Gambia: KMC Lays D45 Million Modern Library Foundation

22 August 2022
The Point (Banjul)
By Sanna Jallow

The lord Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council Talib Ahmed Bensouda last Thursday laid the foundation stone for a modern library worth D45 million to minimise negative environmental impact and inspire youth, school going children and entrepreneurs to have access to knowledge.

The library is funded by the European Union. D32 million will be used to build the library and D9 million to equip it to add value to the venture. KMC is expected to add a cultural center including a 500 seat auditorium to the library next year.

Mayor Bensouda said the library will be a place where the next generation can exploit their intellectual capacities by having access to a modern library that includes e-learning facilities equipped with reliable super-fast internet, including access to latest e-learning tools for research and innovation.

"We also signed a contract of 1.2 million with mediumistic to establish a Municipal Radio Station which will be used to inform our residents our programmes, plans and activities as well as raise awareness about waste and the circular economy," he said.

Enya Braun, European Union representative in The Gambia said the EU is supporting the Kanifing Municipality with an approved D180 million for the implementation of the Kanifing Environmental Transformation Program (KETP), adding that the three- year program has three components (waste management, tree planting and park management.)

She said the public library will also have a café and a design space for start-ups that focuses on sustainable products and services that will provide services for repairs and recycling innovation - fertilization of ideas creating a circular economy community.

"The project will also help to foster peer-to-peer exchanges between Kanifing and Peterborough to transfer best practices between both cities towards the achievement of SDGs and the international zero waste target," she added.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of KMC Kujaly Janneh said the library is an innovation home with a lot of component supporting education. "There are three development components which is education, health and agriculture," he said.

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