By Binta Jaiteh
The Government of the Gambia through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) signed performance contract geared towards providing efficiency and effectiveness of SOEs.
The State-Owned Enterprises that signed the performance contract are Gambia International Airlines ( GIA), Gambia Printing and Publishing Cooperation ( GPPC), National Food Safety and Processing, Marketing Corporation (formerly called GGC) and Gambia Postal Services (Gampost).
The objective of the performance contract signing aimed to enhance performance within the SOEs which includes financial performance, service delivery, and cooperate governance.
Speaking during the signing ceremony held at Sir Dawda Kairaba Conference Centre, Bai Madi Ceesay, Director of SOEs Directorate said the day marked another signing of four additional performance contact with the government.
“We were able to sign seven performance contracts this year and we hope next year another two to three will be signed,’’ he said.
“The medium-term plan is to make sure that performance contract is signed with all the SOEs in the medium term. Prior to 2018, government was spending roughly between 0.1 and 0.2% GDP.’’
He noted that the other component about the performance contract is accountability meaning to hold SOEs and public servants accountable in the delivery of public service.
‘’Over the past years in the financial performance, you will find out that SOEs have pose a big challenge to government, in a sense that most SOEs have been continuously relying on government,’’ Ceesay added.
Baboucarr Boye, Minister of Public Service said that his Ministry has a vested interest in the whole of Performance Contract.
‘’As a Ministry of Public Service, this are one of the reform items that we want to introduce. But also doing it with a SOEs will be much easier than in the entire civil service because that require some background work that will enable us to do the building blocks that is required,’’
The minister hailed the initiative and assured government commitment as far as the performance contract is concerned.
Other speakers at the ceremony included MomodouCeesay, the Managing Director of GPPC.