Construction of a new USD3million cargo terminal at Banjul International Airport has officially commenced following a ceremony presided over by Gambian vice president and Minister of Women's Affairs, Dr. Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, on Tuesday. Once complete, the facility will be turned over to the Gambian national carrier, Gambia International Airlines (GC).
According to The Banjul Observer, the project is part of the country's “Trade Facilitation through increased logistics infrastructure and Services at the Banjul International Airport” programme and is funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), a multi-donor programme
which supports 3rd World countries to become more active players in the
global trading system by helping them tackle supply-side constraints,
to the tune of USD2'494'200 while Banjul will contribute USD621'200.
“The USD2.4million grant from EIF’s Tier 2 that will finance this project will enable the GIA to charge competitive rates for air cargo. Therefore, we anticipate an increase in the number of small holder exporters that will have access to competitive new airport infrastructure and services. With these new facilities, The Gambia’s image will be further enhanced, positioning the country as an attractive freight cargo entrepot in the sub-region thereby boosting our potential for economic growth especially in the area of exports,” said Gambian strongman, Mr Yahya Jammeh.
President Jammeh
The project includes a civil works component for a warehouse that will be furnished with cold storage and other facilities to handle air cargo.
