By Ismaila M.S. Naban
President Adama Barrow has recently laid the foundation stone for the construction of the long-awaited and much talked-of Nuimi Hakalang Road Network, journeying through which, has been a nightmare for many commuters, particularly drivers of commercial vehicles daily plying that difficult stretch of road, for decades now.
Addressing a large number of people who gathered in Buniadou to witness the occasion– despite the Coronavirus risk–the Gambia’s President told his audience: “I take this opportunity to register my immense appreciation to the people of this region for their patience, support and cooperation in making this project a reality.”
Informing also that the Hakalang project is fully funded by his Government, he said: “Therefore, for completing all the necessary arrangements, I thank the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, the National Roads Authority and, most notably, the Honourable National Assembly Members who were at the forefront of the deliberations to allocate the necessary funding for the Project”.
“With gratitude, I recognise the presence of the consultant, PACE and GAMECS [The Gambia Engineering Consultancy Services Ltd.], and the contractor, CSE. I wish both teams successful execution of their respective duties,” he avowed. He also told his audience, the ultimate success of that important project depends on the collaboration of all the parties involved in it, which include the contractor, consultants, the client Ministries, the work force and the host communities of Nuimi. “I implore all the communities along the project roads to be the best of hosts for the successful implementation of the project,” he added.
The president earlier indicated that the Project would provide for the people in those areas, interlinked bituminous roads covering the length and breadth of the Nuimis, and connecting those districts to Jokadu. To him, the project amply demonstrates his administration’s commitment to inclusiveness in The Gambia.
Hear him: “With improved road networks, the search for better social facilities and employment opportunities in the urban area will be curtailed; thus, the creation of a growing business environment to improve the economic status of rural residents will become far easier to realise. As a government, we have taken the critical decision to rebuild our economy and bring infrastructure development closer to the people.
“To rebuild the economy, however, we must have access to good roads, uninterrupted electricity supply and technology to enhance the capacity of the people and their wellbeing.”
Laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Hakalang road network, he declared, is evidence of their “strong will to ensure that no section of Gambian society is deprived of their rights to live dignified lives and have their equal share of the national cake”. The desire of the Government, he maintained, is to minimise rural-urban migration, increase self-reliance and boost entrepreneurship, innovation and productivity, with agro-business production given due attention.
Noting the residents of Nuimi are popular for their active engagement in gardening and horticulture, Barrow is positive that good road networks within the area would ease travel and transportation of farm products to market points, as well as encourage businesses to get closer to the communities. He stated that development must be decentralised to reach every district and region of The Gambia, which is one of their goals.
“Accordingly, we will continue to encourage the young people in all hard-to-reach areas to participate actively in the development of their communities, and take pride in innovative work for self-development.
“It is the development of the people that makes national development a reality. Working together, therefore, we can attain this, while maintaining peace, stability and security in the country,” the gathering heard from the country’s topmost official. He posited that when completed, the Nuimi Hakalang Road network would surely provide vital access to the Lower and Upper Nuimi Districts, which he said, have a combined population of over seventy thousand (70,000) residents.
In particular, he said the feeder roads would connect the communities of Juffureh, Albreda, Ker Mbuguma, Fass Omar Saho, Bafuloto and Kuntaya in the Jokadu District.
“There is no doubt that the project will yield numerous economic and social benefits within the area, including the development of agriculture, fisheries and tourism, especially for the renowned tourist attraction sites in Jufurreh.
“We expect, and with much optimism, that the proposed construction works will immediately trigger increased economic activities, such as agricultural production enterprises that include cashew farming and animal husbandry,” remarked the President.
He echoed: “My Government has taken this big stride to ensure that the people of Hakalang are not, any longer, excluded from the national development process. The development of the roads in the area has been anticipated for more than five decades. Fulfilling this dream is certainly long overdue.
“Most of the eleven towns and villages along the project road sites (namely, Buniadu, Aljamdu, Lamin, Kerr Cherno, Jufurreh, Albreda, Sika, Tubakolong, Sitanunku, Bafuloto and Kuntaya), have been isolated for far too long, due to poor access roads.
“It is very well known, for instance, that a twenty-minute journey from Buniadu to Juffureh takes several hours, and under very difficult conditions, because of dilapidated roads. However, once the roads are completed as planned, there will be easy access to these communities, alongside other development opportunities and much easier access to farms, markets, schools, health facilities, hospitals and fish landing sites, to cite a few examples.”
He gave the total length of the roads involved in the Project as “88 kilometres”, divided into three components, to wit: Buniadu to Kuntaya; construction of Ker Mbuguma through Medina to Bafuloto; and, construction of Albreda to Fass Omar Saho.
