Donated to assist the council in fulfilling its mandate for the 2020-2040 Sustainable Urban Development Plan, the items include laptops, GPS, handheld data collectors, drone, storage units, printers, plotter, others.
At the handing over ceremony, Kajali Janneh, deputy CEO, KMC, described the items as valuable, adding that the equipment would help the council in enhancing its data collection and will also help in maximising the council’s revenue generation.
As a council, he said, they are concerned and fully in support of the project. He assured them that the council will put the materials into valuable use. “We will make sure that the purpose that these materials are given for is fully served,” he pointed out.
Agathe Nougaret, a representative of UNOPS, said the day is special to the Greater Banjul 2040 Project which aims to support local councils in the fields of urban and infrastructure planning and revenue collection among others.
In the past year, she said, their team had focused on technical assistance, mostly engaging with the planning, IT and Finance Department of KMC. “We have designed technical solutions to the many challenges faced,” she said.
However, the biggest challenge of all, she added, has been the shortage of modern tools to fulfill the council’s mission. She expressed optimism that the equipment will help the KMC to fulfill its mandate and deliver basic services to all councils for sustainable urban development.
Nyima Camara, director of Planning, KMC, appreciated the support from UNOPS, noting that the materials would go a long way to facilitate revenue maximisation for the councils to undertake the implementation of their development projects.
