Exiled ex-President Yahya Jammeh owns tens of expensive brands such as Hummer, Rolls Royce and others
By Mustapha Darboe
Gambia Government has put on sale the expensive fleet of executive vehicles and an aircraft left behind by former ruler Yahya Jammeh, country’s finance minister has informed journalists on Wednesday.
Jammeh, nicknamed by critics after an American pop star 50 Cent because of his liking for cars, has own tens of expensive brands such as Hummer, Rolls Royce and others.
All the customized expensive vehicles carry his name inscribed on the driver’s seat.
“The vehicles at the State House are all up for sale. The three planes at the airport are also on sale… We are working on a website to publicize it,” Amadou Sanneh said at a joint press conference with a visiting delegation of International Monetary Fund.
The fleets are under an investigation by the commission of inquiry established to probe the former dictator.
Meanwhile, the IMF mission chief Jaroslaw Wieczorek, said the country’s economy is recovering but its debt vulnerabilities are still very high.
Gambia’s debt is at 130% of the country’s GDP, 10% of which is incurred by Barrow administration.
“In 2018, GDP growth is expected to rise to 5-5 percent, inflation is projected to drop to about 5% percent, close to the Central Bank target of 5 percent and the international reserves to strengthen to 3.4 months of next year’s imports of goods and services,” Wieczorek said.
Sanneh said they have devised means of cutting expenditure, adding that they are also planning to retrench people as well as downsize the government fleet of vehicles.
“We have to tighten our belt and do all the necessary reforms that are needed to put Gambia on a sustainable path. Some of the reforms will hurt individuals…,” Sanneh said.
“I think we all have to brace ourselves for these reforms which include vehicle policy.”