By Mustapha Jarju
Mr. Yusupha Jobe, Director General Public Utility and Regulatory Authority (PURA) has tasked service providers in the Gambia to make their service affordable to the majority of the public.
He said: “because a service that is only affordable to a few or the rich is not fair to any country especially if the funding or support is being received from the public post.”
He made the statement on Tuesday at a daylong strategic review compliance forum for Stakeholders in the regulated sectors, at Ocean Bay in Bakau.
The PURA`s strategic review compliance forum for stakeholders in the regulatory sectors seeks to promote a friendly dialogue among participating stakeholders to share a collective review of issues and to give supportive headways to boost trust among service providers. It was also intended to accord shareholders a unique opportunity to interface and share knowledge and experience as well as chart a way forward.
“The consumer is always right and you always find the way to make them happy not the other way round, giving them the service is not enough, the service must be useful, must be easy to use, and must be made in a packet that will make them feel good about the money they are spending on your service,” DG Jobe Pointed out.
He noted that the ultimate goal of the forum was based on the principle of professionalism and partnership which is meant to increase efficiency, promote service development innovation and make influence the PURA’s sustainable development goals.
According to him, the 2023 regulatory compliance forum was meant to explore and create an avenue for progressive discussions on the regulatory environment of the purpose of PURA`s existence.
“Equally it gives us a chance to individually and collectively initiate new opportunities to offer technical support to each other and to hear each other’s concerns and see generic issues that affect all sectors or majority of operators on things that we solve we solve a greater part of the problems of the institutions that we regulate,” he told participants.
He urged stakeholders at the forum to focus their discussion on the key challenges they faced with both PURA and their operators in the previous years as regulated entities by strengthening the regulatory environment.
“It will give us the ultimate opportunity to comprehend the actual issues that are curtailing your services and the areas that you wish to have improved upon, this will help in your programs and the vision of your various enterprises,” DG Jobe tells the service providers at the forum.
Mr. Alieu Ngum, Chairman of PURA Board of Directors reminded the service providers that they have an important role to play in enhancing the economic development and well-being of the Gambia.
“The regulator (PURA) is instituted to serve as a check on your work services to promote the delivery of excellence and satisfactory services that are reliable, accessible, and affordable to the public,” he noted.
Mr. Ngum urged service providers to solicit interactive and healthy business relationships based on mutual understanding and cooperation and continue nurturing excellence and quality service delivery to the people they are serving.