Government Secures US$5m BADEA Loan

By Muhammad Bah The National Assembly on Monday, 22 June, 2015 ratified a USD 5 million loan agreement with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA). The financing agreement which was finalized on 10 October, 2014 is meant for the funding of the Basic and Secondary Education Project. This loan agreement was presented to the National Assembly by the Hon. Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Abdou Kolley. He noted that the project seek to create an enabling environment for teaching and learning in Basic and Secondary Schools and to cope with the continuous expansions of universal basic education to enhance the efficiency and quality of education in the Gambian schools. He said the project entails the development of school buildings and the construction of new buildings equip and integrated services facilities as well as external works which include infrastructure works for the building. He said the number of school projects is 42 schools spread over different parts of the west of the country, followed by the establishing of architecturally typically uniformed model of building. Hon. Seedy Njie, Nominated Member, said for a country to have a promising development, government should invest on young people. He said the importance of education in national development cannot be emphasized. For his part, the Majority Leader and Member for Serrekunda East (NAM), Hon. Fabakary T. Jatta, said his APRC government has prioritized education as one of the most important sectors and has been investing on it since the dawn of the second republic. Jatta speaking stressed that it is not only about having access to education but that quality education is what is relevant.]]>