Qatari firm to develop “unique resort” in Gambia

The government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Katara Hospitality in Qatar, to develop a ‘unique resort’ in The Gambi

The government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Katara Hospitality in Qatar, to develop a ‘unique resort’ in The Gambia at a minimum capital investment of US$250 million (equivalent to QR730 million).

The MoU was signed by Fatou Mass Jobe-Njie, the minister of Tourism and Culture; and Sheikh Nawaf bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani, chairman of the Katara Hospitality. Under the MoU, the Gambian government will offer Katara Hospitality 18 hectares plot of land under which the two sides would join in the development of the tourism industry in The Gambia.

Shortly after appending their signatures on the document, Minister Jobe-Njie welcomed Katara Hospitality to The Gambia and assured them that their investment in the country will contribute significantly to boosting the tourism sector and the country’s economy. She said that The Gambia is giving a push to tourism as the country has tremendous prospects in the industry.

“There have been some investments in our hospitality industry from investors. We are getting many tourists from Europe. Our country is very stable and peaceful. So, there are lots of incentives and opportunities for investors,” she told the Qatari investors, while stressing on the ‘excellent’ bilateral co-operation between Banjul and Doha.

“On behalf of His Excellency the president of the Republic of The Gambia, Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh, we wish to place on record our sincere appreciation and profound gratitude to the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa -Al Thani, who values heavily, The Gambia’s relationship with Qatar. And our sincere thanks and gratitude goes to President Jammeh, who in the course of the past several months, has followed with keen interest our efforts to solidify our desire for cooperation, particularly in the area of tourism, and we thank Allah the Almighty for blessing our conviction for co-operation, and for giving us the courage and wisdom to arrive at this goal post to sign this memorandum of understanding. We return all the credits to President Jammeh for making the initiative a success and the Emir of Qatar and thanked the Gambian ambassador to Qatar and the embassy staff for their support to ensure the possibility of the event,” she concluded.

For his part, Sheikh Nawaf bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani, the chairman of the Katara Hospitality, said the project will be a unique resort at a premium location near Gambia’s capital. “We think it will be a good investment,” he said, while disclosing that the resort would have at least 200 rooms, although the project is Katara Hospitality’s first in The Gambia. “We are spreading all around. Qatar and The Gambia have a very good relationship, at the political level. Obviously, that will lead to economic co-operation,” he added, while citing strategic expansion to invest in emerging markets as one of their main pillars. He explained that by committing to this agreement, their primary goal is to support the development of the local community, while sharing their expertise in the hospitality field and investing into creating a strong partnership and lasting value.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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