Back and Next - Back and NextGreater Banjul street lighting project kicks-off
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
In its drive towards transforming the country into a city state, the government of The Gambia, through the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) and some partners are currently embarking on a multi million dollar street-lighting project across the Greater Banjul Area.
Financed by the OPEC Fund for International Development, the project covers a total area of about 37 kilometres, and it will involve the installation of a total of 1200 street lights. Contracted to the Global Trading Group (GTG), a renowned engineering firm that specialises in power generation, power plants, transmission and distribution networks, street lights and other electrical works, the project will run for duration of twelve months (19th January 2009 – 19th January 2010).
Amine Saad, the project manager of Global Trading Group, told the Daily Observer that the project will cover areas such as Westfield - Banjul; Traffic Light - Booster; Fajara - Sunwing; Sunwing -Old Cape road; Old Cape road junction-Mile 5; CFAO Bakau - Sting Corner; Churchill’s Town junction - Africell junction; Traffic Lights junction-Methodist Academy; MDI road - Kairaba Avenue; Banjul dual carriage highway, and the Bundung-Serrekunda highway.
This project, according to the GTG project manager, is measured will be of international standards. He said that the type of lighting system they will install has never been used in the country before. Explaining in detail the nature of the installation process, Saad said that they will be employing some of the latest techniques in street lighting which will compose of a safety glass cover. He said that there will no dimness due to excessive dust, as is the case for the ones where plastic is used, as plastic accumulates dust on its surface once heated for a long period.
An underground cable mesh will also be used in this process for protection, with a special foundation for poles in case of accidents. "Our protection system for the poles is unique, and has never been used in the country before. It is a semi-circular one around one meter above the surface of the ground, with a galvanized pipe that will not corrode, fixed with reflectors to avoid accidents,’’ he explained. This street lighting project has will also involve putting in place a special decorative lighting system at the Arch 22 and the Denton Bridge.
Cognisant of the fact that projects like this may encounter problems without due care and attention, Saad noted that monitoring and regular maintenance are key in sustaining the street lights. "If this is assured, the lights can last forever," Saad promised. To this end, he threw a challenge to drivers, urging them to drive carefully and to be mindful. This advice of the project manager is crucial in that quite a number of poles-street lights and traffic lights have suffered damages thanks to incidences of careless driving.
But even though plans are in place to provide protection system for the poles, the need for the drivers to avoid accidents is critical, emphasised the engineer. Asked whether his company will meet the deadline for completion of the project, Saad expressed total commitment to the work, vowing to finish the entire project months before the contract deadline.
Westfield-Banjul highway, which is said to be the biggest part of the project, is scheduled for completion before the 25th of May 2009, to coincide with the birthday of President Jammeh. And, according to Saad, they hope to complete the entire project before the 22nd July anniversary. "We employed about 300 people in the project, 98 percent of whom are Gambians, and we are working on a double shift in order to ensure that we meet our targets. We work from 8am to 1pm daily, and we are working on different areas at the same time. Most of our materials needed for completion of the project are in the country, and very soon the rest of them will be made available,’’ he said. He added: "we are working very hard to finish this project earlier than scheduled for the president and the entire Gambians."
Describing the street lighting project as a major development in the country, Saad promised that should any material remain as an extra, after the completion of the project, they will extend their work to other areas. There is no doubt that this project, after completion, will further enhance the livelihood of the general public as it will open doors of opportunities, especially in terms of attracting investment. It is also crucial for the tourism industry as well as for small scale businesses.
Financed by the OPEC Fund for International Development, the project covers a total area of about 37 kilometres, and it will involve the installation of a total of 1200 street lights. Contracted to the Global Trading Group (GTG), a renowned engineering firm that specialises in power generation, power plants, transmission and distribution networks, street lights and other electrical works, the project will run for duration of twelve months (19th January 2009 – 19th January 2010).
Amine Saad, the project manager of Global Trading Group, told the Daily Observer that the project will cover areas such as Westfield - Banjul; Traffic Light - Booster; Fajara - Sunwing; Sunwing -Old Cape road; Old Cape road junction-Mile 5; CFAO Bakau - Sting Corner; Churchill’s Town junction - Africell junction; Traffic Lights junction-Methodist Academy; MDI road - Kairaba Avenue; Banjul dual carriage highway, and the Bundung-Serrekunda highway.
This project, according to the GTG project manager, is measured will be of international standards. He said that the type of lighting system they will install has never been used in the country before. Explaining in detail the nature of the installation process, Saad said that they will be employing some of the latest techniques in street lighting which will compose of a safety glass cover. He said that there will no dimness due to excessive dust, as is the case for the ones where plastic is used, as plastic accumulates dust on its surface once heated for a long period.
An underground cable mesh will also be used in this process for protection, with a special foundation for poles in case of accidents. "Our protection system for the poles is unique, and has never been used in the country before. It is a semi-circular one around one meter above the surface of the ground, with a galvanized pipe that will not corrode, fixed with reflectors to avoid accidents,’’ he explained. This street lighting project has will also involve putting in place a special decorative lighting system at the Arch 22 and the Denton Bridge.
Cognisant of the fact that projects like this may encounter problems without due care and attention, Saad noted that monitoring and regular maintenance are key in sustaining the street lights. "If this is assured, the lights can last forever," Saad promised. To this end, he threw a challenge to drivers, urging them to drive carefully and to be mindful. This advice of the project manager is crucial in that quite a number of poles-street lights and traffic lights have suffered damages thanks to incidences of careless driving.
But even though plans are in place to provide protection system for the poles, the need for the drivers to avoid accidents is critical, emphasised the engineer. Asked whether his company will meet the deadline for completion of the project, Saad expressed total commitment to the work, vowing to finish the entire project months before the contract deadline.
Westfield-Banjul highway, which is said to be the biggest part of the project, is scheduled for completion before the 25th of May 2009, to coincide with the birthday of President Jammeh. And, according to Saad, they hope to complete the entire project before the 22nd July anniversary. "We employed about 300 people in the project, 98 percent of whom are Gambians, and we are working on a double shift in order to ensure that we meet our targets. We work from 8am to 1pm daily, and we are working on different areas at the same time. Most of our materials needed for completion of the project are in the country, and very soon the rest of them will be made available,’’ he said. He added: "we are working very hard to finish this project earlier than scheduled for the president and the entire Gambians."
Describing the street lighting project as a major development in the country, Saad promised that should any material remain as an extra, after the completion of the project, they will extend their work to other areas. There is no doubt that this project, after completion, will further enhance the livelihood of the general public as it will open doors of opportunities, especially in terms of attracting investment. It is also crucial for the tourism industry as well as for small scale businesses.
Author: by Hatab Fadera
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