United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), has handed over technology items worth over $26,000 to Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) in The Gambia.
The items – donated with a view to fulfiling KMC’s Sustainable Urban Development mandate – include laptops, GPS, handheld data collectors, drone, storage units, printers, plotter, others.
Rapid increase in urban population has been one of the major problems faced by The Gambia. In addition to loss of arable land in the Kombos, the rapid increase in urban population has brought with it several environmental and socio-economic problems.
The problems include deforestation, soil erosion, pollution and waste generation, and stress on health, education, and employment services, according to the 2007–2011 Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.
The overall objective of the urban development project is, therefore, to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to put in place innovative mechanisms to increase their local revenues.
It is also aimed at delivering basic services and supporting the rolling out of the decentralised approach as outlined in the national development plan.
But the biggest challenge has been the shortage of modern tools to fulfil the council’s mission, according to the UNOPS representative in the country.
The UNOPS official, Agathe Nougaret, expressed optimism that the equipment will help the KMC to deliver basic services to all councils for sustainable urban development.
Nougaret said the day was special to the Greater Banjul 2040 Project, which aims to support local councils in the fields of urban and infrastructure planning and revenue collection.
KMC Deputy CEO, Kajali Janneh, described the items as valuable, adding that the equipment would help the council enhance its data collection and maximise its revenue generation.
He said, ‘We will make sure that the purpose that these materials are given for is fully served’.
Source: The Point
Photo source: The Point
