By: Adama Makasuba
The Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) has signed about 40-million-dalasi contract with the Danang Ship Yard of Netherlands for the repairment and replacement of its ferry landing bridges in Banjul and Barra.
The contract signing came after continual disruption of ferry services at the two docking sites in Banjul and Barra which were built 42 years ago by a German grant.
Banjul-Barr ferry crossing point is the busiest river crossing point in the country and where thousands of dalasi is generated into the coffers of the government on daily basis.
Speaking to coffee time on West Coast Radio, the managing director of Gambia Ports Authority, Ousman Jobarteh said: “as we speak, we have signed a contract with darning ship yard of Holland for a replacement of a lander for a new landing bridge and the contract is for a value of 7, 1000 euros which is about 40 million dalasi.”
He said that advanced payment had been made and hoped that before the year ends there will new landing bridges at both ferry terminals.
However, people have been complaining about that the ferries have been progressively disintegrating.
Confirming the problems faced with the ferries, Mr Jobarteh said “there is a problem with the ramp that’s the landing bridge where vehicles and people used to alight and disembark on the ferry.”
He said the ferry landing bridges have over the years corroded and some of the sections have giving way to the extent that it needs a complete displacement.
In March this year, the Banjul ferry landing bridged was closed for three days for repair works and the Barra one also faced the same interruption for similar works.
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