| Summary: | A good well maintained infrastructure network is the cornerstone of a country's economic development. It is in recognition of this fact that many Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) countries (including the Gambia), have in recent years been investing massively in infrastructure projects. Many of these projects have however not achieved their originally stated goals of timely completion, within budget, and full compliance with the required specifications.
This study critically reviews how infrastructure projects are being managed in the Gambia, using two recently completed projects at the Banjul International Airport as case studies. The study proceeds from a general review of project management and the diverse management techniques being advocated by various literature on the subject. A 'best practice' framework is then developed using theoretical as well as real life project cases such as the L.B. Pearson International Airport project in Toronto, Canada. A detailed description of the two project case studies are then made and subsequently evaluated using the framework.
The conclusions drawn from evaluating the two cases are that the best practice framework developed from successful projects in developed western countries might not be totally applicable to a developing country like the Gambia due to profound cultural, literacy, and standard of living differentials. In addition, the importance of project planning is usually underestimated in developing countries.
The study concludes by recommending amongst other things that research and data collation on project implementation in developing countries be enhanced so that best practices, specific to developing countries, could be developed.
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