By: Binta Sillah
The transport minister Ebrima Sillah was on Wednesday unable to tell the National Assembly where revenues generated by the ferry services were kept.
The minister appeared before legislators to render an account of, among others, the technical and financial performances of institutions under his purview.
Sillah reported that the Gambia government has been generating D24.4M in revenue at the Banjul-Barra ferry crossing points each monthbut fell short of enlightening the House about where these monies were kept.
The NAM for Sanimentereng, Fatou Cham, was eager to know the account into which the government deposited the collections but the transport minister was not forthcoming with those details, promising to liaise with the management of the ferry services to that effect. He pointed out that he was not responsible for operational issues, regarding the ferries.
NAM Cham further asked Sillah to explain to the House the long-term plan of his ministry in addressing the frequent ferry breakdowns along the Banjul-Barra route which, she said, had been making river travel a nightmare for the travelingpublic.
In his response, the transport minister explained that the Gambia Ferry Services Company (GFSC) procured six new engines to replace the engines of Kunta Kinteh and Johe ferries at a cost of CFA316,000,000. He expressed the hope that the repairs would last six months and that they would improve the technical suitability of the ferries to provide safer and more reliable services along the Banjul -Barra ferry route.
In response to a query from Upper FulladuWest’s Bakary Kora about any plan to bridge the Banjul-Barra route to end the perennial suffering of travelers, Sillah said bridging the route “is a priority to the government.” He added that consultants have been brought into the country and were doing the necessary surveys for the alignment of the ECOWAS corridor, including the Banjul-Barra ferry route.
“We hope that when that feasibility study is done, we can attract the necessary funding or private sector participation to build the bridge,” he stated.