Gambia Vice-President praises Zoomlion's role in waste management overhaul

The Vice-President of The Gambia, His Excellency Mohammed B.S. Jallow, has described a landmark integrated waste management partnership between his country and Zoomlion Gambia Integrated Waste Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), as a strategic step towards transforming waste collection, treatment and disposal in the country.

Speaking on behalf of President Adama Barrow at the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of The Gambia Integrated Waste Treatment Facilities on Wednesday, October 28, Vice-President Jallow expressed appreciation to the Jospong Group and Zoomlion Ghana Limited for their confidence in The Gambia and commitment to addressing its persistent environmental and public health challenges.

He said the concession agreement represented far more than a contractual arrangement, describing it as “a strategic step towards changing how waste is collected, transported, treated, recovered and safely disposed of in The Gambia.”

The initiative, he noted, reflected the government's determination to tackle longstanding challenges, including inadequate waste collection, indiscriminate dumping, overflowing waste sites and the associated public health risks.

Modern Infrastructure and Dumpsite Rehabilitation

Under the agreement, the project will involve the development of modern waste treatment and resource recovery infrastructure, including a Mechanical Biological Treatment plant, a Material Recovery Facility and transfer stations.

Vice-President Jallow said the project would also address some of the country's most pressing legacy waste management challenges through the closure, remediation and rehabilitation of the Bakoteh and Mile 2 dumpsites.

He noted that the ceremony came at a time when the government was pursuing broader environmental governance reforms, including the proposed Waste Management Bill and the new National Environment Management Bill, which are scheduled for consideration by the National Assembly, alongside an ongoing review of anti-littering regulations.

“This comprehensive approach brings together legislative reform, institutional strengthening, private sector investment, improved public services and responsible citizen participation,” he said.

Call for Community Participation

The Vice-President stressed that the project's success would depend largely on active community participation, urging residents of the West Coast Region and the Greater Banjul Area to adopt responsible waste disposal practices, support waste segregation initiatives and participate in community clean-up campaigns.

“Waste management is not solely the responsibility of government institutions or waste collection companies; it is a shared responsibility. Every household, every business, every institution, every citizen has a role to play,” he said.

He also highlighted the project's economic potential, noting that it would create opportunities for employment, resource recovery, recycling and innovation.

According to him, the initiative offers an opportunity to transform waste from an environmental burden into an economic resource.

Stakeholder Collaboration

Vice-President Jallow acknowledged the extensive assessments, consultations and negotiations that had culminated in the project, involving several public institutions and local authorities.

These included the National Environment Management Council, the Ministries of Environment and Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the National Environment Agency, the Gambia Revenue Authority, the Public-Private Partnership Unit, relevant National Assembly select committees and participating local government councils.

He specifically thanked the Brikama Area Council for providing land for the landfill component and urged all stakeholders to sustain their cooperation.

He emphasised that waste management was a national development priority that should transcend political differences.

The Chairman of the Brikama Area Council, Yankuba Darboe, pledged the council's continued cooperation as the host local government authority.

Representing the Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities (GALGA), Mahamadou Ceesay also stressed the importance of collaboration among all levels of government, the private sector and local communities.

“We thank Zoomlion Ghana Limited for partnering with The Gambia and bringing its experience to this undertaking,” Ceesay said.

He pledged GALGA's full cooperation to ensure the initiative delivered “cleaner communities, healthier people, stronger councils and a more sustainable future for The Gambia.”

How the Partnership Began

Chairman of the Jospong Group and Zoomlion, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, recounted how the partnership began with an unexpected encounter with Vice-President Jallow at Ghana's Kotoka International Airport.

According to Dr Agyepong, the Vice-President had travelled from Dubai and was transiting through Ghana to The Gambia when he noticed protocol officers escorting a prominent guest to the VIP lounge.

“They told me it was the Vice-President of Gambia,” he recalled.

Describing himself as a businessman who seizes opportunities, Dr Agyepong said he approached the Vice-President, introduced himself as a waste management entrepreneur and offered to extend the group's services to The Gambia.

He said the Vice-President welcomed the proposal and connected him with a protocol officer, paving the way for subsequent engagements with the country's authorities.

“I told him I will come to Gambia, I will send a delegation, then the Minister of Environment followed, and that initiated what we are witnessing today,” Dr Agyepong recounted.

He also spoke of his personal connection to The Gambia, revealing that his first daughter attended law school in the country.

He said his daughter's positive experiences had reinforced his admiration for the country and its people, whom he described as respectful and kind.

“That a good people deserves good things,” he said, explaining the motivation behind the group's commitment to the project.

Dr Agyepong disclosed that the ceremony marked his first meeting with President Barrow. He expressed gratitude to the President and the government for the opportunity to undertake the project and pledged the group's commitment to its successful implementation.

“Your Excellency, we humbly, we all just want to pledge that we will do all that we can for this project to become a reality,” he said.

Jospong Pledges Additional Sanitation Support

Dr Agyepong disclosed that engineers were already on site and announced additional support measures by the Jospong Group to address specific environmental challenges in The Gambia.

Among the commitments was the provision of a tyre-grinding machine to help end the burning of used tyres at the Bakoteh dumpsite.

He said he had been informed that the landfill was about 23 years old and that used vehicle tyres were routinely burnt to extract their metal wires for sale.

“I'll provide a grinding machine so that the tyres can be ground. It's a grinding machine; it doesn't cost too much. We will bring it here and donate it to the community. These tyres will be ground, and that is what you use to lay astroturf,” he said.

He appealed to local authorities and residents to discourage the practice of burning tyres, assuring them that the equipment would provide an alternative means of processing the waste.

He also pledged to donate a sanitation park that would serve as an educational facility where students could learn about waste management and environmental sustainability.

“Students will come and study,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Dr Agyepong thanked the Gambian government for entrusting the Jospong Group with the project, describing the opportunity as a privilege and pledging the company's full commitment to delivering on its promises.

He assured the government and people of The Gambia that the group would do everything within its capacity to ensure the project's success.