By Yunus S Saliu
For their generous support and improvement of the City Link Ostend-Banjul project and the Banjul City Council (BCC), the Mayor of Banjul, Rohey Malick Lowe, Friday, 1st April, 2022, in Banjul conferred Honorary Citizenship on Mayor Bart Tommelein and Silke Bierens – Deputy Mayor of Ostend City Council respectively.
The conferment of the Honorary Citizenship ceremony was done at a press conference held at the BCC premises to discuss general overview of the City Link Ostend-Banjul Project after three days working visit of the Ostend City Council Mayor and delegation visit to Banjul City Council, The Gambia.
According to the citation of the Honorary Citizenship for the Ostend Mayor, read ‘Her Worship the Lord Mayor of Banjul, in conjunction with the people of Banjul confers on the Mayor of the City of Oostende, Bart Tommelein, Honorary Citizenship of the City of Banjul in Recognition and Appreciation of His Outstanding and Immense contributions to the Socio-Economic Development of the City of Banjul.’
Receiving this, Mayor Tommelein thanked the Lord Mayor of Banjul and people of Banjul for the citizenship honor saying “I am really delighted with this.”
Making a statement before the conferment of this honor, he disclosed that the partnership between the two cities will be twenty years “that means next year the links between the two cities will be twenty years young and that’s definitely something remarkable, something we can be proud of and something we should definitely celebrate next year.”
He was extremely proud, according to him, to be the first Mayor of Oostende City Council to visit Banjul, and “I believe I have never have a warm welcome in my political life before. This has truly been a remarkable three days visit in which I have a chance keep to know the city of Banjul and to understand the impact of the EU project which is possibly been implemented.”
He therefore used the opportunity to thank Lord Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe of Banjul City Council and her deputy Mayor, the organising committee, project team and entire staff of the BCC for the hospitality and great care accorded him and delegation during this visit.
This visit, he noted, “has also allowed me to straightening ties with my colleague Mayor and have been impressed with her efforts in Banjul, but also internationally as she advocate so strongly for women’s right and women’s empowerment. I truly support her agenda and I will support her in her efforts to defend her conviction at international level.”
He expressed that the road is often very bumpy and there are many lessons to be learn “as we move along together. So, it is without any doubt however that this project has a potential to be a uplifting for Banjul city and all Banjulians.”
Talking about the city link project which he was taken on a conducted tour during his visit, he said planting trees in the city on the beach will help prepare for over temperature and the rising sea level; the protection of the mangroves will also protect Banjul against flow and will help to generate income to sustainable eco tourism activities.
He went to describe the Crab Island, as a unique place that people from all over Gambia will want to visit, “it will be a place of sustainable development learning with focus on digital scales innovations, for example, the creation of radio station for Banjul and a music recording studio.”
Adding that Banjul and Oostende are both close cities “we shared many characteristic and it is in our common interest that we continue to work together and I hope that this EU project is only to start and minimum thing to follow within the framework of our city link, and also to see colleagues from Banjul City Council in Oostende City Council soon.”
The host, Lord Mayor of Banjul Rohey Malick Lowe, on behalf of herself and people of Banjul City Council sincerely thanked Mayor Bart and delegation saying “you came here with a very strong delegation which include your deputy Mayor, chief of staff and indeed journalist that means a lot to us.”
She commented on the twinning cities which is almost 20 years old while she as well reflected back to past Mayors that were in office before for their efforts in twinning and bringing the two cities together.
“It is important to remember them because they did a great job and it was because of them that we came as a council and able to come up with amount of 3.2 million Euros project. And I am happy every Banjulian and by extension the Gambians know about this project. Therefore, it is important for Banjulians to take ownership of the project because it is not for Mayors Lowe or Bart,” she emphasized
The Mayor thanked her team, councilors, staffs of the BCC and the project team for job well done, “I am proud of you all.”
The press conference was marked with questions and answers from the two Mayors and members of the press.
