Residents of the Greater Banjul Area should see cleared refuse heaps, new communal containers and uniformed waste workers on their streets within the next 100 days, partners in The Gambia’s new waste-management concession have pledged.
The commitment came at a two-day strategic workshop held at The Kairaba Beach Hotel on 9 and 10 November 2026, which brought together government agencies, the three Greater Banjul councils and the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) through Zoomlion Gambia and its local partner, Niro Company Limited.
The Project took effect on 28 October 2026, Phase 1 covers Banjul, Kanifing and Brikama, with other councils to follow.
Delivering the keynote, Dr Alexander Kumi-Larbi Jnr, International Business Director of JGC, described waste management as a national undertaking and an investment rather than a cost, noting that every dollar invested in it can yield seven dollars in benefits.
“No single ministry, council or company can deliver a cleaner Gambia alone,” Dr Kumi-Larbi said.
“This is a national agenda, and it will succeed only if every partner in this room carries their share of the responsibility.”
The three councils gave a frank account of the challenges they face, from ageing workforces and vehicles that frequently break down to poorly equipped dumpsites at Mile 2, Bakoteh and Tambana.
Under the concession, the operator will finance, build, equip and run the infrastructure and be paid once services are available.
Abdulai Puye of the PPP Directorate explained that a contract management committee, chaired by the Ministry of Finance, will meet quarterly to hold every partner to account.
Enforcement drew the liveliest debate.
Mr Abdou Hydara of the National Environment Agency (NEA) proposed a 100-day programme of joint inspections with the councils, and participants agreed that officers should enforce existing anti-littering laws now rather than wait for new by-laws.
“We will not wait for new by-laws before acting,” Mr Hydara said.
“The law that exists today is enough to start, and NEA will work side by side with the councils to enforce it.”
On the second day, officials from Nairobi City County partners of Zoomlion Kenya shared Kenya’s experience.
Nairobi has cleared most of its major legacy waste heaps under a similar partnership, and its speakers stressed that changing public attitudes remains the hardest part of the work.
“Clearing the dumpsites was the easy part,” said the Director of the Environment Department, Nairobi City County.
“Changing how people think about waste is the real work, and it never stops.”
Mr George Manu and Henrietta Baiden presented the integrated system planned for The Gambia, built on collection, transfer stations, a material recovery facility at Tambana, composting, recycling and engineered disposal, replacing open dumping and burning.
Participants agreed that existing collectors, recyclers and waste pickers should be brought into the new system rather than displaced, and that local talent should be recruited, trained and retained.
Every institution then drafted its own 100-day plan towards implementation of the project.
The plans will now be refined with measurable targets and combined into a single implementation document.
Mr Lamin Fatty of the PPP Directorate delivered the closing remarks, and Vanessa Katsekpor, Country Representative, gave the vote of thanks.