By Omar Bah
The Ecowas Commission through the Directorate of Free Movement of Persons and Migration conducted a cross-border cooperation project monitoring and evaluation exercise in The Gambia to assess the level of implementation of the Wellingara-Ba Lumo (market) project.
The Wellingara-Ba Lumo project, being financed by Ecowas under its Cross-Border Cooperation Support Programme (ECBCSP), is developed by the Gambian Ministry of Trade which houses the Ecowas National Office, in collaboration with the Mansakonko Area Council. The purpose is to convert the local market in the area to a modern cross-border trading centre.
The Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration of the Ecowas Commission, Albert Siaw-Boateng who led the monitoring and evaluation team on behalf of the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Massandjé Toure-Litse, commended the level of progress thus far, citing the advanced stage of the main structures, the completed solar-powered borehole and solar-powered lights as well as a perimeter fence as welcome developments towards the completion of the Wellingara-Ba Lumo.
Speaking during the assessment of the project site, the head of the Ecowas National Office of The Gambia, Ndeye Taraba Touray, briefed the team on details of the project and highlighted some of its challenges which include the need for additional financing for its completion.
The Wellingara-Ba Lumo Project is expected to have fifty market stalls, six toilet facilities – three for male and three for females and a cold storage facility whilst noting that there are two hundred and fifty (250) registered market women.
The ECOWAS cross-border cooperation support programme is a multi-sectoral development programme that works with local communities in border regions to ensure social cohesion, regional construction and sustainable development. Within the framework of the programme, the ECOWAS Commission had disbursed a one hundred thousand US Dollars ($100,000) subvention to Member States towards the implementation identified tangible cross-border projects.
