Information Minister Clarifies Procurement Process Leading to Contract Award for 5 Media Houses

Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, Minister Of Information

By Ramatoulie Jawo 

Honourable Ismaila Ceesay, the Minister of Information, clarified on Wednesday the procurement processes that resulted in contracts being awarded to five media houses for broadcasting government programs. 

He provided these clarifications during a session at the National Assembly in response to questions from Honourable Yahya Sanyang, the National Assembly Member for Latrikunda Sabiji.

Honourable Sanyang had inquired about the procurement procedures leading to the contract awards for broadcasting government programs to the five media houses.

The Minister recalled that the National Assembly passed the Access to Information Act in 2021, which was subsequently endorsed by the President on August 25, 2021. This legal framework facilitates public access to information held by the government and entities receiving public funds for goods and services.

He emphasized that the Access to Information legislation encourages proactive disclosure of government-held information to the public, provided it does not compromise national security or related matters.

“Building on the new imperatives, the Ministry and other stakeholders recognized imminent gaps in the government’s communication landscape that plays into the hands of opportunistic disinformation campaigners motivated often by political activism in the guise of online media practice,” he said.
Minister Ceesay emphasized that the government acknowledged the necessity of implementing a robust communications action plan to combat disinformation and its harmful effects, aiming to assert control over public narratives through proactive information dissemination.

“It is against this backdrop that the contract came into effect to address legitimate challenges that repeatedly reduced the government to a defensive position” he told lawmakers.

He informed members that with support from NDI, the Ministry had developed frameworks for both the implementation of the Access to Information (ATI) and National Communication. These frameworks aim to enhance proactive access to information concerning government development projects, programs, and other initiatives. 

“The contract should not be mistaken for a propaganda instrument for scoring political gains; instead, it is meant to support the free flow of information on government policy with a view to empower society to reinforce democratic accountability through constructive criticisms. In the absence of proactive information sharing, the government will lose the space to professional disinformation campaigners or political activists operating under the obscurity of online media practice.

He proceeded to inform the lawmakers that the media service contract had been signed with five broadcast media houses and two content developers: The Fatu Network, Star TV, QTV Radio and TV, Paradise TV, Eye Africa TV, with Fandema Multimedia and Sparkling Multimedia serving as content developers.

“The content developers who are crafted to produce series of documentaries, infographic videos, drama and social media contents on a scale that will provide a quick snapshot on the state of government development rights, it further envisages the outputs of the content development process will induce standard provoking experimental discussions and fall in program and satisfy the information needs of its citizenry,” he said. 

He mentioned that the ministry applied for approval to conduct a restricted tender as per Section 441 of the GPPA Act 2022. The GPPA granted approval for the restricted tender on 10th October 2023. 

“The approval effectively granted the ministry to float a restricted tender and in response, technical and financial proposals were as submitted by participating bidders. The contract’s committee of the ministry presided over the bid evaluation process that eventually paved the way for the submission of a comprehensive bid evaluation report to the GPPA,” he said.

Upon receiving final approval from the GPPA, the Minister drafted seven contracts for five broadcast entities and content developers. These contracts were then submitted to the Attorney General’s chambers for legal review and possible redrafting.

“The AG chambers reverted with the drafted contracts that reflected the final versions. The ministry solicited approval and received cost allocation equal to 50% of the contract value from the Ministry of Finance and economic affairs to defray contractual obligations upon the signing of the contracts. The procurement mechanism used was a restricted tender method, acceptable under Section 441 of the Gambia public procurement authority act 2022,” he said. 

He emphasized that the initial stage of the media services contract was limited to audiovisual broadcasting organizations capable of producing and broadcasting development-oriented documentaries, infographics, videos, dramas, expert analyst discussions, human interest stories, public interest stories, and live coverage of state events.

“The standards used for the selection of the media entities for participation in this pilot phase fees were informed by the judgment and perception of the government regarding one competency to viewership audience three professional independence capacity to air audiovisual and existence of baseline trust and confidence,”

He further stressed that the media service contract should not be viewed as, or used for, political propaganda. Instead, it serves as a channel to facilitate the transparent dissemination of information on government policies, regulations, and legal frameworks. Moreover, it aims to enhance public awareness about developmental initiatives, projects, and programs, equipping society with essential knowledge and fostering critical thinking to bolster democratic accountability through constructive feedback.

He highlighted that the media services contract has initiated the process of effectively sharing information with the public, promoting access to information, facilitating public consultations, and popularizing the government’s agenda.

“In the absence of proactive information sharing the government will lose the space to Professor disinformation, campaigners, or political activists upgrading the obscurity of online media practice as responsible, responsive government administration we remain committed to the costs of providing the public with unfettered access to information on all aspects of the government as espoused on the ATA 2021. We are ready to tackle the challenges of the paradigm shift in information value chain, particularly on social media platforms, through proactive public consultation and popularization of government agenda with a view to effectively and efficiently taking charge of the narratives,” he highlighted. 

His ministry is committed to creating the essential conditions that will support a vibrant democracy and uphold the principles of good governance.