By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The ambitious Banjul Port expansion project has come yet another step closer to actualization as the GPA and the Turkey-based Albayrakcompany began the demolition of properties at Half-Die for the construction and expansion of a new container terminal.
The GPA, through a willing-buyer-willing-seller agreement, acquired in the year 2019 17,000 sqm of residential properties at Half-Die for Phase II of the container terminal expansion as the volume of business at the Banjul Port outgrewthe facility’s physical space due to population growth and the opening of business to third countries.
The GPA also acquired other properties in Half-Die such as the former Muslim Senior Secondary School and GTTI annex in Banjul and the idea is to create an off-dock terminal sothat the port can move some of the business that has human interference away from its main vicinity to allow the facility to handle vessels more efficiently.
Speaking to reporters on day three of the exercise on Friday, an official of Albayrak Mr. Salih Levent Kacar said the demolition exercise was “moving very fast”.
“The people here should have gone long ago. The Ports Authority has acquired this land like,I think two to three years ago and these peoplewere given notice one year or so ago and they are still on the ground and waiting to witness something in action,” he explained.
“We discussed with every household and they said they were waiting for something to start going out because if there is nothing on the ground, they would be taking the opposite to live longer in this area. We are going through an easy exercise,” he added.
The Communications Officer of the GPA, Mr. Gibou M. Saidy, has described the demolition exercise as yet another significant phase in the new container terminal component of the Banjul port expansion project.
“We have challenges when it comes to the space at the ports. That is what prompted the government, in the beginning, to have an expansion of the whole thing. By and large, going to buy properties at Half-Die to expand the port because we have a very small port and we have a very tight containerized area,” stated the GPA mouthpiece.
“So, we want an expansion to help the port to grow and to meet the needs of the people. And,it came at a time when the ports and Albayraksigned a concession to transform the ports. We hope, with these transformations, we will be an updated port,” he stated.
The demolition exercise is expected to take 15days.
