The minister for Transport, Works and Infrastructure, Ebrima Sillah, has informed the National Assembly that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will fund the construction of Banjul-Barra Bridge through ECOWAS Corridor Project, and its feasibility studies are set to start in July, this year.

Minister Sillah made this revelation on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 during an engagement with the deputies.

Hon. Sillah said this followed their discussions with ECOWAS as part of efforts to ensuring that The Gambia benefits maximally from the ECOWAS corridor project. “Some countries have about a thousand kilometers (1000km) 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 forty kilometers (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 Banjul-Barra crossing point. Which in fact in our last meeting here in Banjul agreed that engineers will be sent next month (July) to do the initial feasibility studies,” he disclosed.

Honorable Sillah notified the parliament that during the discussion, they also thought of the inclusion of the road from the border village of Amdallai going through the Niumis and then cross to Sitanunku to Bonto where they will put the bridge over the river, and then to Mandinaba. “The second loop of this project will go through Lamin, Mandinaring and then to Brikama. All these are part of the ECOWAS corridor project and it’s all going to be dual carriage.”

“This is not going to be a cost on the government, so we thought it wise to allow that high standard process to come in to cover this project rather than using The Gambia national funds. That’s why we have to do the reprioritisation and realignment.”