Members of the National Assembly, last Thursday unanimously ratified the loan agreement between the Government of The Gambia and the Islamic Development Bank for participation in the financing of the Gunjur Water Supply Project, during the second meeting of the Assembly in the 2009 legislative year. The project amounts to Islamic Dinars 2, 840,000, equivalent to  US$4,740, 000.

Tabling the motion before deputies, Abdou Kolley, the minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, said the project aims at improving the public health conditions of the population of Gunjur through a better access to clean water supply systems. The components of the project, he said, among others involves drilling of an additional new borehole of approximately 70m depth in the boreholes field and an equipment of three boreholes with electric generators and centrifugal pumps of 50m3/h, at approximately 87m. For each of the two remote boreholes, he said, one generator of 50kva will be put on standby positions to secure the water distribution, whereas the borehole located in the treatment plant will be supplied by the generator of 150kva provided for the electric supply of tthe whole site. All these equipments, he said include also spare parts.

" It will also require the construction of a new water treatment plant of 100m3/h capacity capable of meeting the demand for 2030 and delivering water, meeting the World Health Organisation standards. According to Minister Kolley, approximately 90 community standpipes will be put in place, and the sub component is proposed as a pro-poor action geared towards facilitating access to the new water supply infrastructure to vulnerable groups. At this juncture, he told deputies that community participation would be required for the identification of the location of these standpipes so as to ensure that the poorest areas of Gunjur have adequate water infrastructure.

Other components of this vital social amenity, according to Minister Kolley, includes consultancy services for supervision of works, training of the beneficiaries and sensitisation campaign, amongst others.

Multi-million dollar TVET project ratified
In another landmark development, deputies also ratified the loan agreement between the Government of The Gambia and the International Cooperation and Development Fund of Taiwan, relating to the Technical Vocation and Education Training project in Ndenbane, Western Region. The project, which amounts to US$3, 6OO, OOO, is co-financed by the IDB in the form of grant, amounting to US$350, 000 for the  sustainability of the skill centre.

Tabling the motion before deputies, Finance and Economic Affairs minister, Abdou Kolley, stated that the project aims, among other things, at constructing a state-of-the-art skills training centre in a rural setting. The centre, he told deputies, is expected to become a Gambian seed public TVET institute and to provide guidance to youths in career and skills training as well as to train seed instructors. Through these seed instructors, he went on, the quality and quantity of TVET in public sector would be upgraded. Minister Kolley believes that creatingg a skill centre in Ndenbane will provide self employment opportunities for the youths and help in government's poverty reduction efforts.

US$ 9.2M Banjul International Airport Project ratified
The National Assembly members, in their Thursday sitting, also unanimously ratified the loan agreement between the government of The Gambia and Saudi Fund for Development, for the phase II project of the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Banjul International Airport. Tabled before Gambia's lawmakers by Abdou Kolley, the bill entails a project that amounts to SR37, 500,000, equivalent to US$9,236,453,20.
 
US$3M malaria project ratified
The National Assembly members also unanimously ratified the loan agreement between the Government of The Gambia and the Islamic Development Bank for the financing of the support to malaria prevention and control project in the country.

Also tabled before them by Abdou Kolley, minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, the project amounts to ID1, 890,000, equivalent to US$3,000,000. All these ratifications were described by members as a positive move in the country's development, and were unanimous in their assertions that such projects will uplift the lives and development status of Gambians.