Renowned Gambian artiste Momodou Lamin Jallow alias Egalitarian frowned at the government for showing interest in two of his projects worth over five hundred thirty-five million dollars ($535million) a project which he said will create over ninety thousand jobs for youth and women.
He made this revelation at the official launching of the Egalitarian Movement held at Poco Loco, Senegambia where he launched ‘The Return of the King’ EP consisting of three songs centering on peace, unity development, and youth empowerment.
The Music Sensation whose songs hits The Gambian airwaves in mid-2000 upwards revealed the Egalitarian foundation has organized an investment forum where they attract investors to finance two live changing projects in the country, noting that these projects could not kick off because of a lack of interest from the government as well as the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC).
He revealed that in 2018 when some residents of KMC piled heaps of waste at the gates of the KMC, the Egalitarian Movement engaged an investor who wanted to invest in a ‘Waste to Energy’ project to the tune of two hundred and ten million dollars ($210million) but could not materialize to the government lack of interest.
According to him, even though the Egalitarian Movement went into an agreement on a power purchase agreement with the government, and fulfilled all the due diligence the project could not proceed, arguing that for the project to kick off his investors demanded security to their $210million investment that the government is still reluctant to provide.
“We went through this due diligence and we passed but for an investor to invest his/her $210million in a country outside on a private investment you need some securities. The government promised to provide security, we signed the Public-Public Agreement (PPA) and a concession agreement with the Ministry of Lands, a Comfort letter was signed by the government, we also got approval from National Environmental Agency but the concessionary agreement gives powers to the operating agreement that we are yet to have,” Egalitarian revealed at the presser.
According to him, when the Movement realized that it will be difficult to implement the ‘Waste to Energy project it resorts to its Moringa bio-diesel fuel that investors were ready to bankroll at the tune of three hundred and thirty-five million dollars ($335million), disclosing that this multimillion-dollar project has a job capacity of proving 90, 000 jobs to the Gambian youths and women.
He disclosed that the Movement has already secured 80, 000hectares of land at Kiang Karnataka, in the Lower River Region, adding that with the huge number of employees needed to work on the project, it plans to build a community that will house all its employees to avert difficulties of getting a job.
“The allocated land is 80, 000 hectares of land intended to provide the ninety thousand jobs that will also provide house units for the project administrators, drivers, messengers, securities, and other support staff. The project will build a community for the workers who may not be able to travel every day from Kombo to Kiang and this community will be provided with all the facilities including a football field, a clinic, a market, parks, and supermarkets among other social and recreational facilities,” the famous Gambian Music cum Investor disclosed.
Egalitarian continued to disclose that the Egalitarian Movement is now fighting for the implementation of Moringa Bio-Diesel with the government, noting that the focus of the Movement is to ensure the successful implementation of the Moringa Bio-diesel fuel as it is meant to empower the Gambian youths in terms of employment creation.
“The reason why the project is still pending is that the government is not showing any interest, however, whether they show interest or not, the project is still here and when the next government comes and shows interest they will implement it in the interest of the youths.
In the meantime, we want to focus on the Egalitarian Movement with the view of empowering the youths because our vision and mission is to empower the Gambian youths, support the Gambian women through our music and through our connections,”