The Malaysian investors were received on arrival at the Banjul International Airport by Gambia's ambassador to Qatar, Ansumana Jammeh; and Ebrima JT Kujabi, Gambia's ambassador-at-large; among others. Speaking to reporters, Mohd Zaini Noordin, the head of the delegation revealed that his company specialises in developing power-based projects in Malaysia and that they are coming to The Gambia with a view to explore the business opportunities in the country. He said they have been to many parts of the world, and singled out the unique features of friendliness of The Gambian people and their hospitality. "I have been to many parts of Africa, but I have found The Gambia as one of the most beautiful and peaceful places that I like to invest in. This is one reason that inspires us to come over and invest. It is the best time to be in The Gambia and explore business," he said.

Areas of focus

Noordin indicated the areas they want to invest in. He said:  "Specifically, we are looking at power and its related businesses in Africa. We have been exploring so many other things and we expect to expand into other areas apart from the energy sector. We are going to start-off with power but we expect to grow and expand to other sectors as well."  He continued: "We have been here for a number of times during which we brought in engineers and some ground works have already been done and we are hoping to sign some documents during the course of our stay with the government that will lead us to move a step forward." 

Noordin assured that physical work will start by next year. He said studies have already been conducted and they are now only working towards implementation. He further revealed that for now, they will focus on energy supply, power plant and power generation, adding, "We have seen a lot of opportunities in terms of transmission and distribution of power in The Gambia and we are looking to improving and enhancing the transmission and distribution of power system in The Gambia".

Also speaking to reporters, Ambassador Ansumana Jammeh thanked President Jammeh for creating the peaceful environment that gave investors the confidence to come and invest in the country. "We have been working on this power project for almost a year and I will use this opportunity to commend some key people for the role they played in ensuring efforts to bring in such investors is being realised," he stated.

Jammeh explained that the delegation will meet the president Wednesday during which they are expected to sign a power agreement plan. "We are looking into 40 megawatt plant as long as the transmission and distribution network is concerned," he hinted.  He added that the move is meant to address the issue of  inadequate power supply and ensure Gambians enjoy electricity 24 hours a day. Jammeh also pointed out that the coming of such investors will not only boost the economy, but will as well create employment opportunities for Gambians.