By Landing Colley
Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs has told lawmakers that it will cost government D 800,000,000 (Eight Hundred million dalasi) to provide basic foodstuff namely; rice and oil and a cash of one-thousand for every household in the country.
Mambury Njie made the disclosure on Friday at the National Assembly during the emergency session on extension of public state of emergency to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“Out of the total population the total Gambia household is 2080,659.00 and if the government is to provide everything including rice, oil and thousand dalasi for every household it will cost government D 800,000,000 (Eight Hundred million dalasi )”, he said.
He added: “50% will cost government D400, 000,000 (Four Hundred million dalasi and 30% will cost government D240, 000,000(Two Hundred and forty million dalasi.”
Minister Njie further revealed that his ministry has already spend D11,000.00 (Eleven million dalasi) out of D12,000.000 ( Twelve million dalasi) , adding the ministry is requesting another D60,000,00(Sixty million dalasi) for the payment of the hotels and allowance to regional health teams each D100,000.00 (One hundred thousand dalasi)
He pointed out that the government is looking into the situation that, saying that he was quoting from a statistic that government working committee made available to his office in the event government decide to give compensation packages to the vulnerable.