By: Mariama Njie
The National Assembly public enterprise committee has rescheduled its engagement with The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), as this would give the committee to sit and review the nation’s aviation reports.
The cause of the reschedule of the sitting was as a result of the aviation late submission of its reports to the lawmakers.
Speaking during session, the committee’s chairperson, Honorable Halifa Salah said: “we observed that GCCA has not submitted its activity report and financial statement for the year ended 31st December, 2019.”
“The financial statement and the activity report should be presented in the present of GCAA’s external auditors. 175 subsequent 5 of the constitution acquiring public enterprise to summit their activity report and financial statement within 3 months of the year on its final year to the National Assembly for scrutiny,” he added.
He explained that the National Assembly has set up this committee (Standing committee on public enterprise) and charged it with the responsibility of reviewing the activity report and financial statement to confirm that they present a fair Bill of the state of affairs of its public enterprise and take note of any gap that might occur.
“The exercise starts with presentations of the activity report and financial statement by the board and team and the next leg is for the members to consider what has been presented and that is what we have schedule.
“We are to monitor the operation of the public enterprise in order to label accountable to the National Assembly,” the lawmaker said.
He said their duty is to engage the board and team to be able to get something they can rely on to be sure that they are together in this exercise.
“The process has been done purely because of the backlog they intended and given assurance to public enterprises that they want to accompany them to greater verity and that is inconsiderable without presenting a comprehensive report to the National Assembly,”
He explained that their constitutional mandate is to monitor the operations and business of GCAA, which is inconsiderable without the activity report and financial statement.
GCCA top official, Ebrima Bojang said: “the activity report itself is ready and they will try to engage the auditors to present, as what has happened is a circumstance beyond their control.”