By Mamadou Edrisa Njie
President Adama Barrow in his State of the Nation Address, told Gambian populace that the fisheries sector under his leadership, remains steadfast in its quest to contributing to food security, nutrition and revenue generation, as well as addressing poverty and unemployment, particularly for our women and the youth.
He recollected that, as discussed in the National Assembly, in October 2018, the European Union (EU) and the Republic of The Gambia signed a six-year agreement to allow EU vessels to fish in Gambian waters.
“It offers the vessels to fish up to three thousand, three hundred (3,300) tonnes of tuna and tuna-like species, and seven hundred and fifty (750) tonnes of hake annually.
“In return, The Gambia would receive a financial compensation of Five Million, Four Hundred Thousand Euros (€5, 400,000),” the country’s chief executive stated in his recent address at the nation’s lawmaking body.
He avowed that his government is in the process of amending the 2008 Fisheries Regulations to include a 50 percent upward revision of the fishing license tariff. This, the president believes, would increase the revenue earning potential of the country; and he went on to stress that government remains committed to ensuring access to safe drinking water, as well as providing timely and accurate information on weather and climatic conditions for the nation.
As a result, “we have received funds from the African Development Bank to finance the Climate Smart Rural WASH Development Project for infrastructure and service improvement over a period of about sixty-three (63) months, beginning October, 2018.” Pointing to the WASH project, he held that it would benefit one hundred and forty-four (144) communities and increase access to safe water by 17 percent and safely-managed sanitation by 2 percent.
To complement this, he stated the government in collaboration with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, portable water will be supplied to about thirty additional communities.
Barrow revealed that a Bill would be brought to the National Assembly for enactment of a comprehensive Water Act, saying that would seek to establish a new National Water Resources Management Authority.
Similarly, The Gambia Meteorological Authority Bill would be tabled by the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources for the National Assembly Members to review, as stated by the Gambian leader.
