Image: Wirestock via Freepik
Senegal’s longest bridge, now named after former South African President, Nelson Mandela, was inaugurated by H.E. President Macky Sall on March 26 this year. Crossing the Saloum River, this 1.6 km steel bridge connects the Gambia with the Casamance region in western Senegal, lying just above the countries’ shared border.
The project, then termed the Foundiougne Toll Bridge, had its construction works launched in February 2018, commencing construction a year later. At an estimated cost of $77 million, the three-year construction was funded by the government of Senegal and Export-Import Bank of China. H.E., Xiao Han, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Senegal, also attended the bridge’s inauguration, speaking to the importance of international friendship ties and the role of foreign direct investment from the nation in Senegal’s development. H.E. President Sall echoed these sentiments, highlighting friendship of all peoples while making specific reference to leadership of the African Union and noting the example set by Nelson Mandela himself.
Having driven the bridge project initiative, H.E. President Sall commended the efficient work of his Ministers and emphasized the bulk infrastructures project’s role in opening up the region’s agricultural, cultural, economic and tourist potential. Almost 2,000 direct and indirect jobs have been created by the bridge’s construction, which now provides a key route between Senegal and the Gambia’s respective capitals of Dakar and Banjul.
What’s more, this isn’t the only such project seen in the region. Q2, 2019 witnessed the opening of the Trans-Gambia Corridor bridge, a project almost 50 years in the making and four years in construction. The corridor is 1 km in length and links the Casamance region (southern Senegal) to the Gambia directly. This ground-breaking project removes hundreds of kilometres in travel distance for the same destination, together with week-long queues for ferries. With this initiative now in full swing and Senegal’s modernization of infrastructure gaining speed, the country’s social and economic advancement can advance accordingly, cementing its pivotal role in the region.
MSGBC Oil, Gas & POWER 2022
Under the patronage of H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power will once again take place in Dakar, Senegal, with the event serving as a catalyst for investment and multi-sector development in 2022. To find out more visit msgbcoilgasandpower.com or contact [email protected].
