President Adama Barrow and other dignitaries at the OMVG summit
By Landing Ceesay
The Republic of The Gambia hosted the 11th Ordinary Session of the OMVG Conference of Heads of State and Government at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Center in Bijilo on Saturday.
The OMVG (Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River Basin) is a sub-regional body focused on implementing integrated development programs across the region, particularly managing the shared resources of the Gambia, Kayanga-Geba, and Koliba-Corubal rivers. These river basins present significant opportunities for energy production.
The OMVG project involves four countries: The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal. It was launched to address the region’s energy deficit, heavy reliance on imported oil, and the environmental harm caused by using hydrocarbons for energy generation.
The project’s goals are to provide affordable and renewable energy to the four West African countries, improve local populations’ well-being, promote sub-regional integration, and foster economic development. The initiative also aims to reduce oil consumption in thermal power plants, preserve the environment, and strengthen energy independence.
During his address, President Adama Barrow recognized the visionary leadership of the late Presidents Leopold Sédar Senghor, Dawda Kairaba Jawara, Ahmed Sékou Touré, and Nino Vieira for their pivotal roles in establishing sub-regional cooperation and integration, bringing together the OMVG family.
President Barrow also expressed gratitude to the current Presidents of Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal for their support of the “long-overdue” summit.
“It is a meeting that gives us an opportunity to review the activities of the OMVG since the Extraordinary Summit of 29th January 2016.
This is an opportune moment to convene the Summit, noting that the electricity inter-connection line for the four Member Countries is 99% complete. In addition, the construction of the Sambangalou hydroelectric dam is in high gear. I convey sincere gratitude to the OMVG Secretariat and its entire technical team for the hard work that translated the electrical interconnection project into reality,” he said.
The Gambian leader also acknowledged the African Development Bank, the lead donor for the energy project, and other partners for their invaluable support of the OMVG Energy Project and the Integrated Development Master Plan (IDMP).
President Barrow urged the partners to consider increasing their financial and technical support for the swift implementation of all planned OMVG projects.
“Despite our encouraging achievements, it is worth recalling that the higher organs of our Organisation do not meet regularly. Among other possible consequences, this state of affairs can hinder the operations of the OMVG, especially as regards the establishment of the Sambangalou Energy and Transport Network Management Company (SOGESART). As outgoing Chairman of the Council of the Heads of State, I must draw attention to the huge amount of arrears owned by Member Countries. Our economic challenges are obvious, but we must demonstrate more commitment to the OMVG. The Organisation has come a long way for us to let it fail. Crucially, its success will always have a positive impact on our economic performance. I urge my colleagues, therefore, that we guarantee the continuity of this unique sub-regional body by paying our contributions on time,” President Barrow said
The Gambian president also encouraged the OMVG Secretariat to explore innovative ways to secure more donor funding to support its initiatives. Acknowledging the financial challenges faced by member states, he urged the Secretariat to maximize the use of the organization’s available funds.
“I hope that the resolutions adopted in this meeting will be implemented by the relevant bodies of the Organisation and that, going forward, the statutory meetings will be held on time,” he said.
The event was attended by Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and Guinea-Bissau’s Prime Minister, among other dignitaries.