The Managing Director of the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA), Ousman Jobarteh, Wednesday provided updates on the government’s maritime infrastructure development plans at a press conference hosted by the Ministry of Information.
Jobarteh announced that the Gambian government has made a 20% down payment on one of two new ferries it plans to acquire, financed with support from the African Development Bank.
This ferry, along with a second, will be constructed by Damen Shipyard in the Netherlands, with the first ferry expected to be delivered by December 2025 after a 16-month construction period.
The second ferry will be funded directly by GPA, and its financing arrangements are nearing completion.
In addition to ferry acquisition, Jobarteh outlined an ambitious plan for modernising and expanding port infrastructure.
The GPA, under a new concession agreement with a Turkish investor, aims to enhance the operational efficiency of the Port of Banjul and develop a new deep-sea port in Sanyang on the Gambia’s south coast. This decision aligns with the GPA’s efforts to maintain the competitiveness of Gambian ports in the region.
Jobarteh explained that the port expansion program dates back to 1994 when an initial master plan was developed but was shelved due to funding challenges.
In 2017, a renewed master plan was commissioned, awarded to Royal Haskoning from the Netherlands. This plan recommended immediate improvements in three key areas to increase port capacity, including extending docking facilities to accommodate additional ocean-going vessels.
