KMC hands over US3.35M Tipper Garage fish project site

The Kanifing Municipal Council yesterday handed over the Tipper Garage in Bakoteh to the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources for the proposed construction of a fish market.

The colourful handing over ceremony, held at the Garage, was followed by the signing of a US$3.35 million project between the Fisheries ministry and Guangxi International Construction Engineering Corp Gambia Limited for the construction of the fish market. Funded by the African Development Bank, the project will last 13 months effective October 2010.

In his handing over statement, Yankuba Colley, Mayor of the Kanifing Municipality, noted that the execution of the project would have a direct positive impact on the livelihood of those that make the productive base of the national economy functional.

According to him, the fishing industry in the country remains under the monopoly of aliens, much to the disadvantage of the nation as a developing country.

"With the establishment of the fish marketing project, the marketing of fish, which is quite fundamental to the sustenance of the fishing sector, will be greatly enhanced and will equally create employment opportunities for many more people," he said.

Mayor Colley added that the site is very ideal, as it connects Sererkunda as one of the country's nerve centres for local trade, to the coastal settlements, where 90% of local fishing activity takes place.

The mayor made it clear to the previous occupants of the Tipper Garage that neither the government nor the KMC has anything against them.

"We are aware that this place has been a source of livelihood for the past decades, and we have an obligation as authorities to ensure that we do not become obstacles to our own cause of advancement by negating the government's development agenda," he stated.

In handing over the site to the contractor (Guangxi International Construction), the permanent secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources, Amadou Saine, underscored the importance of the fish market project.

According to Saine, the government of the Gambia is committed to infrastructure development and, as a result, such developments are top on its development agenda. He urged the contractors to live up to expectations as endorsed in the contract document, noting that President Yahya Jammeh does not compromise with standards.

Peter Ndow, the project consultant, revealed that the project will have an administration building, chill storage facility for fish and vegetables, car park, waste disposal facility, fish and vegetable stall, among others.