The Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council, Talib Ahmed Bensouda, has laid down the foundation stone for constructing the Bakau recreational park under the KETP project worth D6 Million.
Three million dalasi was a project funded by the European Union under the Kanifing Environmental Transformation Program, with additional D3M funds supported by Africell Company to construct a Basketball lawn with a fully equipped outdoor Gym center.
However, the overall KETP project for their project implementations cost D180 Million.
The recreational center, when completed, is set to accommodate one children’s playground, a six-sided football field, and toilet blocks, with a perimeter chain-link fence. Africell Gambia Ltd also committed to constructing a full basketball court with a fully equipped outdoor gym.
Mayor Bensouda said the park is among seven KETP parks for the Kanifing Environmental Transformation program, an EU-funded program to the tune of D180 Million.
He told the gathering that Kanifing’s environmental transformation program involves the educational, environmental, and waste management components.
“In the educational component, KETP has just launched and laid the foundation stone for the construction of the first Municipal Library, which is the biggest library in the history of Gambia at the tune of D42 Million. “KMC is ready for business,” the mayor, seeking reelection next year, told the gathering.
KETP Project Manager Mr. Lamin Sanyang said the park would be among the seven parks with children’s playgrounds under the Kanifing Environment Transformation program-KETP funded by the European Union and implemented by the Kanifing Municipal Council.
He believes constructing the seven parks will create safe and accessible spaces for children to play, including access for persons with disabilities.
Concerning the park’s sustainability, he revealed that the community would identify youths as park ambassadors and train them on park maintenance and landscaping technics for the care and sustainability of the parks.
Musa Sise of Africell said his office is complementing the efforts of Mayor Bensouda as the KMC hosts Africell headquarters, and ‘ For that reason, ‘the youth of the KMC formed the basis of the Africell subscribers.”
