By: Binta Jaiteh
National Assembly select committee on public enterprise on Thursday approved Gambia International Airline’s annual report for 2017 and 2018.
Speaking during consideration, Alagie Jawara a committee member said “the constitution stated that public Enterprise is a cooperate body that is own by the Government, and a member of a national assembly or a political holder shall not be qualified to be appointed by public enterprise.”
Managing Director of GIA Lamin Cham said, hajj is an activity that is conducted outside the country and there are so many things that are beyond our control adding that the same issues go for accommodation in the cities of Medina and Mecca and there was a problem in hajj.
He said, GIA loss 38 million dalasi’s to at least 1million profit and that is a big jump from the financial performance of GIA was I the last two to three years, new board came in and issues were highlighted and working with the management and pay dividend to government.
“The Government of the Gambia asks Social Security to provide funding for repatriation of Gambians pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to the Gambia,” he added.
According to him, GIA is the only institution that conduct hajj and the Gambia is predominantly Muslim country so weather we make profit or not, hajj must be conducted for Gambians and that is the social dimension for hajj investment adding that GIA revenue come from ground handling and it is commercial entity that aim at minimizing profit and pay dividend to Government.
Chairperson of GIA Abdoulie Hydara said, 2017 to 2018 hajj was not profitable to GIA, we try to cut cost of the hajj and began to yield and that should be profitable and hajj is becoming difficult for Gambians to afford.
He said hajj operation on, 2018, 2019 there is a competitive market and it proven that the ticket for hajj is so high in previous years, adding decentralizing hajj can bring competition in the market and therefore shares of risks will be minimal.