By Sanna Camara

What started as a bumpy journey during the Covid 19 pandemic in 2021, has come to a successful and joyous end in August 2024. Dozens of friends of the European Union in The Gambia gathered on Thursday, 22^nd August, to bid farewell to Ambassador Corrado Pampaloni.

From government Ministers to civil society, NGOs and a cross section of the diplomatic corps, the ceremony was an opportunity to formally say good-bye to Ambassador Pamaploni, who had been praised for “accomplishing a lot” under the EU-Gambia bilateral cooperation over the past four years. Yet, that journey ends this month, making the Gambia assignment the last post in his diplomatic career. Pampaloni  will retire from diplomacy upon return to Brussels in September.

“You have a home here,” said the Minister of Defence, Sering Modou Njie, in a moving farewell statement at the ceremony on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He assured that the incoming successor to Pampaloni will receive the same level of cooperation from the government in pursuit of mutual bilateral cooperation between the EU and The Gambia.

With the departure of Pampaloni, his accomplishments over the past years drew both admiration and congratulations from stakeholders, including the President Adama Barrow, to whom he bade a good-bye just the morning of that day at the State House.

“When it comes to The Gambia, the EU has a big portfolio of projects in governance, including budget support, governance reforms, and sustainable development interventions at community levels through CSOs. It has been a hectic but exciting journey,” the diplomat said.

When he arrived in 2021, he was diagnosed with Covid 19 but received “the best medical attention” from doctor-in-residence at the Delegation until he got evacuated and recovered fully to resume his duties in Banjul within weeks. The rest of the journey was history.

“It has been a dream to work with you all,” he said as the open shed restaurant set in an eco-friendly green piece of land in Bakau. The atmosphere, filled with the melodious singing voice of Mariama, with music produced by a combination of strings of Kora and beats of Djembe, became irresistible and the Ambassador danced the evening away with somewhat skilled moves that spoke to his excitement at the event.

“These are my memories of The Gambia; they are the last impressions that I would like to take with me. And I shall carry them to my retirement,” he said.

From the cold winters of Italy to the European capital of Brussels and an assignment in the humid tropical climate of The Gambia, his mission required quite an adjustment for anyone in his shoes. But for the diplomat, he found Gambia to be a welcoming country.

“I bonded and worked well with ministers, CSOs, the communities and even my staff. They made my work easier and successful. I was glad to be in The Gambia. It has been a good destination,” he said.

The good-bye hugs, the kisses and the thank you messages signalled that Gambians will miss him.