The Managing Director of the Gambia Ports Authority GPA, Ousman Jobarteh, was invited as Guest Speaker at a Roundtable on Financing Adaptation and Resilience in Africa during the twelfth UN Conference on Climate Change held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from 30 August to 2 September 2024. The basis for the invitation was to show case how GPA is climate-proofing the Port Expansion Project, model which the Conference aims to encourage other African ports to adopt.
During his presentation, MD Jobarteh highlighted that the Port of Banjul realised that climate change -related impacts could potentially pose significant challenges for the Port to maintain its relevance as an important logistics platform for both domestic and sub regional trade. Adjacent to the Port area are the mangroves of the Tanbi Wetland Complex, protected under the RAMSAR Convention, and which play an important role in flood mitigation for the capital City Banjul, and its infrastructure systems, particularly the Bund Road providing access to the Port.
In addition, the wetlands with their natural ability to store carbon in their vegetation and soils, are known as blue carbon ecosystems, which help reduce carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, hence contributing to climate change mitigation.
It is with a view to mitigating these risks that the GPA took the decision to mainstream climate resilience in the current Port of Banjul Expansion Project. This decision was also in compliance with funding requirements of certain development partners such as AfDB Climate Safeguards System (CSS), which requires an evaluation of the climate change risks to the project, and adaptation measures developed to address these physical climate risks.
The AfDB, through the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), provided technical assistance to mainstream climate adaptation to the Port of Banjul 4th Expansion Project. This resulted in the appointment of an international consulting firm to deliver High Resolution Climate Risks Assessment, Develop Adaptation and Resilience Options, and a corresponding Investment Plan.
The Consultancy was conducted with a methodology that resulted in a Rapid Climate Risk Assessment and Vulnerability Stress Test to determine the key climate hazards for the area, and quantified the risks to the port and wetland, respectively.
Economic risks were identified and quantified as being the physical climate risk on the assets or operations in terms of economic damage and/or downtime to the port. Hazards that count for the largest percentage of total economic risk value to the Port include sea level rise (SLR), extreme temperature, and extreme precipitation.
A set of prioritised and complementary adaptation measures is proposed that together provide an integral and broad package to improve climate resilience of the Port of Banjul. The capital investment in marine structures involves a cost overrun of 15% to ensure that the facilities to be constructed remain resilient to the identified climate risks. These increases in the cost estimates of the infrastructure works relate to physical measures such as the raising height of the jetties and container terminals with proper storm water drains to a level that will prevent flooding and the installation of a monitoring system.
The adaptation measures are expected to reduce the total climate risk by about 50%. This is a very significant reduction, albeit considerable residual risk remains. This is normal in port operations where climatic conditions from time to time impact operations by its nature.
The following key takeaways for project implementation are noted for each of the elements in the Port of Banjul expansion Project:
Bund access road: to ensure a reliable connection between the Port and hinterland, the effects of extreme temperatures, precipitation and flooding on the Bund Road need to be reduced.
Land Terminal: To prevent damage and continue normal operations the Land Terminal must be resilient to flooding and equipment need to be upgraded to handle extreme temperatures.
Marine Terminal: while the asset design is climate resilient, extra care needs to be taken in the maintenance and operation of the assets and equipment.
Tanbi Wetland Complex: the restoration of the Tanbi Wetland Complex is necessary, not only for its flood protection role for the Bund Road, but also for its important socio-economic role in the Greater Banjul Area.
General: To ensure efficient operations, monitoring, maintenance, staff wellbeing and education and collaboration between key stakeholders is critical.
Noting that the GPA is embarking on the construction of a new deep seaport in Sanyang, the climate resilience measures to be adopted in this Project will be guided by standard practice in terms of the relocation of residents and restoration of climate affected areas. Thus, environment, social management plan (ESMP) and resettlement action plan (RAP) will be prepared to include the following tasks aimed at climate adaptation and resilience.
Socio Economic Survey Census – of all the businesses, families, affected properties, public infrastructure, and economic trees in the project influence zones. Provide the results of census, asset inventories, natural resource assessments and the socio-economic profile of the project affected persons (PAPs).
Identify Resettlement Sites:? Assess whether the displaced PAPs will require community relocation sites, and if yes, involve the PAPs in identifying sites and determining the relocation process and indicate their acceptance.
Develop a Livelihoods Restoration Plan:? Assess impacts on income and livelihoods and determine the compensation entitlements sufficient to restore income streams for each category of impact and PAPs. Spell out the restoration strategies for each category of impact and describe the institutional, financial and technical aspects of the restoration plan.
Overall, the presentation highlighted that sustainability and environmental concerns are becoming more important. With the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ports are being forced to reduce carbon use and care more for the environment. Nowadays, ports cannot be focused only on economic goals but also environment and social responsibilities must be integrated into business plans.
Cargo handling operations at ports exposes personnel to risks of injury as it involves working onboard ships, operating large equipment, being around heavy machinery and within environments that are prone to emissions.
A large part of becoming a Smart Port is not only the aspect of going digital, but it also incorporates going green. With the use of advanced technology, ports are adopting new forms of energy. Strategies can include developing green energy sources that can even provide green energy to entire Smart Port city complexes, for example, offshore wind farms.
As the world is concerned with adopting healthy environmental policy for ports, the shipping industry is also going green and adopting new technology to lower emissions from ships.
IMO revision of MARPOL Treaty Annex VI, which was designed to enter into force on 1st November 2022 requires ships to reduce carbon emissions and this will be reviewed for efficiency in 2026.
To recognise The Gambia’s stance on environmental awareness, the presentation was ended with a statement made by the then President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, who made the famous 1977 Banjul Declaration aimed at calling attention for the need to protect The Gambia’s quickly vanishing flora and fauna.
“It is a sobering reflection that in a relatively short period of our history most of our larger wildlife species have disappeared together with much of the original forest cover. The survival of the wildlife still remaining with us and the setting aside of protected natural habitats for them is the concern of all of us. It would be tragic if this priceless natural heritage, the product of millions of years of evolution, should be further endangered or lost for want of proper concern. This concern is a duty we owe to ourselves, to our great African heritage and to the world. Thus I solemnly declare that my Government pledges its untiring efforts to conserve for now and posterity as wide a spectrum as possible of our remaining fauna and flora”.
