By: Fatou Krubally
President Adama Barrow has laid the foundation stone for the construction of the new Sanyang Deep Seaport, describing it as a legacy project that will help position The Gambia as a trade and logistics hub for the sub-region.
Speaking at the ceremony held on Saturday in Sanyang, President Barrow said the deep seaport will tackle long-standing constraints at the Port of Banjul, where rising cargo volumes have outgrown the port’s current capacity.
“The Gambia’s socio-economic progress hinges to a large extent on developments in international trade,” Barrow told the gathering, which included the First Lady, ministers, National Assembly Members, community leaders, and representatives of the Turkish firm Albayrak Group. “It is clear that the new Sanyang Deep Seaport will enhance the country’s potential to serve as the trade and logistics centre for West Africa and, hopefully, beyond.”
The new facility, to be built through a Public Private Partnership with Albayrak Group, follows a port master plan commissioned in 2018 that highlighted the urgent need for expanded infrastructure to meet growing trade demands. According to President Barrow, the Port of Banjul saw an annual cargo growth of seven percent from 2008 to 2015, which surged to 18 percent after the 2017 political transition further stretching the port’s capacity.
He said the new deep seaport would allow larger, deeper-draft vessels of up to 12 metres to dock, compared to the current 9.2-metre limit in Banjul. This, he noted, would reduce freight charges and ease congestion, while also spurring development of road networks and basic services in the Sanyang area.
The President assured that the project will not require direct government funding, with the private investor bearing all financing risks. He urged local communities, especially the people of Sanyang, to support the project’s implementation, saying it will create jobs, boost skills and entrepreneurship, and lower the cost of doing business in the country.
Barrow also reaffirmed that the new port, together with the revitalisation of Kaur and Basse inland ports, forms part of his government’s broader plan to unlock the full potential of The River Gambia.
He concluded by thanking the GPA Board, the Cabinet Sub-Committee, the Ministry of Transport, local leaders and Albayrak Group for their efforts, and called for collective support to make the deep seaport a reality for generations to come.
