By: Nyima Sillah
Firebrand politician Kebba Toumanding Sannehhas painted a bleak outlook for four of Gambia’s parastatals, predicting that they may end up being privatized.
The Foni Jarrol NAM said Nawec, Gamtel, Saroand GPA are sinking and that their poor performance may result in their privatization.
“I am judging this based on the reports that are coming to the National Assembly. Institutions like NAWEC are indebted. They have borrowed more than what they can,” the Foni Jarrol legislator told The Voice in an exclusive interview.
According to him, Nawec is indebted to both Social Security and Gam Petroleum.
He explained that Nawec’s problem has been compounded by the power purchase agreement that it signed with Senegal that dictates that power should be purchased in dollars.
“NAWEC is paying Senegal millions of dollars. They cannot even tell Gambians how much they are paying. They are scared to tell us the actual amount they are paying to Senegal. So, they will end up being privatized,” NAM Sanneh explained.
He stated that Nawec’s vehicles have been taken off the roads as the company could not maintain them due to indebtedness.
On Gamtel, the Foni Jarrol MP explained that the institution is suffering a similar fate as Nawec.
He accused Gamtel of allowing individuals to use its network to create their own networks.
“And they(Gamtel) are paying them,” he added.
Turning to the GGC, NAM Sanneh alleged that some people have been appointed by the corporation without contract letters.
He claimed that GGC’s MD acts on whims and caprices because he is a relative of President AdamaBarrow.
“He’d put pressure on certain people, who had no choice but to resign and others are just there managing because they don’t have a place to go,” Sanneh stated.
On the Banjul ports, NAM Sanneh said Senegal convinced The Gambia to increase its freight costs while it reduced its own tariffs.
“Now, most of the imported vehicles go through Senegal and are smuggled into The Gambia with no proper documentation,” he lamented.