In July, the Gambia Armed Forces announced a fire incident at the Barracks reporting that the blaze engulfed an entire block housing military personnel and their families, resulting in the complete destruction of their belongings.
The affected families were temporarily relocated to The Friendship Hostel in Bakau for interim assistance, while the army engaged with pertinent authorities to address the situation.
The minister for defence, Serign Modou Njie, CDS Gen Mamat O. Cham and his deputy, the Commander GNA, the National Assembly Members for Banjul North and South as well as officials from the National Disaster Management Agency visited the site to assess the extent of the damage.
The army has since been looking for means to renovate the place.
In response to the incident, the Abubakary Jawara Foundation through its CEO Abubakary Jawara responded with a donation of D500,000. The foundation also offered to renovate the place through its construction company. The construction company has already started clearing the area for work to start.
CEO Abubakary Jawara said the donation was part of the company’s social corporate responsibility, adding that the army is without doubt one of the most important security institutions in the country. “We are committed to supporting Gambians and the government whenever the need arises, especially security institutions,” he said.
“We believe the situation should be addressed immediately because we understand some of the residents there are currently displaced and that will continue for long,” he said.
“My commitment is to share the little things I have with the Gambian people, especially those in need,” he said.
