City Link Ostend-Banjul partnership for sustainable city development is funded by the European Union under the 2018 EuropeAid called Authorities: partnership for sustainable cities.
The objective of the project is to strengthen the urban governance capacity of Banjul City Council (BCC) by developing efficient public service for the city of Banjul.
Luca Palazzotto, Development Cooperation and Aid Management, Water and Energy at EU in his remark on behalf of his Ambassador, said waste management is a key component for sustainable city development which the project aims to contribute to.
Waste management is a challenge in many urban environments and having the adequate equipment is a first condition to be able to improve the situation, he added.
He said EU waste policy aims to contribute to the circular economy by extracting high-quality resources from waste as much as possible. The European Green Deal aims to promote growth by transitioning to a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, he further said.
“Waste is a sanitary problem that impacts the environment and public health at large, and even more so the workers that handle it daily and therefore expose them to various risks,” he added.
He said that it is important they create the best safe working environment and the investment in safety clothes which will contribute to the safety of workers.
Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul City Council said waste has contributed a lot to environmental challenges and as such they need to invest in reducing, reusing and recycling waste to mitigate and adapt to the increasing environmental problems and the fostering of more sustainable city.
Waste management equipment, she said will be crucial in addressing the problems of trash they continue to see almost daily.
“We need to take ownership of the city and not to allow people to come and destroy it. We need to protect it, reserve and ensure its sustainability,” she told Banjulians.
According to her, investing in waste management also means protecting the health of their communities and people as it will reduce water and air pollution.
Consequently, she said as Banjulians their support towards the success of the initiative will go a long way in promoting a healthy city by ensuring every household and individual contribute their part in the waste management process of the city.
City Link Ostend-Banjul project manager, Mamlie Jassey said through reducing, reusing and recycling of waste within the city, the amount of waste can be reduced.
He disclosed that the project covers good governance, waste management, health, agriculture, rejuvenate Crab Island into a business centre and radio station as well as establish a theatre and music hall.
