The Barrow administration has already cut deals for the privatisation of key national assets such as the Banjul Port and Senegambia Bridge, while it was reportedly on the cusp of sealing deals for the privatisation a part of Gamtel/Gamcel and Banjul International Airport, respectively.
As belts are being tightened across the country ahead of the upcoming presidential election, the question that has been bothering us here at JollofNews is: which other key national asset will the Barrow administration float for privatisation if returned to office? Simple as this question may look, but the answers it provides us are worrying.
A Government that has shown an insatiable appetite for “auctioning” strategic national assets exposes its lack of foresight for economic regeneration and growth. Unbridled privatisation of important national infrastructure smacks of fiscal recklessness.
Instead of ceding 80% of port shares to Al Bayrak or “mortgaging” the Senegambia Bridge to Africa 50 at US$100 million in a surreptitious manner, these assets could have remained 100% Gambian-owned, revitalized and rejuvenated to optimally benefit the population.
National security considerations should not also be relegated to the backseat in this national assets “privatization spree”.
