The Gambia OIC Secretariat, in preparation for the 15th OIC summit to be held in Banjul, took the Organization and Technical Assessment Mission (OTA) on a tour of their project sites.
The Organisation and Technical Assessment (OTA) Mission is a team of experts from the OIC visiting The Gambia to assess the country’s preparations for hosting the 15th OIC Islamic Summit. The mission will meet with relevant stakeholders, including government officials, to discuss the progress that has been made and to identify any areas where further work is needed.
The mission, led by Assistant Secretary General of Political Affairs H.E. Ambassador Yousef AL Dobeay, first visited the Old Yundum Coastal Road highway. The contractor updated the delegation on the ongoing construction works in the area. The delegation then visited the VVIP lounge at the Banjul international airport.
Yankuba Dibba, CEO of the Gambia OIC Secretariat, told reporters after the visit that the visit was part of the procedures that a host country of the OIC summit must go through.
He said that the team included representatives from various sections of the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah.
“So they are here to assess the Gambia’s preparedness and planning towards the 15th summit of the OIC. So we are going around the project sites and this is one of the first projects which has just been completed. This is called the VVIP lounge and is the gateway to the country. When the guests arrive, this is the place they will be passing through first before going to their various hotels.
“The project is funded by the Saudi Fund for Development. So the VVIP lounge is our first project that is completed, of course, we have many more projects in the pipeline that are implemented,” he said.
Mr. Dibba said that the Gambia is well on track to host the summit this year, with all major projects critical to the event above 50% completion.
Ambassador Yousef AL Dobeay, Assistant Secretary General of Political Affairs, has said that since his arrival in Gambia, he and his delegation have met with Gambian officials to discuss the logistics and technical arrangements for the upcoming summit. They have also toured the project sites to see the progress that has been made on the road linking the airport to the city and the VVIP lounge.
“We have looked at the aspects of this VVIP lounge and will want to congratulate the Government of the Gambia for the building of this Hall for the success of the summit,” he said.
Gambia Civil Aviation Project Manager Kabiro Jammeh said the VVIP lounge has been completed and has already been used once by President Adama Barrow. Jammeh stated that the lounge is ready to host guests if the OIC were to start today.
The mission team also met with the President of the Republic of the Gambia H.E Adama Barrow, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Mamadou Tangara.