2019: A Dedication Ceremony for One of West Africa’s Longest Bridges

January 21, 2019

A bridge in the Gambia (officially called the Republic of the Gambia) was opened to the public. This bridge, which connects the country’s northern and southern regions, carries the Trans-Gambia Highway across the Gambia River. Measuring 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers) in length, the structure is one of West Africa’s longest bridges.

This bridge is also a pivotal connection for the Casamance (Ziguinchor) area of the Republic of Senegal, a country that surrounds most of the Gambia. The Gambia — the smallest country in continental Africa — separates Casamance from the rest of Senegal. Consequently, the bridge serves as a link between those sections of Senegal. In light of all of this, the structure’s formal appellation is a portmanteau of the names of both countries. The Senegambia Bridge is also widely known as the Trans-Gambia Bridge.

Construction on the Senegambia Bridge began in 2015. Those on hand for the Monday afternoon opening of this bridge in 2019 included Adama Barrow (born in 1965), who has been president of the Gambia since 2017; and Macky Sall (born in 1961), who was president of Senegal from 2012 to 2024. Another leading participant in these inaugural festivities was renowned Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour (born in 1959), who performed for everyone in attendance.

Photo Credit: Wmtribe 2015 (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

Additional information on the opening of the Senegambia Bridge (also known as the Trans-Gambia Bridge) is available at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46973684