Albayrak Group Breaks Ground on Sanyang Deep Sea Port in The Gambia

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Sanyang Deep Sea Port was held on Saturday, July 5, marking a major milestone in Albayrak Group’s overseas port and construction investment portfolio. This new port project, located on the Sanyang coast, aligns with the Group’s investment plan to relocate the current Banjul Port — now constrained within the city center — in accordance with the concession agreement signed with the Gambian government.

Held under the patronage of Gambian President Adama Barrow and First Lady Fatoumatta Bah Barrow, the official ceremony was attended by Nuri Albayrak, Vice Chairman of the Board at Albayrak Group, and Board Member Muhammet Fatih Albayrak. Gambia’s Minister of Transport, Works, and Infrastructure, Ebrima Sillah, hosted the event, which also saw participation from Turkish Ambassador to Banjul, Fahri Türker Oba, several ministers, board members of the Gambia Ports Authority, and many distinguished guests. The local community showed strong interest in the event, which included a traditional prayer ceremony.

After winning a major international tender with participation from key players in the sector, Albayrak Group signed a 30-year concession agreement with the Gambian government in July last year and officially took over operations at the port in February of this year. Even before assuming operational control, the Group began fulfilling its commitments, achieving record-breaking improvements in a short time — a 70% boost in container operations and a 37.5% increase in non-container cargo handling, effectively reducing the number of waiting vessels to zero.

Operating with a focus on efficiency and performance, Albayrak Group aims to lower the cost of essential goods through improved port logistics, thereby strengthening purchasing power and quality of life for the Gambian people. As part of the modernization of Banjul Port, the Group also introduced state-of-the-art equipment in record time.

With existing operations in Trabzon (Türkiye), Mogadishu (Somalia), Conakry (Guinea), Baku (Azerbaijan), Pointe-Noire (Republic of the Congo), Bata and Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), and Banjul (The Gambia), the addition of the Sanyang Deep Sea Port raises the Group’s number of overseas ports to eight. Albayrak Group plans to invest a total of $605 million in Gambia’s port infrastructure over the 30-year concession period — $25 million for the modernization of the existing port and $580 million for the new Sanyang facility.

The current port in Banjul, hemmed in by the city and lacking room to grow, has contributed significantly to urban traffic congestion due to heavy truck movement. To address this, Albayrak had already implemented a truck parking solution within the port area. However, to fully unlock the port's growth potential, the Gambian government and Albayrak Group jointly agreed to relocate operations to Sanyang and develop a new deep sea port.

Designs for the Sanyang Deep Sea Port — informed by technical, topographical, and bathymetric studies — are progressing in collaboration with local stakeholders and with consideration for community input. MTBS serves as the Independent Engineer for the project, while technical execution is led by Albayrak’s experienced engineering and project teams. The Banjul terminal operations will be gradually transferred to the new port as each phase is completed. Once operational, the Sanyang Deep Sea Port is expected to become a key trade and logistics hub for both The Gambia and landlocked neighboring countries.

Following the full relocation to Sanyang, Albayrak Group, in collaboration with the Gambian government, plans to redevelop the former Banjul Port site — located in the city’s touristic center — into a large-scale real estate, marina, and cruise port project with extensive social and cultural facilities.