By Makutu Manneh
President Adama Barrow has laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Bertil Harding Highway phase three (3) project last Saturday February 22nd 2025.
The construction of this road which will commence this year, will include the construction of additional lanes, drainage systems, street lights and pedestrian walkways, interchanges and junctions, landscaping and an overpass bridge at the Sukuta-Jabang intersection.
The president had earlier commissioned Phases One and Two of the twenty-two-kilometre (22km) Bertil Harding Highway Road Project, and said he has now named the highway as ‘OIC Highway’.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony, President Barrow said with the launching of phase three of the project, the country is taking another bold step towards building a modern road network to serve the people for generations to come, and to improve the travel time along this corridor. He said the project is worth nearly ninety-six million Dollars (USD 96 million), and that it illustrates the strong partnership between his government and the valued development partners of the country.
“Through our national budget, my government has invested thirty-three million Dollars (USD $33 million) to ensure the successful implementation of this project,” President Barrow said, and said this shows his government’s commitment to deliver high quality infrastructure that supports long term economic growth and national development.
The president added that the project will not only enhance mobility and reduce travel time to other parts of the Municipality and the rest of the country, but will also create jobs, facilitate commerce, and strengthen the country’s economy. He said the project also represents a shared vision of progress, opportunity and national development.
“To reassure you, my government remains positively committed to deliver world-class infrastructure that will benefit all citizens and residents of The Gambia. For this reason, let me reiterate my plea that we work together to build not just better roads, but a stronger and more flourishing Gambia,” the president said. He expressed gratitude to the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Kuwaiti Fund for Development for jointly financing about sixty-five percent of the project.
Dr. Nabil Ghalleb, a representative from the Islamic Development Bank, informed the gathering that the IsDB group remains fully committed to support member countries in building resilience economies and promoting sustainable growth.
“The Gambia can always rely on the Islamic Development Bank group as a trusted partner, and this project represents another milestone in our long standing collaboration which began in 1980. The Bank has been reinforcing financial commitments totaling to 1.2 billion US Dollars,” he said, and said in October 2024, the Bank approved an additional financing of 40 Million Dollars for the construction of the Bertil Harding Highway’s Phase Three.
Dr. Ghalleb added that as the total financing of the project is one hundred and fifty nine million US Dollars, the Islamic Development Bank has been a leading contributor by providing 69 million US Dollars of these funds, representing a total 44 percentage of the total project cost. He said the Bank has allocated nearly Four Hundred Million US Dollars to support projects in agriculture, education, energy, health care and transport.
“We are confident in successfully completing the final Phase of this project on schedule,” he concluded.
