Banjul, November 19, 2021, SPA -- A delegation of Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) has wrapped up a visit to the Gambia after inaugurating a $31 million SFD-funded project to rehabilitate and develop Banjul International Airport, to raise the airport’s operational capacity by 43% and enhance the prospects for economic exchange and improve the living standards of more than two million beneficiaries. SFD CEO, Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Murshed, and the Gambian Vice President Isatou Touray laid the foundation stone for a project to establish a VIP lounge at the airport, worth $10.5 million, to provide the necessary infrastructure to host official delegations and hold international conferences, as well as a $50 million road infrastructure project in the capital, Banjul, covering 51 km of main and sub-main roads, to help address traffic congestion in the Greater Banjul area. On the sidelines of the visit to the Gambia, the delegation visited several SFD-funded projects in the capital, as well as visiting the permanent academic complex of the University of The Gambia, which the Saudi Fund for Development contributed to financing with an amount of $10 million, and aims to develop the education sector and support development programs via creating the appropriate conditions for higher education and scientific research and the preparation of specialized Gambian qualifications. The delegation also visited the Saudi Program for Well Drilling and Rural Development in Africa project - Phase V - in the Gambia, which was funded by an $11 million grant from the Kingdom through SFD, which benefits more than 100,000 people. --SPA 20:45 LOCAL TIME 17:45 GMT 0025 www.spa.gov.sa/w1653604