Sulayman Sumareh Janneh, Acting Managing Director of the National Roads Authority (NRA), stated that road infrastructure is not just a pathway for vehicles, but it is the artery of national development.

He added that along these corridors also lie the lifelines of modern economies, Fibre optic cables, ducts, water lines, and utilities that connect our people to services and opportunities.

The NRA boss was speaking during the validation of The Gambia’s National Dig Once Policy held at Metzy Hotel in Kololi on Wednesday 3rd December 2025.

He added that the National Dig Once Policy recognises an essential synergy which ensures that as they build, rehabilitate, and expand the national road network, they simultaneously lay the foundation for digital connectivity, utility coordination, and long-term infrastructure planning.

According to him, this is a policy about foresight, efficiency, and maximising every dalasi invested in public infrastructure.

“As the custodian of the national road reserve, the National Roads Authority (NRA) holds a central and indispensable role in operationalising this policy. The road reserve is a protected national asset, and its coordinated use is fundamental for orderly development,” he further said.

To safeguard this asset, MD Sumareh Janneh buttressed that the Road Reserve Committee, chaired by the NRA, serves as the key mechanism for governance, harmonization, and oversight, noting that the Committee ensures that all utilities—whether telecoms, water, electricity, or other services—are placed in the right corridor, in the right manner, and at the right time.

Meanwhile, the successful implementation of the Dig-Once Policy will rely on close institutional collaboration between the Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy (MoCDE) (policy leadership), the National Roads Authority (NRA), PURA, NAWEC, and Local Councils and Municipalities, to ensure integration of digital infrastructure into public works planning, permitting, and environmental compliance