By Anna Marie Valentine
The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MoPE), in its quest to strengthen service delivery and enhance the performance of the Geological department is on a mission to reform the department and enhance its mandate to manage the country’s geological resources.
Subsequently, the Geological Department, through the Ministry, requested the assistance of the technical team from the British Geological Survey (BGS) for guidance in the reform process. To this end, BGS dispatched two technicians, namely Messer Clive Mitchell and Tom Bide, to The Gambia from the 8th to the 17th of November 2023 to conduct an initial assessment of the sector as a whole. The team will also conduct an analysis of the current state of sand mining and identify potential safe sand mining site with the objective to identify a sustainable way forward.
The Director of Geological Department, Alieu Jawo has said that “as a department our focus is on looking at pertinent issues that are key to national development. Sand is one of the most important resources required for the development of this country and a prime target for mineral endorsement in the country.”
Tom Bide a Geologist with BGS said, “We need to implement good practices around sand mining given the critical nature of sand in the Gambia. We are here to provide guidance and advice on how to manage better sand resource.”
During their ten day stay, the BGS team met with relevant stakeholders, policy makers including MoPE, and key players in the sand mining industry. They also met with officials from The National Road Authority, The National Environment Agency, The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, The Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs and The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition, the team also had engagements with the Technical Committee on sand and gravel quarries. These engagements with the various stakeholders offered a unique insight on how the sand mining industry is affecting their sector and the challenges affecting the sector. These meetings also ensured that the research carried out by the BGS team is inclusive and incorporative.
