A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Wednesday, 12th July 2023 between The Gambia’s OIC Secretariat and the OIC Secretariat based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The MoU reflects the agreement regarding the Organisational and Technical Arrangements for the 15th Islamic Summit to be held between the 16th and 17th of December 2023 in Banjul.
In preparation for the 15th OIC Islamic Summit, some of the OIC project sites were visited to gauge the progress of construction works which need to be completed before the OIC Summit.
One of the sites visited is the old Yundum Upper Pass which the Structural Engineer, Ebrima Cham described as “practically complete”. According to Mr Cham, “the old Yundum Upper pass is practically completed, there are some finishing works to do here and there” to complete the construction works.
Mr Abdelrahim Abdalla, the team leader of the Bertil Harding Highway Project highlighted that the project is divided into three sections, “section one starts from the Airport to Senegambia – 14 kilometres, section two starts from Senegambia to Traffic Lights – 8 kilometres, which will be completed in 10 months”. Mr Abdalla promised that they “are sure [they] will complete the project on time”.
Another site that was also visited is the $10.5 Million US dollars VVIP Presidential Lounge which is also part of the OIC project that represents the first completed OIC Project. According to Yankuba Dibba of the OIC The Gambia Secretariat the VVIP will be “the gateway to the country so that when delegates arrive, this is the place they will be passing through first [after which] they are processed and taken to their various hotels”.
Mr Dibba added that the progress updates and the trip are processes that any country hosting the OIC goes through. He also expressed his confidence that the OIC projects will be completed before the summit because financing is not a problem.
However, the $100 Million OIC Hotel which the Government claims will be managed by Radisson Blue has not seen significant progress in construction which raises questions about the accommodation required for the OIC Summit to take place.
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