As the main political parties are gearing up for the upcoming general elections, our village made headlines as three projects situated in Ghajnsielem were officially inaugurated. These included the new crafts incubation centre, the reconstruction of Mgarr Road and the inauguration of the long-delayed Mgarr Harbour Terminal.

Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi inaugurated the first crafts incubation centre in Gozo. The €850,000 (Lm364,905) project which is situated behind the Ghajnsielem Primary School comprises five fully-equipped workshops with the latest machinery, as well as an IT system to enable students to participate in more modern hands-on training in subjects relating to silver and gold manufacturing, wood and stone carving, metal works, pottery as well as glass works. It opens up new entrepreneurship possibilities for students who opt to take craft and art further than just a hobby. The project was mostly financed through the EU’s Structural Funds Programme for Malta. The new centre also incorporates an extension of the Wistin Camilleri Gozo Centre for Art and Crafts. This school started in 1989 with three courses for under 50 students. Today more than 1,000 students of all ages – from children to the elderly – attend a total of 45 courses.

On Friday, 22nd February, Mġarr Road, which is used by visitors and Gozitans as soon as they step off the ferry the Mġarr terminal was opened. The road, which is around 2.5 kilometres long, was reconstructed from scratch at a cost of €5.5 million. A tunnel underneath will take all services and will ensure that the road will not have to be dug up again as soon as a fault occurs.

And just the day before, the new €9.7 million (Lm4,160,000) Mġarr sea passenger terminal was finally inaugurated. The long-awaited terminal took a decade in the making. Catering for 600 passengers and 200 cars at a time, the terminal is complete with lifts, escalators, air conditioning, a spacious, squeaky-clean, marble-clad waiting area, cafeteria and baggage deposit and pick-up spot, a roof garden and 180-vehicle car park, under the marshalling zone.

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