Bambatenda – Yellintenda Ferry Crossing Point to be Bridged

The Gambia government has now finally secured a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the construction of the Trans-Gambia Bridge, which connects both North and South of The Gambia and Senegal as well as serves as an important transport linkage for the sub-region.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the government of the Gambia have signed an agreement for the financing of the Multinational TransGambia Bridge & Cross-Border Improvement Project to the tune of US$96.20 Million equivalent to Gambian Dalasis (GMD) 2,909.80 billion.

Analyst said the bride, when completed, will help to create free traffic flow between the northern and southern parts of the Gambia and Senegal in order to promote free movement of persons, goods and services between the two countries and other countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).  This will bring to fruition plans which the governments of the Gambia and Senegal have for many years.

Abdou Kolley, Gambia's Finance Minister

Abdou Kolley, the Gambia’s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, said in a statement issued by his ministry on Monday, that the construction of the bridge will allow free traffic flow between the northern and southern parts of both The Gambia and Senegal.

The project will therefore reduce travel time, boost trade and reinforce cohesion among communities which were previously isolated. It will also facilitate the transportation of agricultural products to markets reducing post-harvest losses and boosting socio-economic activities.

Gambia ratifies over $60m loan

As usual, the National Assembly has given their consent to two loans amounting to US$62.05 million (almost two billion dalasi) that the Government of The Gambia signed with the Islamic Development Bank in February this year.

Huge amount of Gambia’s budget is paid on interest on loans, which continues to increase yearly.  Many a time 20 – 25% of the country’s annual budget goes to settlement of interest on domestic debts, which use to be less than its international debts.

The National Assembly Members were on Tuesday called to an extra-ordinary meeting to ratify two loan agreements and a grant. The loan agreements are a 20 megawatts Brikama II Power Project amounting to US$25.16 million and the national component of the Ecowas Wide Area Network (ECOWAN) Programme, which is the regional backbone infrastructure and e-governance platform, amounting to US$36.89 million, between the Government of The Gambia and the Islamic Development Bank. 

The grant, which is for the financing of the first phase of the West African Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme amounting to US$35 million, was given to the Gambia government by the International Development Association (IDA), which is the World Bank’s fund for extremely poor countries.

Tabling the motions before parliamentarians, the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mamburay Njie, said the 20 megawatt Brikama II Power Project seeks to alleviate the acute electricity supply shortage in the Greater Banjul Area through the installation and commissioning of a 20MW power plant by 2014.

Mambury Njie, Minister of Finance 

“The project will increase the total installed electricity generation capacity by 30% as part of the 30MW electricity expansion drive by the Government of The Gambia,” he said.

On ECOWAN Programme in The Gambia, the finance minister told the lawmakers that the main objective of the project “is to develop and implement” the national component of the ECOWAN regional backbone infrastructure and e-governance platform in The Gambia.

The project would develop WIMAX last mile infrastructure, and the national fiber optic links from Banjul to Basse through the North Bank and from Banjul to Fatoto through the South Bank.