Newsletter Subscription

The Gambia’s Minister for Transport, Works and Infrastructure, Ebrima Sillah, has told the National Assembly that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will fund the construction of the Banjul-Barra Bridge through the ECOWAS Corridor Project, The Point reports.

The statement on 14 June follows discussions with ECOWAS on efforts to ensure that The Gambia benefits from the corridor project.

“Some countries have about 1,000km from one end of their country to the other as part of the ECOWAS Corridor Project. Having assessed the length of our Gambian borders from one end to the other, it’s about 40km maximum. So, we have to realign with ECOWAS to include Banjul-Barra as part of the ECOWAS Corridor Project; to have the bridge over the Banjul-Barra crossing point...Our last meeting here in Banjul agreed that engineers would be sent next month [July] to do the initial feasibility studies,” the minister said.

He said the project would include the road from the border village of Amdallai passing through the Niumis and then crossing to Sitanunku and Bonto, where the bridge will cross the river and then onto Mandinaba. The second loop of the project would go through Lamin, Mandinaring and onto Brikama. The roads will all be dual carriageways.

The minister said the project has begun from Nigeria, passing through Benin, Togo, and Ghana and is currently in Burkina Faso. Studies have been completed in Côte d'Ivoire and Mali and will progress to Dakar and The Gambia.

Photo: Bridge Construction (© Heysues23 | Dreamstime)