By: BintaJaiteh
The National Assembly members have been warned by their counterpart about a loan agreement, speaking of it Honorable Sainey Jawara member of Lower Saloum Constituency said if the NA agreed to pass the loan agreement amounting to 8 million euros, the burden will be on the citizens.
Hon Jawara made this remark during the debate on the loan agreement by members of the National Assembly on the Financing Agreement between the Governments of the Republic of the Gambia, the Sustainable Energy Service Company (SESCO) the European Investment Bank on the Gambia Electricity Restoration, and Modernization Project (GERMP).
He said the Finance contract (loan) for component four of the Renewable Energy Project amounted to 8 million Euros with the Investment Grant for component four of the Renewable Energy amounting to twenty-four million euros.
“Taking a loan of 8 million euros is not a small amount of money, looking at the rate of this loan in Gambia dalasi is estimated at five hundred and twenty-six million dalasi. The loan is not a problem but the implementation is always a problem. We are taking loans for our people and I will register my support based on that.”
However, Hon Jawara added that looking at the procurement it is not properly designed, and maintenance and sustainability are not well shaped in the agreement since the foreign exchange is zero.
On the other hand, Lamin J Sanneh, a member of Brikama South added “This is a very important component of our day-to-day life which has become a big challenge in the country. But one thing I want to emphasize is if you look at the two projects both the loan and the grant component are 32 million euros which are contracted by the government through NAWEC. I am worried about the individual that will be responding in paying this loan.”
He said when it comes to the payment is it the central government or NAWEC who will be responsible for the payment because they cannot contract a loan on behalf of NAWEC while it continues to be a liability to them.
Another MP, Hon Lamin Ceesay member of Kiang West also added that it seems that when it comes to the implementation of government projects, they compromise so much.
The government he said should work on encouraging the local content of all the projects of grants and loans that they take to maximize so that the citizens of this country will sustain it and benefit.
“The payment plan will take us more than a decade our unborn children might witness the payment of these loans. I urged the Minister to provide the list of the selected one thousand schools so that in our oversight function we can target the schools over the implementation process.
“Implementation should be participatory and citizens should know that this is their money that was taken on their behalf and they are going to pay it not in a form of politics but in the disbursement or giving of this project,” he stressed.