The CEO of GamGo company, Saibo Manneh, has said that NPP executive and financier Haji Baniko Sisoho has no vested interest in the contract that NAWEC awarded to GamGo for the procurement of 26 pickup vehicles.
CEO Manneh also explained that Mr Sisoho has no stake in GamGo.
Last week, documents reportedly linking Haji Baniko Sisoho to the NAWEC vehicle contract, surfaced on social media.
However, in an interview with JollofNews on Monday at GamGo Head Office located at the former Dream Park at Senegambia, Mr Saibo Manneh explained that he never crossed paths with Sisoho until a little less than two months ago.
Manneh further explained that GamGo is his brainchild and that he built it from the ground up with his staff.
“It may interest you to know that I first met Haji Baniko Sisoho less than two months ago. He did not know when GamGo was founded or when the company won the NAWEC contract. We never had any business dealings, which was why I found the report, linking Sisoho to the NAWEC/GamGo contract, laughable,” said Manneh.
According to him, GamGo was a sole proprietorship involved in the tiles and construction materials business before it diversified its portfolio in 2021 to venture into procurement.
“GamGo was established in 2018 as a sole proprietorship, specializing in tiles and building materials. In 2024, it was registered as a company not to amass profit, but to help develop the country because the government cannot do it all by itself. It’s my conviction that both the government and private sector must reinforce each other’s effort for the realization of the development aspirations of the citizens,” stated GamGo boss.
NAWEC Vehicle Contract Pre-Financed
In response to a question asked by JollofNews about the nature of the contract, Manneh disclosed that GamGo pre-financed it.
“We pre-financed the contract because I am always conscious of the fact that The Gambia is where we call home. We did this to ensure that the vehicles were delivered in a timely manner while NAWEC did not have to go through all the stresses associated with procuring the vehicles,” he stated.
Due Process
The GamGo CEO explained that the tender for the procurement of NAWEC’s 26 vehicles by his company followed due process.
“They realized that our price was more competitive as the difference between ours and others ranged from D8M to D20,” he stated, adding that GamGo did not grease anybody’s palm to get the NAWEC contract.
“We did not bribe any politician or government official to win the contract,” he pointed out.
Support for Gambian-Owned Businesses
The GamGo CEO and founder called on the Gambia government and Gambians to endeavour harder to support Gambians to develop The Gambia.
He also called on Gambians to avoid the Pull Him Down (PHD) syndrome and the politicization of many aspects of Gambian life.
“We are comfortable seeing foreigners win millions of dalasi worth of government contracts, but we are ready to tear our brother apart for winning a public contract,” he lamented. “You see, we have to rise above this kind of thing. We are citizens of this country. Why are they not saying GamGo pre-financed this contract? Will other foreign-owned business entities do that? They may not because their owners are not Gambian citizens.”
The GamGo CEO stated that the NAWEC contract should be seen in a positive light.
“We have to see this contract as a positive step in that it was awarded to a company owned by a young man, who must be empowered and has employed 17 staff. You have to consider all that but you want to politicize everything. We must pass that stage now,” he underscored.
