By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Mayor of the Kanifing Municipality (KM), Talib Ahmed Bensouda, on Thursday laid the foundation stone of Bakau recreational park.
The laying of the foundation of the park worth D3m set the pace for the construction of the facility, courtesy of the Kanifing Environmental Transformation Programme (KETP).
The KETP hopes to build 7 parks in the KM each worth D3m, with a children’s playground, a 6-side football field, toilet blocks, and a perimeter chain-link fence.
Speaking at the occasion in Bakau, Mayor Bensouda said the park is meant for the youth of Bakau and its surroundings.
The KM Mayor further stated that his council is ready for business and is ‘very serious’ about the welfare and wellbeing of the people of KM.
“The KEPT project is an EU funded programme in the tune of One-hundred and eighty million Dalasi (D180, 000, 000). The programme involved the environment, education, and waste management,” he disclosed.
It has three output areas: waste management, education, as well as tree planting & parks management.
He added that the education component of the KEPT programme just launched the first municipal library worth D42 million; while the environment component has 7 parks and planting of trees & waste management in the municipality.
The project manager, Lamin Sanyang, said the KEPT would train park ambassadors for the sustainability of the Bakau park.
“We will work with the Bakau Ward
Development Committee to ensure that they keep the park in a good condition by maximizing the place. So that it will not take what it cannot,” he said.
Lamin Dibba, Councillor, Old Bakau/Cape Point Ward, said the Mayor Bensouda has fulfilled his promise to the youth of his area.
“The facility, when completed would go a long way to boost socio-economic growth in the area. We are grateful for this development,” he added.
Musa Ceesay representative of Africell said the GSM company would be supporting the KEPT project to build 7 basketball courts, with a fully equipped outdoor gym for the youth of KM to better themselves up.
He added that the youth of the country form the base of their subscribers and that is why his company is doing this for them.
“We are supporting this kind of projects for the betterment, improvement, and to contribute in our system,” he said.
The duration for the construction of the parksl in Talinding, Bakau, Kanifing Estate, Kotu, Bakoteh, Abuko is 6 months.
The Kanifing Environmental Transformation Programme (KETP) aims to use a sustainable focus on new integrated waste management approaches to drive environmental, social and economic transformation in the Kanifing Municipality.