By MariatouNgum
The ECOWAS National Office under the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MOTIE) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Mansakonko Area Council and the Wellingaraba Village Development Committee (VDC).
The agreement, signed at the Ministry’s conference hall in Banjul is meant to facilitate and implement the ECOWAS Cross-Border Cooperation Support Programme (ECBCSP) through the modernisation of Welligaraba lumo.
The objective of the ECBCSP is to strengthen cooperation among communities, states and markets in order to deepen regional integration.
The Wellingaraba Lumo Modernisation Project is part of the Ministry of Trade’s commitment to ensuring that the modernisation process is successfully piloted for nationwide replication.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Lamin Dampha, the Permanent Secretary of MoTIE, thanked the ECOWAS National Platform for Cross-Border Cooperation-Free Movement and Migration (CBC-LCM) for supporting the project and the Mansakonko Area Council and the Wellingaraba VDC for partnering with the Ministry for the implementation of the project.
“We need support from each and every stakeholder in this process because this is the first project that we are implementing. Thus we must make sure that this is successful so that the wider communities in The Gambia can also benefit,” he urged.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary at MoTIE, Mr. Abdoulie Jammeh, affirmed that the project is a driving project that will help people who are around the community and beyond The Gambia to intensify production because there is an already market for them and this is why this particular project is important to them. He assured them of their support and to strengthen the collaboration.
Isamiala Dans, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry said Willingaraba is a vibrant lumo community and it is a community based project; thus he urged the community to deliver because if the project is successful it will bring more development in the region.
Landing Sanneh, the Chairman of Mansakonko Area Council informed the ministry that they have the capacity to do the job and therefore they will collaborate with them for the successful implementation of the project.