By Nicholas Bass
Scores of hoteliers have expressed the absence of Banjul Breweries in town while calling on President Barrow’s government to restore the company so that it will boost up Gambia’s tourism sector.
The call was made during interviews with some people working at the hotel industry. According to Neneh Bintou Ceesay of Yasmina Bar and Resto the Barrow Government should bring back Banjul Breweries for the good of tourism sector.
She said the closure of Banjul Breweries is a national disaster that has caused a great loss of customers in the tourism sector.
Ceesay pointed out that some of the tourists who have tasted the Vimto, XXL, Fanta, Malta, Cocktail and Beer drinks from the Banjul Breweries normally asked for such beverages ,stressing that anytime some of their customers are informed that Banjul Breweries products are now not in stock, their countenance changed.
”Lack of the beverages of Banjul Breweries in our menu makes some of our tourists buy other drinks at a lesser price and at times they walk out of our bar without buying anything” Ceesay said.
She also urged the government to embark on industrialization that will create jobs for the Gambia and its youthful population while at the same time discouraging them from embarking on irregular migration.
Another person who raised similar concerns is Oumie Jarju, a bar keeper of Woodies Bar and Restaurant. She argues that the restoration of Banjul Breweries will revive the tourism sector and bring along all the good things that go with improved tourism.
She pointed out that lack of the beverages of Banjul Breweries have caused most of the business owners in the tourism sector to import strong drinks like Jack Daniel’s, Malibu, Jameson, Gordon’s, Southern Comfort, Kahlua,Cristal beer among many others from either Senegal, Guinea Bissau or Guinea Conakry.
Ms Jarju also said drinking hard drinks is a choice that everyone should make, noting that drinking hard drinks depends on the way one takes it.
Both Jarju and Ceesay advised Gambian youth against the act of travelling through irregular migration locally known through ”backway”.
”Taking a decision of going through the ”backway” is not a solution because it is risky ”, Ceesay reiterated.
It could be recalled that the company was closed down by Barrow Government due to excise tax which was later revised from 75% to 35% sometime in 2019 after several months of negotiations. Then the company moved to Senengal.