GAMBIA: The Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Guinea Bissau Ports during a visit made by the managing director of GPA in Bissau.
In a Daily Observer interview, GPA managing director, Lamin Sanyang disclosed that the two Ports signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and one area that the GPA will tap from the Bissau Ports will be the issue of training of GPA staff in the area of cargo net slicing, which is done locally in Bissau.
“Personnel from Bissau Ports will be coming this April to train our staff on that and of course there are other components in the MoU that will start very soon and I hope that is going to be very beneficial to both Ports,” Sanyang stated.
MD Sanyang who was accompanied by a high-powered delegation from The Gambia Ports Authority returned recently after a five-day official visit to Guinea Bissau.
The visit that took place from the 23rd-27th March was meant among other things to further strengthen the relations between the Ports of The Gambia and Guinea Bissau.
The GPA managing director thanked the president of the Republic, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya AJJ Jammeh for giving them the clearance to visit the Guinea Bissau Ports Authority.
The reason for the visit, he revealed was that Bissau is a very important and strategic trading partner for the country. According to him, they would like to extend similar visits to other Ports to further strengthen and continue the cooperation that they had before.
Describing the visit as very successful one, MD Sanyang said The Gambia and Guinea Bissau Ports Authorities have had cordial relationship for quite long time, but it was a little bit dormant of recent.
Given the fact that Bissau is close to The Gambia and most of the cargoes that passed through the Banjul Port are normally destined for Bissau, MD Sanyang indicated, the visit will bring about more benefits for both Ports.
The Banjul Port’s boss thanked the management and staff of Bissau Ports for the warm reception accorded to him and delegation, coupled with fruitful meetings held with stakeholders and relevant ministries. “We had meetings with the ministers of Transport, Trade and Commerce and the Bissau Ports Management, Bissau Chamber of Commerce and Cashew Exporters”.
According to him, their intention now is to seek for the private sector to join GPA or government to make sure that a coastal vessel is acquired to ply Banjul-Bissau. He pointed out that the benefits are enormous and cannot be over-emphasised.
He took the opportunity to thank the Gambian leader, President Jammeh, for having the trust and confidence in appointing him to this position.
As to what are his priorities and what legacy he will love to leave at the Ports, he told this paper, his first priority will be to make his workforce very happy so that they will be very comfortable in the environment that they work and to give them the opportunity to be trained and motivated. “I want to leave good and memorable legacy,” he said.
