By Yusupha Jobe
Ensa Drammeh, Director of Planning at the Ministry of Transport has said the cancelled trip of Senegalese Minister of Transport to The Gambia would have only be a show of political commitment in solving recent border issue
Notwithstanding, he said, the agreed date for the Inter-State Transportation Permit (ISTP) still remains unchanged.
The Gambia Minister of transport and his Senegalese counterpart last month signed an inter-state transportation permit accord called ISTP which according to a media dispatched from the ministry of transport will start operational in March 15 2020. This will allow commercial vehicles holding the permit to cross the borders of the two countries without any hindrance.
The signed accord on the (ISTP) between the two countries came after commercial buses belonging to the Gambia Transport Service Cooperation (GTSC) were denied entry at the border point by the Karang Transport Union in Senegalese. This prompted the transport union of The Gambia to organize a press conference where it was announced by the union’s President that effective 9th February no Senegalese commercial vehicle will allow to enter The Gambia. This automatically forced the two countries to have a dialogue and enter a final agreement of allowing a free border transportation of commercial vehicles of the two nations.
Speaking to The Voice in an interview, Mr Drammeh said the cancelled trip of Senegalese Minister of Transport to The Gambia which was as a result of a cabinet meeting convened by President Macky Sall due to confirmed cases of Coronavirus, though, has not changed the agreed date of the (ISTP) between the two countries.
“The unfortunate cancelled trip of Senegalese Transport Minister to meet his Gambia’s counterpart has nothing to do with the already agreed date for the (ISTP) that will be effective on the 15 of March 2020. And I hope all operators were well informed of the date which was sent as a press release to all the media houses. So you can see we are even preparing for the coming Presidential council meeting to be held in Senegal where recent border problem between two countries will also be discussed,” he said.
He reiterated that “the cancelled trip by the Transport Minister of Senegal was due to the cabinet meeting on spread of coronavirus in their country. Beside the visit, the Minister would show political will of her government of respecting the (ISTP) signed agreement,” he stated.
Omar Ceesay President of Gambia Transport Union on his part said his union is only waiting on the agreed date of the inter-state transport permit which he mentioned was informed to all operators.
“It is only some days to go for the start of the agreed (ISTP). So I can say is even next week which will fall on the 15 of this month for the agreed (ISTP) between two countries to become functional. And we are only waiting to see what will happen as union,” he said.