A media caravan tour across the Greater Banjul Area gives journalists and the public a first-hand look at the AFD-funded Water Supply Improvement Project — and the communities set to benefit from it.
When infrastructure work is underway, the best way to tell the story is to go there. That was the principle behind NAWEC’s media caravan tour across the Greater Banjul Area — an exercise designed not just to communicate progress on the Water Supply Improvement Project (WASIB), but to put journalists and the public right at the centre of it.
The tour brought together members of the media and NAWEC project officials for a structured, on-the-ground assessment of active construction sites, giving reporters direct access to the infrastructure works and the teams driving them forward. The exercise forms part of NAWEC’s broader commitment to transparency and accountability in the delivery of publicly funded projects.
About the WASIB Project
The Water Supply Improvement Project is funded through a grant from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and represents one of the most significant investments in the Greater Banjul Area’s water infrastructure in recent years. It addresses a challenge that has grown steadily with The Gambia’s expanding urban population — the rising demand for reliable, safe, and consistent water supply across densely populated communities.
At its core, the project is designed to overhaul the ageing infrastructure that underpins the GBA’s water distribution network. This means building new elevated water tanks to replace outdated structures, rehabilitating selected existing tanks, upgrading distribution systems, increasing production capacity, and improving water quality management across the service area.
Where Work Is Happening
Construction activities are currently active across several communities in the Greater Banjul Area. The media tour provided direct access to these sites, giving journalists the opportunity to observe the scale of work underway and speak with project representatives overseeing implementation.
Active Construction Communities
- Latrikunda German
- Serrekunda
- Yundum
- And other communities across the GBA
What It Means for Communities
The construction of new elevated water tanks — each with a capacity of 1,000 cubic metres — will replace aging infrastructure that has long strained the GBA’s ability to deliver consistent water pressure and supply. The rehabilitation of selected existing tanks will complement this work by expanding storage and improving system efficiency across the network.
Together, these interventions are expected to deliver tangible improvements for households, businesses, and public facilities across the Greater Banjul Area: more reliable water availability, stabilised pressure throughout the distribution network, and a significant reduction in the service disruptions that communities currently experience.
“Once completed, these works are expected to improve water supply reliability, stabilise pressure, and reduce the service disruptions that communities across the Greater Banjul Area currently face.”
— NAWEC Water Supply Improvement ProjectA Project Built on Transparency
The media caravan is itself a statement of intent. By opening active construction sites to the press and putting project officials in direct conversation with journalists, NAWEC is demonstrating that the WASIB Project is not just a technical undertaking — it is a public commitment, and the public has a right to see how it is progressing.
The Water Supply Improvement Project is expected to be completed by 2027. NAWEC remains committed to delivering improved water services for the Greater Banjul Area while keeping all stakeholders and the wider public fully informed throughout the project’s implementation.