Hon. Suwaibou Touray, Chairman Of The Petition Committee
By Ramatoulie Jawo
On Thursday, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Public Petitions presented its resolutions regarding the Gambia Tourism Board Staff Petition to the plenary. They recommended an immediate investigation into land allocations within the Tourism Development Areas (TDAs) dating back to 2017.
During the presentation, Hon. Suwaibou Touray, the Committee Chairman, called for the Ministry of Tourism to reprimand Mr. Ousainou Senghore, Chairman of the Contracts Committee for the eco lodges. Hon. Touray criticized Mr. Senghore for providing inaccurate financial performance analyses to the Contracts Committee, which adversely impacted the scoring and evaluation process.
Additionally, Hon. Touray urged that the Gambia Tourism Board be held accountable for awarding all contracts to a single bidder, a practice he argued contradicts the recommendations of the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA).
“The Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA) must ensure that all recommendations made on contracts are adhered to and implemented by awarding institutions. The Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) must further investigate who gave the authority to build a hotel at Barra that was eventually abandoned, costing millions, and report back to the National Assembly on or before 1st December 2024,” Hon. Touray said.
Hon. Touray emphasized that the National Assembly Select Committee on Tourism and the Ombudsman must oversee and ensure that all senior staff who were wrongfully terminated or dismissed as a result of this petition are promptly reinstated to their former positions at the Head Office.
He also requested that the Select Committee and the Ombudsman provide a report to the Assembly on the implementation of this resolution by September 1, 2024.
Additionally, Hon. Touray called for the establishment of an Independent Commission by the Executive to investigate the allocation of land to investors within the TDA from 2017 to the present.
“FPAC must monitor this and report back to the Assembly on or before 1st December 2024. The Auditor General must appoint a Quantity Surveyor to look at all the investment project applications and advise on the total investment quoted. Any understatement of cost must be revisited and matched with the investment. The Auditor General must report back to the Assembly by 1st December 2024,” Hon. Touray highlighted.
Hon. Touray has called for the Inspector General of Police to investigate the Priority Leisure Group company, which has been allocated a substantial piece of land measuring 107m x 75m x 42m x 47m x 76m in the central area of TDA’s prime land at Duplex.
He expressed concerns that the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association did not include a list of shareholders as required, and he questioned the adequacy of the stated investment amount of D27.5 million, deeming it too low for the size and value of the land in question.
“The Executive must set up a Lands Committee that shall include the following sectors: GT Board, Lands Office, National Environment Agency, and Geology Unit, to ensure that allocation of land in the TDA is properly vetted to avoid duplication and ensure sectorial collaboration, on or before 1st December 2024,” Hon. Touray said.
Hon. Touray has directed that the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, along with the GT Board, must immediately cease the weekly fuel supply to the Minister and Permanent Secretary.
“Supply of fuel to them must only be made if they are on the errands of GT Board. The GT Board must ensure that all expenses made to the Ministry of Tourism are captured in the Annual Activity Report and Financial Statements of the Board,” he said.
Hon. Touray responded to criticisms from Minister Hamat Bah, who had accused the Committee of bias
“He (Hamat Bah) said those people are biased, and they are politicians who belong to the same political party as me, and he had told me to recuse myself from the inquiry. Because I am from the same Political Party with them. But that is a lie. I don’t even know those people. I never knew those people before they appeared before us,” Hon. Touray said.
The National Assembly Members will review the Committee’s proposed resolutions and convene on Tuesday to discuss their adoption.