By Yunus S Saliu
The Minister of Transport, Works, and Infrastructure (MOTWI), on Friday, 9th February 2024 began a nationwide site visit of all ongoing projects under his ministry’s purview with a good note as works are in progress and in good condition at all project sites visited.
Hon. Ebrima Sillah, Minister of Transport, Works, and Infrastructure (MOTWI) was accompanied on his first official nationwide tour 2024 to all the project sites by senior staff of the MOTWI and National Roads Authority (NRA) including contractors handling each project.
The objective of the tour is to assess the progress of the ongoing construction works in different regions across the country.
Minister Ebrima Sillah and his delegation’s first point of the visit was the ongoing construction of the 84.5-kilometer Nuimi Hakalang Loop and Secondary Roads in the North Bank Region (NBR).
This road project implemented by the NRA is contracted to Compagnie Sahelienne D’Entreprise (CSE) with an initial contract period of 26 months but later amended to 43 months and commenced on 20th October 2020.
The fully-funded road construction project by the government of the Gambia is expected to be completed by 31st May 2024, now the actual progress is 69%.
On day one of the visit to the project sites, the Minister and his delegation visited and inspected the road construction starting from Buniadu, Kuntaya, Albreda, Fass Omar Sahor and Benghally, Bafuluto, Sillah Jurunku, Kuntair, Kerewan Njawara, Njabar Kunda among other places.
Speaking at the commencement of the tour, Honourable Minister Ebrima Sillah noted that the visit is the first of 2024 and all the teams came out together to visit the various project sites.
He noted that the Hakalang road project is very important to the government particularly “to President Adama Barrow and also the community here who are the final beneficiaries. This is because since the inception of the First Republic in 1965 to date this part of the country has not seen the caliber of roads that we are bringing as a government.”
For various obvious reasons, he said the road has faced challenges because of the nature of the swampy area it is, and the water table there is very high being very close to the sea. But “as a result of that there have been several changes to the original plan to finish the roads,” he disclosed.
However, “We are hopeful that by May, June this year the Hakalang road project will be completed and the President will officially inaugurate it,” Minister Sillah expressed with optimism.
Meanwhile, he said his Ministry found it necessary to come out in earnest to see the progress and know the challenges and work with consultants and contractors to ensure that the deadline is met for the completion of the road.
“Currently, asphalt has been laid from the zero point to Albreda, Kunta Kinteh Island and we are progressing very well. The work also has reached Kuntair which is about 55km away from here, and what is left now is to do the final dumping and do the asphalt,” he explained.
He continued that section II which is about 30km has advanced progressively with the hope that all will be finished by the end of May or early June. Noting that it will be “phenomenal progress considering that nobody has thought that this road will be completed within this record time. But we thank the President of The Gambia for his leadership support and our collaborators – Ministries of Finance, Environment, Energy and also Ministry of Local Government for their support.”
Dembo Samateh Deputy Governor of the North Bank Region (NBR) on behalf of the Governor of the Region welcomed the Minister and his delegation to the NBR.
While wishing the Minister and his delegation a good tour of the project, the Deputy Governor disclosed that since the inception of the Hakalang road project, the President has visited the site “almost two or three times.”