On May 17, 2025, President Adama Barrow of The Gambia officially launched the Water Supply Project in the Greater Banjul Area, known as WASIB. This initiative aims to provide clean and safe drinking water to over one million people in the West Coast Region and beyond.
During his speech at Sifoe Forest, President Barrow emphasized the importance of water as a basic necessity for life. “Water is one of the first basic requirements in life,” he stated. He highlighted that access to safe and clean drinking water is recognized as a human right by the United Nations General Assembly since 2010.
The WASIB project represents a significant investment of €59.1 million, with funding from a €29 million grant by the Government of France through the French Development Agency and an expected concessional facility of €30.1 million from the European Investment Bank.
President Barrow outlined three key objectives for the project: extending NAWEC’s water network by approximately 300,000 meters, increasing national water production capacity by 25%, and tapping into deeper water sources between 400 to 600 meters for the first time in Gambian history.
Additional plans include constructing a Water Quality Monitoring Laboratory, providing access to clean water for 80,000 new beneficiaries, and improving supply for 920,000 residents. The project will also see rehabilitation works over an eighteen-month period and includes building a new five-hundred-cubic-meter (500 m³) water treatment plant in Sifoe supported by a one-thousand-two-hundred-cubic-meter (1,200 m³) ground storage tank.
In his address, President Barrow acknowledged partners involved in this endeavor: “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our partners: the Government of France, the European Investment Bank, and our dedicated consultants and contractors – ANTEA France, WATURA, SGI, GAP Consultants, and the RAZEL BEC Consortium.”
He concluded by urging collective efforts towards achieving prosperity for The Gambia: “Together we are not just building infrastructure but also strengthening and guaranteeing resilience equity and a healthier future for every Gambian.”