Deputy Speaker of the Fifth Legislature of The Gambia
By Landing Ceesay
The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Gambia, Momodou L.K Sanneh, has advised the government to take charge of the country’s mining industry.
“Madam Speaker mining is under a Ministry and mining is our resource. Mining is a natural resource of this country. If a licence is issued to an ordinary citizen to mind our natural resources, I think the government should certainly look into this issue and try to review it. Especially, the black sand in Kombo Sanyang, mining should give this country a lot of money that we will use to carry out some of our development. So the government should take charge of the mining industry in this country,” Mr. Sanneh said during the final session of the Fifth Legislature.
The veteran politician said the mining sector is in the hands of private people whom he accused of enriching themselves while the government is struggling with its development programmes.
“We go in for loans and grants when our natural resources are here. We give it to people to exploit it and enrich themselves when the country is suffering. We cannot have mining as natural resources, yet we are a poor country. An ordinary citizen should not be in charge of our mining sector,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker observed that the Gambia could develop with some of the natural resources, if they are properly managed.
On the country’s health sector, the deputy speaker advised the government to ensure that health centres and hospitals across the country are equipped.
“Health in this country is really a problem. We have been hearing people complaining almost all over about the health situation. Our health centres and hospitals are under-equipped. The materials are not there. So, it is the responsibility of the government to make sure that these problems are seriously looked at and make sure that [the] materials are available; because Health sector is very important for any nation’s development,” Mr. Sanneh said.
Honourable Momodou L.K Sanneh, a veteran politician and the Deputy Speaker of the Fifth Legislature made these remarks on Monday during their final session in Banjul.