A loan agreement amounting to Islamic Dinnar 5.15 million and equivalent to US$7.705 million between the government of The Gambia and the Islamic Development Bank for the reconstruction of the Westfield-Sukuta road project was, on Wednesday, ratified by members of the National Assembly at the fourth meeting of the Assembly in the 2007 legislative year.

This loan agreement was signed on the 20th of November 2007 in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It will be repaid over 25 years including a 7-year grace period. The service fee will be a lump-sum not exceding 2.5 per cent of the loan amount calculated on an annual basis.

The road which is 7.5 kilometers long, connects to the highway from Banjul. It runs through the heart of Serrekunda, the most populated area and ends at Sukuta were it connects with the coastal road leading to the Banjul International Airport.

Tabling the loan before NAMs, Musa Gibril Bala Gaye, secretary of state for Finance and Economic Affairs said the Westfield to Sukuta road is one of the busiest and most important arterial roads in the country.

According to him, the road has significantly deteriorated and is presently in a very unsatisfactory condition.

“Due to its economic and social importance, the rehabilitation of the Westfield-Sukuta road is of high priority to the government,” he said.

The Westfield-Sukuta road project is expected to have tremendous positive impact in the Greater Banjul Area. In its present state, nost vehicles avoid the road and take other roads to reach their destinations with longer travel terms. Notwithstanding this, the road is still heavily used, necesitated by its proximity to economic activities. The average daily traffic is expected to increase with the improved road and a high level of services for the road,” he added.

He highlighted the components of the road project saying: “The components of the Westfield-Sukuta road are civil works which comprise of the reconstruction of the road and drains and other facilities”. He added that the road is being designed with the full involvement of Local Government Authorities who are consulting their constituents to identify and address the concerns on the road.

The civil works according to him, will also include relocation of existing utilities, traffic lights and street lights, parking base and traffic signs.

On the consultancy service, he said the consultant AC Consultant of Egypt has already been selected through World Bank procedures during the pre-contract phase to undertake the supervision of the physical implementation of the road. He added that the funds for the supervision fees for 18 months construction are covered by the loan and yet there are contigences for time over-run during the construction phase.

On the project administration and monitoring, SoS Gaye said in order to ensure a proper and timely implemntation of the project, government has decided that the Gambian Agency for the Management of Public Works (GAMWORKS) who were already in charge of the design studies will continue to be responsible for implementation and day to day administration of the projects.

“Gamworks will act as a poject management unit. This components will support the implemenetation activities of Gamworks in contributing to operational expenses such as salaries and allowances of the project staff and the procurement of office equipment and project vehicles for site monitoring to ensure effective delivery,” he concluded.

Seconding the loan, Sellu Bah, NAM for Basse saluted government for making infrastutural development key to its priorities. He added that the project poses a challenge to Gamworks and the National Road Authority as the consultant is from Egypt and urged them not to allow the Egyptian consultant to manipulate The Gambia.

Sedia Jatta, NAM for Wuli West said good roads are indispensable to development and have both social and economic value.

Other NAMs who spoke at the occasion applauded the move and hailed President Jammeh’s regime for taking such a positive step forward.