President Adama Barrow has last Wednesday promised his government’s full support and commitment to the agenda and programmes of the Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (OMVG).
He made the assurance in a meeting held with officials of the sub-regional body at the State House in Banjul.
President Barrow, who is also the current Chairperson of the Conference of Heads of State of the OMVG, was updated on the status and progress of the various projects implemented by the organisation.
Speaking after meeting with the President, OMVG High Commissioner Elhadj Lansana Fofana, said President Barrow urged them to also update the other Heads of State on the key issues and development processes of the organisation.
Mr Fofana said Barrow’s assurance and commitment demonstrates his political will, stating that his team will heed the President’s advice to visit the Heads of State of the other three countries. He also revealed that the construction of the Sambangalou hydroelectric dam will commence by the end of the year. The dam located upstream on the River Gambia in Senegal when completed will have a capacity to generate 400 Gigawatts per hour (GWh) of electricity.
The Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Lamin Dibba, who led the delegation to the State House, said the OMVG energy project will help increase access to electricity in The Gambia, as well as contribute to the attainment of the Government’s policy target of migrating to 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030, as envisaged in the National Electricity Roadmap.
Dibba said the project will help The Gambia reduce its emissions under the Paris [Climate] agreement, adding it will also boost the government’s “Rural Electrification Project that will help our youth to stay and work in their communities, generate income and have a sustainable source of livelihood.”
