Muhammed Lamin Gibba Managing Director, Gambia Ports Authority	Fansu Bojang Director General, Civil Aviation Authority

While Banjul International Airport is making strides in setting itself apart from regional competitors, the Port of Banjul continues to make its own waves

Fansu Bojang has big plans for Banjul International Airport. The director general of the Civil Aviation Authority wants to see the airport establish itself as a regional base for long haul flights. He wants to see regional air connectivity increase. He wants the airport to take on a greater role in stimulating regional trade. And he wants to establish a Gambian-based carrier. His ambitions are not misplaced.

First of all, Banjul Airport still has excess capacity with room to take on a number of new flights. The airport has and continues to undergo expansion and modernization, which has made it one of the region’s best. The Civil Aviation Authority is also a regional benchmark, and the security level at Banjul is one of Africa’s highest. The airport has been cleared for flights to the States by the FAA, and participates in the Open Skies agreement. Banjul also offers the lowest tariffs in the region, which include the exemption of landing and take-off charges in some cases. The airport has a new Free Zone, just operational, with state-of-the-art infrastructure. In short, it has more than a handful of advantages over other regional airports to become a West African air hub, and this is exactly what the government has been aiming for.

“A good air transport system is more than significant for the economic growth for any country. The Gambian government has provided an opportunity for this, and The Gambia is a country that needs it,” says Bojang. “That is why we pay particular attention to quality in terms of both infrastructure and service. Although we are accessible by land, we are on the Atlantic coast of Africa. By our nature, we need air access, really, not only for regional integration, but also for intercontinental accessibility. Therefore, we have put a lot of emphasis on the development of this sector so that Banjul becomes easily accessible both by air and by sea.”

Air service is particularly important in developing nations such as The Gambia as it allows the country to develop its trade activities even though road infrastructure may be weak. “The state of the road service is a well-known fact and it hampers the movement of trade in terms of people and goods, therefore a reliable air access in terms of credible and reliable airlines is a must if we are to promote regional integration,” adds Bojang. “Along the way, we will look at the road service, and at some point they also need to be brought up to speed to improve on the efficiency of the movement of goods and services.”

Until then, the government is investing heavily in Banjul Airport, which since 1994 has received a new terminal building and a new tower. The airport’s runway is now being resurfaced and lighting has been placed along it. Next up is a new fire service station, expansion of the airport’s existing capacity and renewal of the entire navigation and communication aid system. In short, the airport is an attractive base for airlines looking for stopover points on the west coast.

“We have excess capacity and that is one of our strongest selling points now in addition to having one of the most competitive airports in the region,” says Bojang. “Congestion is not a problem. We can provide turnaround for most airlines we use here. We also have specialized packages for new airlines that are wishing to establish operation to Banjul or from Banjul to other destinations. Sometimes we give up to a 50% annual discount on some of the existent tariffs or complete free-landing in extreme cases. Normally, however, we would work with airlines and look at the cost and core structure to see what we could do as a tarmac to help them accept the high costs that are associated with starting operations.”

Looking ahead, the biggest challenge for the airport is to establish a credible long haul airline based in the country, according to Bojang, who says that once that is achieved, the rest is history. “We can get to South Africa through a Gambian airline. It is certain to divert almost all the North American and European flights through Banjul.”

The other side of the coin in The Gambia’s bid to establish itself as a regional transport hub is sea transport. While Banjul Airport is making strides in setting itself apart from regional competitors, the Port of Banjul continues to make its own waves as The Gambia Ports Authority works to establish it as a leading maritime center for trade, logistics and distribution.

Like Banjul Airport, the Port of Banjul is one of the safest in Africa. It also forms an important role in the country’s trade activities. Indeed, 90% of total trade now flows through the port, according to Muhammed Lamin Gibba, managing director of Gambia Ports Authority, who says that it is truly an engine of growth for the country, and is key in its development.

Also like the country’s airport, the Port of Banjul is run by smart and ambitious management, who are highly motivated to be the best and have established their facilities as the most efficient in the region.

As Gibba says, “Sometimes, small is beautiful, and we are only small in terms of population. We are very efficient and this efficiency brings in businesses from elsewhere. We have one of the fastest ship turnaround times and the easiest documentation procedure in the sub-region.”

Unlike Banjul Airport, however, the Port of Banjul suffers from excess (and rising) demand and insufficient capacity. Measures to correct this are underway as Gibba is determined to create room for the port’s growth. He is now in the advanced stages of talks with the African Development Bank to secure a loan for deepening the port’s access channel, and expansion of facilities on land is now taking place.

“At the moment, we are generating a million metric tons per year at the ports. The growth in traffic has prompted the need to expand our port to face the challenges of congestion and maintain our fast turnaround time,” he says. “The port will be expanded on the land side. We have embarked on several projects to do this and in the near future more berths will be available coupled with more space for accommodating bigger ships. We will not limit ourselves to one million metric tons per year. At the moment we have increased demand so we need to increase the space for our container terminal.”

He adds that the port welcomes partners in this expansion, especially in the construction of new terminals, the introduction of new technology and know-how in improving loading and unloading procedures as well as in cargo distribution.