The Sustainable Land Management Project (SLMP) is currently embarking on rehabilitation and improvement of the 6-kilometre Kayai road, that links the village to the health facility at Kuntaur and otherimportant places. This road is very narrow and badly damaged by rains, making it difficult for vehicles and horse carts to pass.

Speaking recently to this reporter during their supervision visit to the site, Momodou Gassama, the national coordinator of Participatory Integrated Watershed Management Project/Sustainable Land Management Project, highlighted the objectives of the SLMP project, citing that it is established to empower communities, to improve their livelihoods.

The project, he went on, was developed to reverse land degradation by using conservation techniques, such as creating bunds, water diversion, and rehabilitate and improve road for accessibility. He informed that the life span of the project is four years, and that it is funded by the African Development Bank and the government of The Gambia.

The regional project supervisor of the SLMP, Ousman Kolley revealed that the project has created bunds for the village of Kayai to divert the water ways from the village in order to minimise erosion. He said the road under rehabilitation is very important for the village as it links it with the health facility, highway and weekly market at Wassu.

Kolley affirmed that the road was not only damaged but was also very narrow, that two horse carts cannot pass. He revealed that road rehabilitation and improvement is part of the project implementation programme, noting that the project intervention is in six villages; that this is a trial, and that if successful, it would be implemented in other countries.

The chief of Niani, Alhaji Pierre Bah, commended the SLMP for complementing government’s efforts in rehabilitating the road for the community.

The alkalo of Kayai, Mohammed Touray, applauded SLMP for the magnanimity, adding that the project will go a long way towards improving their livelihood. Touray affirmed that the SLMP has created water diversion for his village, rehabilitate their road and planted trees, which he explained, will serve as wind breakers for them.He assured them that the trees would be protected against destruction from bushfire and animals.