By Yunus S Saliu
The City Link Ostend-Banjul Project funded by the European Union (EU) as rated as a big opportunity for Banjul.
Lord Mayor Bart Tommelein who was recently in the country for a weeklong working visit and hosted by the counterpart, Lord Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, visited the City Link Ostend-Banjul Project sites in different locations across Banjul City Council.
Expressing his impression concerning what he saw, “my impression was more than I thought,” while he highlighted importance of the project.
Mayor Tommelein, with this visit, he said they have had interactions about the two cities also, “I have opportunity to see Crab Island with the project for the future and it is a very big opportunity for Banjul. The mangrove is amazing very beautiful with all these birds and nature, we have to save them. That’s why we are organising the project with the European Union to make a boardwalk.”
With the boardwalk, he said, there will be more opportunity for the area and “it can create more tourism development opportunity in the area but not of the big crowd. Hence you have to attract tourists, an opportunity in Ostend because we have lots of tourists but there is need to attract them.”
Lord Mayor Tommelein who visited The Gambia for the first time described the links between Ostend and Banjul as a very important one for the future “because the city is the most important organization in the future for the humanity.”
More so, he continued, “this project funded by European Union is very important because we as cities we have the same goals, climate changes, recycling, global energy. So expectation on the project is to make a city proof (Future Proof Banjul).”
However, the Mayor and his delegate as well visited the beach of Banjul where over 4000 coconuts were planted to help protect Banjul in future to fight coastal erosion. The Mayor and his delegate also visited the inner city greening team and as well join in planting coconut tree at the beach.
On his visit to St Augustine’s and St Joseph Schools, he renewed Ostend City Council commitment in further collaboration and assistance to the schools while at Crab Island he was taken on a conducted tour of the ongoing renovation works which aimed at turning the school to a centre for sustainable development, innovation, learning and culture.
His visit rounded up with a visit to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospitals (EFSTH) as he visited the Eye Clinic and burn wounds unit where patients under 0-15 years admitted and treats with aloe vera, this has been receiving longstanding support through City Link.