Following his recent enthronement as the Archbishop and Primate of the West Africa Section of the Anglican Communion at a mass on Sunday, Tilewa Johnson has expressed gratitude to the government of The Gambia for the role it played in the successful conduct of the whole ceremony.

Archbishop Johnson was speaking Monday shortly after meeting the vice president and minister of Women's Affairs, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, at State House. He said he felt honoured to come to the Presidency to thank the government for the support extended to him during the event adding that he was extremely delighted with the presence of the vice president and other dignitaries who graced the event.He explained that the visit to the presidency was just the start of his tour to meet political leaders in the region, as he takes up his new assignment as Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Johnson thanked all those who contributed in one way or the other towards the successful conduct of the event and assured that as he takes up his new assignment, he is much committed to strengthening the partnership between the Anglican Communion and government. He also stressed that all the visiting Bishops from the sub-region who accompanied him to State House acknowledged the fact that the interfaith dialogue or peaceful co-existence of the different religions in the country is exceptional. He thanked members of the Anglican Family in West Africa, noting that they didn't look at the country's size geographically. He also solicited support from everyone.

It would be recalled that on the 28th of September 2012, during a special synod of the West Africa Section of the Anglican Communion known as the Church of the Province of West Africa (CPWA), held in Suacoco, Bong County, Liberia, the Gambian-born Tilewa Johnson was elected as the Archbishop of the West Africa Christian Communion. With this development, he becomes not only the ninth Primate or Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of West Africa but also the first Gambian Archbishop and Primate.