Minister of Transport, Works & Infrastructure
By Buba Gagigo
The Gambia has announced the payment of Twenty-six million, two-hundred and fifty-two thousand, eight and Fifteen Dalasi, sixty bututs ($26, 252, 815.60) to Gai Construction, contractor of the Banjul Rehabilitation Project, since the start of the project in 2019.
“The initial financial arrangement of the project was such that the contractor would pre-finance the works and then be paid for completed works on an annual basis according to (a) defined schedule of payments. There is no provision for contractual advance payment to the contractor. However, the arrangement was modified to allow the contractor to make payment claims on (an) interim basis.
“In this regards, the following Interim Payment Claims (IPC) have so far been submitted by the contractor: 8th January 2020- US$ 7, 979, 637, 75; 26th August 2020- US$ 6, 402, 449.33; 8th March 2021- US$ 5, 981, 016.24; 31Sst May 2021 – US$ 2, 026, 194.78; 25th January 2022- US$ 3, 863, 517.53
“TOTAL: US$ 26,252,815.60 (about 1, 445, 845, 229.89 Gambian Dalasi),” the government said in a dispatch shared with journalists at a press conference on Thursday.
The press conference touched on various aspects of work done in Banjul Rehabilitation Project, including progress made.
On the progress of the work done so far with drainage works, the government said the entire network of collector drains, secondary and tertiary drains were cleaned before and during the rainy season of 2021 and the exercise is being repeated, collapsed drain walls have been reconstructed and covers placed on open drains along with the reconstruction of the sidewalks.
On Sewerage works, it said most of the manholes have been desilted, all blockages along the network have been removed and most of the manhole covers on newly constructed concrete pavement have been replaced.
The total road to be constructed in Banjul is about 14, 614 km with an average width of 8 metres and a combined total area of 116, 912m2.
The road constructions would include sidewalks for pedestrian safety, and at least 25 roads have been successfully completed, the dispatch added.
It informed that progress is being made in sections around Parliament Road, Telegraph Road, Lands Office Road, Wellington Street and McCarthy Square/ The Quadrangle; adding progress on reconstruction of the road pavement has covered 95% of the streets identified in the original scope and, 85% of those in the addendum and along with the road works about 33,000m of the sidewalks have been reconstructed.
Comments are closed.