeh renewed Gambia's unshakeable commitment and support towards the socio-economic development and stability of the crisis-plagued nation, but more so admonished the new leader to pursue a policy of national reconciliation in the Portuguese-speaking country.
Much as he might have heard the agricultural undertakings of President Jammeh, the visit provided Vaz the opportunity to see for himself how his host is using agriculture as a tool to accelerate development.
At the entrance of the Gambian leader's birthplace, the new Bissau-Guinean leader was given a tumultuous welcome by the people of this community, cultural troupes, students, the 'Green Youth'. He was also greeted with thunderous cannon shots.
President-elect Vaz, accompanied by The Gambia's minister of Agriculture, Solomon Owens, later visited the Kaur farm where cattle of different breeds are reared. He also inspected the pineapple and noni farms where he was received by the farm manager, Wally Secka, who briefed him about the farm and President Jammeh's agricultural activities.
Speaking to the accompanying journalists in Kanilai, The Gambia's ambassador to Bissau, Abdou Jarju, said Vaz made a request to his Gambian counterpart to see for himself the agricultural activities of President Jammeh. He said The Gambia is among the first countries that President-elect Vaz visited after his victory in last month's presidential election. The diplomat expressed hope that the visit will strengthen the existing bilateral relationship between Banjul and Bissau.
The Guinea Bissau ambassador to The Gambia, Edrisa Diallo, for his part, said President-elect Vaz's visit to The Gambia just moments after his victory manifests the cordial relations between Banjul and Bissau. End of Gambia visit
The visiting new leader ended his Banjul trip late Tuesday night and was seen off at the Banjul International Airport by the vice president and Women's Affairs minister, Her Excellency Aja Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Cabinet ministers and other dignitaries. He left onboard The Republic of The Gambia' aircraft after what officials described as a successful visit that will enhance ties between the two nations.
Biography
Jose Mario Vaz, born 10 December 1957, is the president-elect of Guinea-Bissau. Mario Vaz was named by the late President Malam Bacai Sanha as the country's Finance Minister in 2009, though he and the other ministers were ousted in the 2012 Guinea-Bissau coup d'etat. He is a member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIG) and won the right to represent the party in the 2014 presidential election by beating 11 hopefuls during a two-day primary in March 2014. In the first round of the election on 13 April 2014, he won 40.9% of the votes, and entered a run-off with the second leading candidate, Nuno Gomes Nabiam. In the second round, on 18 May 2014, he received 61.9% of the votes. Though Gomes Nabiam initially contested the result, he conceded defeat on 22 May 2014.
Married with three children, Vaz was trained as an economist in Lisbon at the Office of Economic Studies of the Banco de Portugal in 1982. In 2004, he was elected as mayor of the city of Bissau, a position he held until his appointment as Finance minister in 2009.  The Daily Observer, Banjul

-- Note-se que, segundo este jornal, as propriedades agrícolas e os demais projectos não são do país, da Gâmbia, mas sim do seu Presidente, Sua Excelência o Xeque, Professor, Alhaji, Dr. Yahya Jammeh !!!