By: Bakary Touray Jr
About eighty thousand (80,000) rural communities would have access to better quality and improved water as deduced from Minister Mambury Njie’s recent 2021 speech at the country’s legislative House in the Gambian capital, Banjul.
The Finance and Economic Affairs Minister apprised his audience that, 80,000 rural communities, through the support from Japanese Government, would benefit from twenty (20) solar-powered piped water supply systems.
“Additionally, the Government of The Gambia in collaboration with UNICEF will continue to provide safe and quality drinking water and basic sanitary facilities to schools and health establishments,” Njie avowed. He added that the Department of Fisheries has handed over 14 fishing boats with outboard engines to 10 fishing communities, and that this trend would continue through 2021 until more communities benefit from this scheme. The minister promised that government would continue to address the problems of fish shortage, unemployment, and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing with coastal and inland fishing communities.
In the area of aquaculture, Njie told the lawmakers the ministry [Agric], in collaboration with the FAO, has completed the construction of two fish feed mills and two hatcheries in Kuloro, in West Coast Region and Jahally, in the Central River Region.
On Information, he remarked that the Ministry of Information has upgraded the e-Government Data Centre in preparation for the implementation of the e-Government Strategy in 2021, which aims to ensure a paperless Government [the storage or communication of information in electronic form, rather than on paper] with a view to improving efficiency in public service delivery. In addition, the Ministry is also deploying the Government Wide Area Network to establish an efficient and secure communication network.
“The National Broadband Network (NBN) fiber infrastructure has allowed GAMTEL to connect over 5,000 customers to high-speed internet around the country. Utilization of the NBN Data Centre will begin in 2021 and will host e-Government platforms and services,” the National Assembly was told.
“A commercialization process is going to ensure the data center is able to generate revenue for GAMTEL and provide innovative services. The company will pursue the provision of countrywide access to broadband through the use of wireless solutions to reach unserved areas in order to increase its competitive edge,” Njie remarked.
He highlighted that strategies had been put in place to ensure the positive turnaround of GAMCEL, enabling the Company to compete in the field and become profitable enough to pay dividends to Government.
To this end, he informed that, a partnership was signed with Space-wide Innovations in May 2020, to facilitate the modernization of its infrastructure including the rollout of a 4G network and possible upgrading to 5G.
“A partnership has been signed with Digital Gambia Limited and EXCAF for the implementation of the Digital Terrestrial Transmission Project, which will allow GRTS to switch from analog to digital broadcasting nationwide, thereby ensuring the distribution of quality services,” Minister Njie stated.
