Juana Cruz Exposito and Jose Vargas Laries, a Spanish couple accompanied by Mr. Muhammed Semega Janneh, their Gambian counterpart resident in Spain, are currently in town seeking prospects for constructing a charitable multi-disciplinary skills centre within the Kanifing Municipality with funds to be provided by a Spanish NGO.

The delegation arrived in The Gambia last week and since then has been conducting series of meetings with the Lord Mayor and officials of the Kanifing Municipal Council to get the council to facilitate the allocation of land on which the centre could be built within a durable timeframe.

After the discussions, the KMC eventually identified part of the buffer behind Charles Jow Memorial Academy in Bundung for the project and promised to liaise with its parent Department of State for Local Government and Lands for the required allocation procedures.

At a final meeting with the delegation at the KMC head office on Friday, Mayor Alieu Momarr Njai spoke well of the couple’s intention to help young people of The Gambia acquire the skills they need to contribute to nation building.

Mayor Njai said The Gambia is a peaceful and stable country that investors of all categories can rely on, noting that the KMC is open to broader partnership with the sponsoring agency in Spain in other relevant areas. “The KMC will pave the way to ensure that young people of the Municipality do not miss the opportunity of acquiring skills free of charge, considering the cost for skills training in The Gambia and elsewhere in the developing world,” the Chief Executive Officer of KMC, Abdoulie Sanyang, said in his remarks during the meeting.

The couple expressed delight at the enthusiasm and commitment shown by authorities of the council in securing the project. “Funds will be released as soon as the council is able to make the land available,” they said.

The delegation returns to Spain later this evening.