In January of this year, The Gambia Port Authority (GPA) ceded 70% of the operations of the Banjul Port to Al Bayrak Group now repackaged Al Port.
According to The Gambia government, the Banjul Port has suffered several years of underinvestment and that the port’s inefficiency would continue to cause haemorrhage of billions of dalasi until something is done about it.
To cut a very long story short, The Gambia government entered into a concessionary agreement with Al Bayrak to run the Banjul Port for 30 years. This agreement effectively put Al Bayrak in control of 70% of port operations. As per the agreement, the Al Port should bring in new cargo handling equipment, enhance the port’s digital infrastructure and expand the container terminal among other short-term solutions to the port’s perennial problems.
It’s disheartening to see Al Port still heavily reliant on GPA’s cargo handling equipment nearly six months after taking control of port operations. Isn’t it?
A few weeks after 70% of the port operations was ceded to Al Port, the group promised that all its cargo handling equipment will be in Banjul in June. June is currently busy packing its stuff to give way to July, and nothing remarkable has so far happened.
Yesterday, the GPA MD Ousman Jobarteh and Al Port manager Mr Cem said they were inspecting the port expansion project site, trying to give the impression of seriousness. The truth is it’s the taxpayer money that is financing that project even if not entirely. It wasn’t ages ago when the GPA acquired 22,000sqm of residential properties at the contiguous zone of the port at Half-Die. This is part of the 1992 Port Master Plan. The GPA, it should be said, has already set this process in motion.
It is time for Gambians to start scrutinising Al Port! They have not started off well and we here at JollofNews are still not convinced that they will end well. You cannot promise millions of dollars of investment, yet you are doing very little.
Gambians can help kick Al Port out if they fail to stick to their side of the bargain. Smart lawyers like Lamin J. Darboe and L.S Camara can help in identifying possible breaches of contract and help us kick Al Port out if they refuse to behave well.
70% of port operations given to a foreign company not for 5 years of a presidential term or 10 years bt 30 long years! The Gambian bridge -‘Senegambia’ bridge handed over to another foreign company for another very long period, Gamcel and or Gamttel , Banjul International Airport, and who knows which next have mentioned to likely follow similar fate. Does one require a PhD in economics or rocket science to understand what these will lead? How can talk about job creation or investing in our main or tangible ‘natural resources’ (human capital) while handling over our assets to others for such long periods. What else shall have left to creat jobs with for the citizens to stay at home? What opportunities shall we have for the citizens to stay at home or for those away to come home to? Where the calls for the diaspora to return home, youth to remain home, etc made by our leaders in 2016/17 genuine or serious calls? Are these handing over, infamously called “recycling” not depleting the land the opportunities that have the potential of retaining it’s youth or attract brains home?
These actions speak to the youth louder than mere utterances on political platforms telling youth to stay home or calling diaspora to return! Do we need a white consultant to come tell us these’handing overs’ (recycling) is defeating the very ideals of nation hood? There actions tell in no uncertain terms that we have lost the hope that we can do it ourselves!!! So someone else come do it for us, but just give give us some change to present to our people or perhaps so we can have something for the few of us in-charge to line our pockets too when your big pockets are full?
Come on gambia!!!!!!!