Gambia Vice President hails Zoomlion partnership; says it will transform waste management

The Vice President of The Gambia, Mohammed B.S. Jallow, described a new 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 major step toward transforming waste collection, treatment, and disposal.

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, Mr Jallow expressed appreciation to the Jospong Group and Zoomlion Ghana Limited for their confidence in the country and commitment to addressing its environmental and public health challenges.

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

“This initiative reflects the Government’s determination” to address longstanding challenges, including inadequate waste collection, indiscriminate dumping, overflowing waste sites and the associated health risks, he said.

Modern waste treatment infrastructure

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

Mr Jallow said the agreement also addressed some of the country’s longstanding waste management challenges, particularly the closure, remediation and rehabilitation of the Bakoteh and Mile 2 dumpsites.

He noted that the project coincided with broader efforts to strengthen environmental governance, 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-litter regulations.

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

Call for community participation

The Vice President stressed that the success of the project would depend largely on public cooperation and called on residents of the West Coast Region and Greater Banjul Area to adopt responsible waste disposal practices, support waste segregation initiatives and participate actively in 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 economic opportunities the initiative could create, particularly in employment, resource recovery, recycling and innovation.

According to him, the project offered an opportunity to transform waste “from an environmental challenge into an economic resource.”

Stakeholder collaboration

Mr Jallow acknowledged the assessments, consultations and negotiations that led to the development of the project, involving 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 institutions involved to sustain their cooperation.

He stressed that “waste management is a national development responsibility and it must never become a matter of partisan division.”

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 said the project’s success would depend on 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,” he said.

Mr Ceesay 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

The Chairman of the Jospong Group and Zoomlion, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, recounted how the partnership began, tracing it to an encounter with the Gambian Vice President at Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport.

He said Mr Jallow had travelled from Dubai and was transiting to The Gambia when he noticed protocol officers escorting what he described as a “very big person” to the VIP lounge.

“They told me it was the Vice President of Gambia,” Dr Agyepong said.

Describing himself as a businessman who does not let opportunities pass, he said: “As a businessman, I don’t lose chances.”

He approached the Vice President, introduced himself as a waste management entrepreneur and offered to extend the company’s services to The Gambia.

Dr Agyepong said Mr Jallow welcomed the proposal and introduced him to a protocol officer, after which he arranged to visit the country with a delegation.

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

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

According to him, his daughter had spoken positively about the country’s safety and the hospitality of its people.

He recalled her saying that in The Gambia, “you can walk in the night up to 1 a.m., without fear. People are respectful, kind.”

Dr Agyepong said that experience had strengthened his desire to contribute to the country’s development.

“That good people deserve good things,” he said.

He disclosed that he was meeting President Adama Barrow for the first time at the ceremony and expressed appreciation for the opportunity given to the Jospong Group.

“Today I met the President; I’ve never met him before, I’ve never known him anywhere before, the gesture, the commitment, the reception… 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 support for dumpsite rehabilitation

Dr Agyepong disclosed that engineers were already on site and announced additional support from the Jospong Group to address specific waste management challenges in the country.

He pledged to provide equipment to stop the burning of used vehicle tyres at the Bakoteh dumpsite.

“I’ve been informed that the landfill there is 23 years old now. All these tyres, car tyres you see there, they have always been burnt and then the wires taken out for sale,” he said.

He promised to provide a grinding machine to process the tyres for reuse.

“It’s a grinding machine; it doesn’t cost too much. We will bring it here and donate it to the community. And these tyres will be ground. And that is what you use to lay astroturf,” he said.

He appealed to the governor and residents to stop the practice of burning tyres and instead collect them for processing.

“I’ll provide equipment for them. They should be packing the tyres,” he added.

Dr Agyepong also pledged to donate a sanitation park for educational purposes, where students could learn about waste management.

“Students will come and study,” he said.

He concluded by expressing gratitude to the Gambian authorities for entrusting the project to the Jospong Group and pledged the company’s commitment to its successful implementation.

“Once again, thank you very much for the privilege that you’ve given Jospong. I know you could have contacted so many big-name companies, but the privilege you’ve given us, we are also very humbled, and we will work… do everything that we can to make this project a success,” he said.