Attila Lajos, EU Ambassador to The Gambia, on Friday said that the €1. 45 Billion Euros pledge to The Gambia at the recent donor conference held at Brussels has both grant and loan packages.
News of the €1. 45 Billion Euro pledge at the Donor Conference was almost celebrated by every Gambian without prior knowledge about the loan component of the pledges offered to a country that is already overboard with unsustainable loan problems inherited from the past regime.
Ambassador Lajos in an exclusive interview with The Fatu Networ’s Lamin Sanyang at his office, said the pledges were in twofolds or two in one, a grant and a loan which makes a total of €1. 45 Billion Euros. He cleared the doubts of those who think that President Barrow has returned with bags full of money which he said was not the case as the pledges are a support to the country’s development plans within a period of 3 years. He added that a chunk of the pledges would come in the form of development projects.
“I think it is 50/50 or more than half of the pledge is a loan,” Ambassador Lajos said.
“It is left to The Gambia to take the grant and leave the loan,” he added.
Lajos, told The Fatu Network that the EU has committed €225 Million Euros to The Gambia in the period 2017–2020 while committing another €140 Million Euros at the Donor Conference. This means the EU’s full support to The Gambia is €365 Million Euros until 2020.
“These funds help us carry out our cooperation with The Gambia in collaboration with a number of different project partners,” he said.
The EU is active in a number of areas notably, rural development and agriculture, transport and road infrastructure, energy and environment, inclusive and sustainable growth and job creation, strengthening civil society and good governance, tackling the root causes of migration, peace and security, trade and competitiveness.
“Every thing we are doing is migration sensitive,” one EU delegate said.
This official told The Fatu Network that the EU gives priority to women in every project in The Gambia. He added that women are sometimes left behind in The Gambia.
Ambassador Lajos buttressed on the budgetary support that the (EU) Development Fund is providing to The Gambia Government which he said at times goes with conditions. He made reference to the release of political prisoners as an example of such conditions.
“It is possible that there will be a precondition of Anti Corruption Commission next year,” he said.
The EU Ambassador still on the budgetary support said they would continue to provide technical support to ensure that The Gambian authorities properly manage the funds. He explained that the EU funded projects were stopped in the past due to the bad human rights records of the former regime. He commended the new political climate under the Barrow Administration.
When asked whether they would do the same to stop funds should the new government falters, he answered in the affirmative.
“That is not a threat,” he laughs.
The EU is currently funding 18 projects in The Gambia from 2017–2020.
