The high-level meeting was presided over by the Gambian leader, Adama Barrow, who is also the chairman of the Organisation for the Development of The Gambia River Basin (OMVG) Conference of Heads of State and Government.
Held at Sir Dawda K.J. International Conference Centre in Bijilo, the event was basically to renew the leadership of the OMVG highest decision-making bodies and the management of the Sambangalou Dam and the Power Transmission Network (SOGESART).
Founded in 1978, OMVG plays a crucial role in promoting regional integration and addressing the shared challenges of energy access, agriculture, environmental conservation, and socio-economic development. Key projects include the development of hydropower plants like Sambangalou and Kaléta dams, and the interconnection of power grids to enhance energy access across member states.
Addressing the gathering, President Barrow, the chairman of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of OMVG and the Government and People of The Gambia, extends warmly welcome to all the delegations to this Summit.
“We are indeed proud to host every distinguished delegate present, and we wish our eminent guests a pleasant stay here in Banjul. Please feel at home.”
President Barrow made reference to the pioneering work of former presidents namely, Leopold Sédar SENGHOR, Dawda Kairaba JAWARA, Ahmed Sékou TOURE and Nino VIEIRA, adding that they built on their efforts for sub-regional cooperation and integration.
“On our behalf collectively, I pay homage to them, in recognition of the historic role they played in creating and bringing together the OMVG family.”
In this connection, he thanked the Presidents of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Senegal for supporting this long overdue Summit, adding that it is a meeting that gives them an opportunity to review the activities of the OMVG since the Extraordinary Summit of 29th January 2016.
“This is an opportune moment to convene the Summit, as the electricity inter-connection line for the four Member Countries is 99% complete. In addition, the construction of the Sambangalou hydroelectric dam is in high gear.”
President Barrow used the opportunity to convey sincere gratitude to the OMVG Secretariat and its entire technical team for the hard work that translated the electrical inter-connection project into reality.
He equally thanked the African Development Bank, the lead donor of the Energy Project interconnection, and all our formidable partners, for the invaluable support to the OMVG Energy Project and the implementation of the Integrated Development Master Plan (IDMP).
Presenting on the status of implementation of the organisation’s project and programmes, Malam Sambou, minister for Natural Resources for Guinea Bissau, who is also the current chairman of OMVG Council of Ministers, thanked all governments and Heads of States of the member state for their ongoing support to the organisation. This support he said, has enabled it to consolidate the momentum initiated at its last session held in Addis in 2016, through its restructuring, thus facilitating the implementation of the major energy programme.
“In my capacity as chairman of Council of Ministers of the Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (OMVG), I have the distinguished honour of submitting the following items and urgent matters for your esteem attention and seeking your wise advice and guidance on the items to be discussed on the agenda.”
To this end, he drew the attention and the need for renewal of organs of the organisation which include; the chairmanship of Conference of Heads of State and Government; Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers and the position of the High Commissioner.
For his part, Elhaji Lansana Fofana, OMVG High Commissioner, reported on the activities of the organisation from 2016 to date, while equally highlighting the state of implementation of the organisation’s achievements since the last session of the Conference of Heads of State in Adiss Ababa, Ethiopia.
High Commissioner Fofana made reference to the energy project especially the interconnection dam and the Sambangalo Dam, pointing out that Member States have made considerable effort to support the construction of interconnection line with a transit capacity of 800 megawatts, a loop 1,677 KM long equipped with 35 pairs of optical fibre (183 KM in The Gambia; 575 KM in Guinea; 218 KM in Guinea Bissau and 701 in Senegal with 15 sub-electrical stations (2 in The Gambia; 5 in Guinea; 4 in Guinea Bissau and 4 in Senegal.
The energisation of this line, he said, has made possible the exchange of electrical between the electricity companies of member states through bilateral energy purchase contracts and transmission service contracts with OMVG.
He explained that the OMVG interconnection loop is currently synchronised with OMVS from OMVG sub-station at Tambacounda in Senegal and CLSG network from the OMVG substation at Lisan in Guinea.
In his vote of thanks, His Excellency Rui Duarte De Barros, Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea on behalf of the His Excellency, General Umaro Sissoco Embalo, President of Republic and commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces, paid tribute to the four heads of state for honouring this important statutory meeting of the OMVG.
He described the meeting as a success in view of the fact that they considered all the problems that are considered to be on the organisation’s critical path.
“This has enabled them to identify all the difficulties, propose solution and give instruction on urgent measures that need to be taken, in particular the renewal of the organisation governing organs, the operationalisation of SOGESART and the signing of the convention on the legal status of the Kanyanga-Geba and Koliba-Corubal rivers and the convention on the financing of OMVG common structures.”
The event wrapped with signing of a final communique with the conference of Heads of State and Government key instruments such as Convention on the legal status of Kayanga-Geba and Koliba-Corubal Rivers and the Convention on the financing of OMVG common structures as well as important resolution and decision.
The high-level meeting was graced by Ousman Sonko, Prime minister of Senegal, Rui Duarte de Barros, Prime Minster of Guinea Bissau and Aboubacar Camara, Minister of Energy, Hydropower, and Hydrocarbons for Guinea-Conakry and other senior government officials from the four-member states.
