The European Union (EU) will support, with just over €1m, a technical assistance programme to strengthen the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in The Gambia.
This is the first of phase of efforts to create universal internet access in The Gambia by complementing existing internet infrastructure with 4G wireless technology and through accompanying social inclusion measures.
According to the Gambia Investment and export promotion agency (GiEPA), although the ICT infrastructure is not wholly open for investors, “proposals geared towards improving the infrastructure particularly broadband technologies for extending access are highly welcome from potential investors for consideration“.
In the same vein of assisting the Gambia ICT, the European Union has announced another €22.6 million for five new programmes under the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) to foster stability and security in the Sahel and Lake Chad region.
The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa was established in 2015 to address the root causes of instability, forced displacement and irregular migration and to contribute to better migration management. EU institutions, member states and other donors have so far allocated resources amounting to €5 billion to the EUTF.
