Construction of the trans-Gambia bridge that will connect Gambia and Senegal will begin by the end of 2012
The €74.5mn project (US$100mn) project, measuring 942 metres in length, will be completely financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Gambia’s minister of foreign affairs, Mambury Njie, and his Senegalese counterpart Alioune Badara Cisse was recently signed for implementation of the project.
Njie said that the project was expected to be completed in 2017.
An official at the AfDB said, “More economic factors than political delayed the starting of the project, but the two countries showed goodwill and the negotiations ended up succeeding.”
Analysts believe that the construction of the bridge will be good for both Gambia and Senegal, and West African trade in general, since interior traffic has been limited by the absence of a road link over the past few decades.
The responsibility of maintenance, management, exploitation and safety of the trans-Gambia bridge will entirely rest with Gambia.
