By Mariama Njie
National Assembly public enterprise committee has approved 2018 annual report of Gambia Civil Aviation Authority after thorough scrutiny.
The committee chair Halifa Sallah who spoke during consideration session reminded GCAA officials of section 175 of the Constitution as saying “ which gives the NA the responsibility to set up their Committee, to carry out the functions of monitoring Public Enterprises, in order to ensure efficiency and transparency; that they are required to consider the activity report and financial statement.”
“We want to put an end to the backlog before august 31st 2020, we don’t want any public enterprise to fail in summiting their activity reports,” he said.
As we move towards 2019, the board look at the financial reality of the authority and enter into different contract with those who have given it loans, and the government to see if we are to resist the enterprise so that if it can be fit for propose, he said.
However, he asked GCAA board to explain more about the travel increases from 12 million to 36 million, saying “we are just helping you to prepared for 2019, because we are dealing with backlog and this are the things you will have to explained very clearly.”
Meanwhile, the committee also questioned the jump in figures from one year to the other in term of corporate social responsibility, and also to be reporting in the activity report on how you actually fulfil such responsibility, as they urged government to enter into contract with public enterprises so that to do things and be repaid rather than simply doing things for charity.
GCAA board members however responded to the committee that the jump from 12 million to 36 million occurred as a result of some of the members attended conferences, pilgrimage and meeting with IJO during the year.