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| Senegambia Bridge |
The Government of Adama Barrow has launched the most awaited African economic integration with the inauguration of the Senegambia bridge on Monday.
The bridge makes travel
between northern and southern bank of the country possible for the first time
without need for ferry services. This will facilitate the movement of people
and faster delivery of goods and services on both banks of the River Gambia.
The road, Transgambia
which continues through Tambacounda is now expected to take about eight hours
to connect Senegalese Capital city, Dakar with Casamance major town, Ziguinchor
in the South.
Prior to the bridge
project, crossing could take for a whole day or a number of days.
The Gambian leader took
the bold stem to commission the bridge as symbol of African unity. “Our wish is
that the bridge stands from now on, as symbol of Senegambia unity, friendship,
and love”, he said in his inauguration speech.
Inspite if forty years
of delay, President Barrow is hopeful that the bridge will hence forth be a
major component for development, integration and trade expansion in the ECOWAS
sub-region.
Acknowledging that
African leaders have commitment to unity, he and his Senegalese counterpart
have chosen to start the implementation stages with the Senegambia bridge.
“So for Africa
integration, this is where we will start it and it will continue. The two of us
(Sall and Barrow) are ready for Senegambia to go forward” and “there is no way
back”, he asserted.
On economic front,
President Barrow is optimistic that the bridge will generate revenue for the
country and eliminate economic loss to government and traders due to river
crossing huddles.
The Senegambia bridge
is a tolled-bridge that would accommodate the passage of most vessels, while
longer-mast boats can easily fold their masts to pass through the bridge. The
1.8 kilometres long bridge is built in two lanes of 3.6 with side walk of 1.7
metres in both ends. It is expected to last for hundred years.
Payments and rates for
usage of the bridge will be determined and managed entirely by government of
the Gambia. Some of the income will be kept to maintain the infrastructure to
enable it serve until the prescribed period of 2119.
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| Senegambian Presidents |
The Gambia’s Minister
of Transport, Work, And Infrastructure, Lamin Jobe noted that “the relationship
between Senegal and Gambia is an ultimate test for African unity. He added that
if the two countries cannot do it, the rest of Africa should lose hope. “It can
no longer enough for anyone to build its structures only with a national point
of view. We must equally plan and build infrastructure with sub regional,
regional, and continental point of view and across national boundaries”, he
said.
