VENUE: MECCNAR COMPLEX, ABUKO
DATE: 14TH MAY 2025
Honourable members , Eminent Personalities , Management and Staff of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources , Contractors and Consultants , Our Able Host from the Region and the Community , Distinguished Invitees , Ladies and Gentlemen , Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly , Honourable Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources and other Cabinet Ministers present , Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Development Partners , Permanent Secretaries and other Heads of Institutions , Service Chiefs , Governor of West Coast and other Governor’s Present , Alkalo of Abuko , Staff of Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources , Management and Staff of GIGO Construction , Management and Staff of GAMWORKS , Ladies and Gentlemen.
Today marks another proud milestone in our nation’s history.
Back in 2019, my Vice President laid the foundation stone for this superstructure. Our innovative approach to development is to initiate such infrastructure development using Gambian expertise and resources. We are here to affirm a vision of a modern, confident, and environmentally-conscious Gambia.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are resolved to take the right path to achieving self-reliance. Thus, my government has taken up this project, fully financed by domestic funds, contracting local companies and generating jobs at home, thereby growing the local economy and solidifying national pride.
When domestic companies lead, most benefits are recycled back into the economy. This resonates well with our Green Recovery-focused National Development Plan (2023-2027), “Yiriwa”.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Climate change is the defining challenge of our era. Rising seas threaten Banjul. Our farmers and the economy suffer the impact of erratic rains causing droughts and floods in severe cases, heatwaves strain our health systems. Therefore, the “Yiriwa” calls for resilient, climate-smart infrastructure in all our regions.
This complex is well located and designed to accommodate the Ministry of Environment, its departments and projects. Situating them closer to their natural home adds to enhancing effective and efficient coordination.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I promise you that this is not going to be our last ground-breaking project. It is part of a country-wide drive for resilient, modernising our infrastructure, including health centres, modern markets and roads - that matches the aspirations of a twenty-first-century Gambia.
On that note, I wish to salute Honourable Minister Rohey John Manjang and her entire staff, who were determined and put in every effort to have this project completed.
Your diligence honours the nation. I also wish to extend my gratitude to the GAMWORKs Management and Gigo Construction Company for stepping and ensuring we realise our goal.
To the Community of Abuko, I say thank you, for being gracious hosts and contributing to our collective endeavour to building our dear nation.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and gentlemen,
I now have the honour, to declare the new office complex of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources officially open, named MECCNAR COMPLEX. May the Almighty Allah guide those who will labour here, and bless our collective endeavour to bequeath a safer, greener, and more prosperous country to the generations yet unborn. I thank you all.
