Gambia’s Information Minister Demba Ali Jawo has defended the government’s decision to ditch the Swiss owned
Information Minister, Demba Ali Jawo
company Multimedia Gateway International (MGI) as the sole manager of the Gambia’s International Gateway.
MGI, which was established in 2002 and prides itself with providing high quality connectivity anywhere in the world, had its contract terminated in July by the government.
The government said the billing system was acquired on behalf of Gambia’s cellular company, GAMCEL, which it described as the most expensive ever for the company if not around the world.
It said although the billing platform cost millions of US Dollars, GAMCEL does not have total ownership and control over the system.
Despite high billing cost, the government earlier this week announced that it was handing the contract back to GMI, but changed its mind some hours later.
“This decision [to re-establish the contract agreement with GMI] has since been rescinded. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has finalised the tender processes of acquiring a gateway monitoring tool,” Minister Jawo told journalists Wednesday during a presser held at GRTS Building, Kanifing.
Mr Jawo said that the Ministry of Information and Communications Infrastructure (MOICI), the Ministry of Justice and PURA are edging towards finalizing the license terms and conditions.
He added that this enable government to immediately roll out the liberalisation of the gateway as dictated by policy.
He explain one of the contributing factor that led Gambia gov’t to rescind its decision has to do with startling revelations at the ongoing commission of inquiry.
Never mind the choatic nature of the privatisation process, I, and many like me, will frown at the decision of our government to privatise a high income generation area like the international Gateway.
Why can’t GAMTEL, a publicly owned corporation, manage the international Gateway, particularly when the infrastructure on which the gateway is dependent is publicly funded and owned? Gambians have entrusted our nation’s affairs with these privatisation obsessed lot, but they should show a bit of competence or order in their handling of national affairs. Indecisiveness in decision making relating to private investment is not the best advert to lure private investors.
Gamtel was once a beacon for an African state owned enterprise/ But it was plundered poorly managed and epitomised the dregs of 22 years of Jammeh’s rule/
Gamcel was a highly profitable enterprise that took the best from Gamtel and made significant financial progress/ An outfit like Gamcel could take the Private gateway and produce a significant and viable enterprise to be proud of; I tend to think {from this distance} the present government are being poorly advised and appears to be surrounded by carpetbaggers and opportunists/
Unfortunately it will take a new future government to uncover just what the hell is going on.
Confusing !!!
Indicates poor oversight/ supervision and hesitation tendencies associated with lack of information and experience///
Mr Jawo appears to be presiding over so many “uncomfortable” moments for this government/
Chaos seems to be the order of the day ///
Never mind the choatic nature of the privatisation process, I, and many like me, will frown at the decision of our government to privatise a high income generation area like the international Gateway.
Why can’t GAMTEL, a publicly owned corporation, manage the international Gateway, particularly when the infrastructure on which the gateway is dependent is publicly funded and owned? Gambians have entrusted our nation’s affairs with these privatisation obsessed lot, but they should show a bit of competence or order in their handling of national affairs. Indecisiveness in decision making relating to private investment is not the best advert to lure private investors.
Gamtel was once a beacon for an African state owned enterprise/ But it was plundered poorly managed and epitomised the dregs of 22 years of Jammeh’s rule/
Gamcel was a highly profitable enterprise that took the best from Gamtel and made significant financial progress/ An outfit like Gamcel could take the Private gateway and produce a significant and viable enterprise to be proud of; I tend to think {from this distance} the present government are being poorly advised and appears to be surrounded by carpetbaggers and opportunists/
Unfortunately it will take a new future government to uncover just what the hell is going on.