Turkey donates equipment for new National Assembly building

The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency, TIKA, has donated equipment worth D20 million for the new National Assembly Building in Banjul, which is in the final stages of construction.

The donated equipment includes a simultaneous interpreter control unit and accessories, digital TV cameras, and a security CCTV monitoring system, among other items.

They are to be installed in the new National Assembly Building, as part of the Turkish government’s technical assistance to The Gambia.

Speaking at the ceremony to hand over the equipment, the clerk of the National Assembly, Dodou CM Kebbeh, said sometime last year the National Assembly Authority made a request through the Turkish ambassador to TIKA for technical support to the new $27M building funded by the Gambia government.

TIKA responded with the D20 million package and promised to install the equipment, as well as provide training for the security staff of the National Assembly.

The Majority Leader, Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta, expressed his happiness for the donation, adding that the package did not come as surprise, as they were aware of the existing good relations between The Gambia and Turkey, and of Turkey’s intervention in various development sectors in the country.

The Turkish Ambassador to The Gambia, Ergin Soner, said he was pleased to hand over the technical assistance provided by TIKA.

Democracy is very important in this century, and parliament is the key to democracy, he said, and described the bilateral relations as brotherly.

The Turkey is working to support the development of The Gambia in line with the Vision 2020 of the Gambian leader, he added.

The Director General of TIKA, based in Dakar, Anil Ertekin, said TIKA is operating in many countries in the world today, and each year they expand their activities and offices.