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| The Bakoteh Fish Market at "near completion" in July 2012 (Photo credit: Daily Observer) |
The twin social problems, poverty and unemployment, have been on the
rise in the tiny West African country from 1994 till date, the period almost
all national statistics are pegged.
Indisputable potential
The market, funded by the African Development Bank (ADB), Arab Bank
for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and the Government of The Gambia
(GoTG), was inaugurated on Feb. 20, 2013 at Bakoteh, a village in the densely-populated
Kanifing Municipality.
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| Cropped version of :Image:Gambia President Yahya Jammeh.jpg for portrait only (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The market is made up of three island sites and has 91 stalls combined. Already, as part of the project, 91 fish
traders have been trained on the use of the facility and fish handling and
processing, environmental hygiene and financial management.
The fisheries sector contributes approximately 4.2 percent to the
country’s gross domestic product, GDP (the total value of goods and services
that The Gambia produces in a year).
Hence, Jammeh said the sector continues to occupy centre stage in
government’s development agenda due to its indisputable potential to contribute
to the promotion of the health of Gambians through good nutrition.
Post harvest loses
“The operation of this (Bakoteh) market will greatly reduce post
harvest losses within Kanifing Municipality,” Mass Axi Gaye said. “It will
improve the sale of fish and fishery products under hygienic conditions thus
providing quality fish to the consumers.”
The Gambia’s Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources said: “This
will further increase the income of the beneficiaries, particularly the women,
thus contributing to poverty reduction.”
He appealed to
the institutions charged with the task of operating and managing the
fish market to involve beneficiaries or their representative in the
administration of the market.
This, he said, will ease communication between
the beneficiaries and the management.
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| Opening Plenary - Ajaratou Isatou Njie-Saidy, The Gambia. Photo: IISD RS (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Peter John Ndow, Project Coordinator, Gambia Artisanal Fisheries
Development Project, talk about the money.
He explained that the first phase of the project worth US$14.5 million
while the second worth an additional US$7.5 million - to finance mainly the
construction of the market and rehabilitation of its three inland sites.
He said the project has five main components: improvement of fisheries
facilities and infrastructure under which falls the construction of the Bakoteh
fish market; strengthening of fisheries department capacity; strengthening
monitoring, control and surveillance; fisheries credit programme; and project
management.
The North Bank Evening Standard understands the management of the
market would be entrusted through a signed management contract to the Kanifing
Municipality Council (KMC) as provided for in the loan agreements.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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