These developments were revealed as the youth and Sports Minister embarked on a five-day national tour to visit regional youth farms and sporting facilities to inspect the ongoing refurbishment and rehabilitation projects currently being undertaken in the regions.
Speaking with reporters, Youth and Sports Minister said that he wanted to see the effective management of the stadium. He noted that expectations would be high. He therefore urged them to leave a good legacy not only at regional level but nationwide.
He said that it is the ministry’s policy to spread and decentralize their activities, adding that for sports to gain its meaningful development there is the need to have certain fundamental pillars such as structures and infrastructures for people to use for their various sporting activities. He added that they are working closely with the local government authorities for the development of sports.
Admitting that half a million could not address all the needs for the renovation of the stadium, but Minister Jammeh urged the local authority and the committee responsible for the sporting facility to make all efforts to raise more funds for the development of the Centre to complement government’s efforts. He urged the local authority to have a master plan for the stadium.
Also speaking with journalists at the Farafenni Mini Stadium, Lamin S. Jawara, regional sports chairperson for North Bank told reporters that the money given to them by the Ministry meant for infrastructural development of the Region would be put to the right purpose.
He revealed that at the committee level, they decided to invest the money into the stadium, citing the infrastructural components that needed urgent improvements including the construction of dressing rooms and the peri-meter fencing of the pitch. The decision was finally taken in collaboration with the interim committee running the affairs of the stadium.
Mr. Jawara however, said that the contract payment would be done in three phases of forty percent, the last five percent payment to be made six months after the performance of the contract through monitoring and evaluation of quality job rendered.
He revealed that they had recently engaged the pioneers of the stadium, the Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) who were ready to invest for the improvement of the Centre.
He said “the interim management committee is not officially handed over to the regions since the GNOC invested its money,” he said. Contractor Babucarr Jobe promised to deliver a quality Job and expects to complete the job within the three-month contract period.