By Malen Ndow
The National Assembly Public Enterprises Committee yesterday held a briefing session with state-owned enterprises ahead the house committee scrutiny, this session was held at Parliament complex in Banjul.
The institutions included, Gambia Ports Authority, Gambia Ferry Services, Social Security and Housing Finance Cooperation, Gambia Telecommunications Limited, Gambia Cellular Company Limited, Gambia Civil Aviation Authority, Gambia International Airline, National Water and Electricity Company, Gambia National Petroleum Cooperation, National food Security Processing and Marketing Cooperation, The Gambia Postal Service, The Gambia Radio and Television Service, The Gambia Public Printing Cooperation, and Asset Management and Recovery Cooperation
Speaking during the briefing, Honourable Lamin J Sanneh, chairperson of the committee told the institution heads that section 109, 1E and section 175 of the 1997 constitution of The Republic of the Gambia entrust the committee with the responsibility of exercising the functions of the National Assembly in considering and advising all matters connected with the public enterprises.
“The public enterprise is required by law to submit their report to the National Assembly as per section 175, subsection 5 of the constitution public enterprise shall within three months of the end of its financial year summit an annual audit report to the National Assembly on its business and operation during the preceding year provide the appropriate committee of the National Assembly may extend the time for the submission of any report,” he added.
According to him, the public enterprise act public enterprise means a corporation or any company whose equity, saying section 160 subsections 1 of the 1997 constitution states, the Auditor General shall at least one in every year audit and report on the public accounts of The Gambia
“The accounts of all offices and authorities of the government of The Gambia, the accounts of the courts, the accounts of the National Assembly, and the accounts of all public enterprises. Subsection 1d act within six months of the end of the immediate proceedings, financial year to which each of the account refer to in paragraph C relates report to the National Assembly on the account and draw attention to any irregularities in the account audited or any other matter which in his or her opinion ought to be brought to the notice of the National Assembly,” he added.