Gambia ferry-crossing crisis aggravates

As Nuimi residents seek Allah’s help  

Elders praying for Allah's help to resolve the ferry crisis

The people of Niumi, specifically in Essau village, are now seeking spiritual help from Allah to resolve the seemingly insolvable problems at the Banjul-Barra ferry crossing point. 

At most gathering of the elders – be it religious or social – the elders now pray for Allah’s help as though all human efforts have been employed but solution could not be found to the perennial problems.

On Saturday during the one-year charity of the late Alhaji Kebba Marong, who was the muezzin of one of the mosques in Essau, shortly after recitation of Quran for the deceased, one of the village elders said:  “Let us do another ‘duwa’, supplication, so that Allah can help in bringing normalcy and safety at the crossing point, Banjul-Barra, because the situation there is not very good.”

Without hesitation, the elders stretched their hands to God seeking His intervention in the ferry services.

“Please let us add more, I almost cross every week to Banjul.  I came from Banjul just yesterday (Saturday), the ferry departed Banjul around 2pm and we only arrived after 5pm,” one of the elders lamented.

The current state of the ferry services at the Banjul-Barra crossing point is getting from bad to worse as the ferries that usually ply the distance for 30 to 45 minutes now spend two to three hours or more.

Often times now, the ferries even get breakdown in the river and could be there for hours without reaching the other bank of the river. 

It is understood that the engines of all the three ferries are not in good state.

The state of ferry crossing is becoming more and more terrible by the day as the conditions of the ferries, if anything, is deteriorating rapidly.

At the crossing point in Barra terminal on Sunday, Maram Jobe said they spent four hours at the said terminal before the arrival of the Kanilai Ferry from Banjul.

According to Modou Jallow, a commuter, he arrived at the terminal at 6:00pm and could not get a ferry up to 8:00pm when he boarded the Kanilai Ferry.

The time waiting for the ferry is different from other hours that it takes for the ferry to ply from Banjul to Barra.

Passengers resort to risky transport boats

Many people have now resorted to crossing by boat due to the continuous failing and deteriorating ferry services.

In the same vein, boat operators have also irrationally increased the fare from D15 to D25.

Also, people who carry passengers in and out of the boat have also increased the cost of carrying each passenger from D5 to D10.

Now the entire cost of crossing by boat which used to be D25 (D15 for boat fare, D5 to the porter carrying a passenger to the boat, and another D5 to the one taking the passenger out) is now D45 (that is, D25 for boat fare, D10 to the one carrying the passenger to the boat and another D10 to the one out).

In order to settle the ferry problems that started long ago, the Gambia ferry services under the Gambia Ports Authority has bought two “new” ferries, named ‘Aljamdu’ and ‘Kansala’. 

The so-called new ferries cost €6,345, 000 equivalent to about D241,110,000. The amount spent in purchasing the ferries is yet to be useful to the Gambians because since the commissioning of the ferries in July 2011, they are yet to make any commercial trip from Banjul to Barra.

The two so-called new ferries are occupying the uncongested natural water space the River Gambia provides.

They are used by the shrimps, snails and other sea creatures as an abode instead of human transport.

During the state opening of the National Assembly on 28 March 2013, President Jammeh said the ferry services remain a challenge, but efforts are being made to address the constraints in this area.

 He said the Taiwanese government has provided a grant to The Gambia government to procure new engines for the ferries plying the Banjul-Barra crossing points.

 “These engines are being assembled abroad for delivery soon,” President Jammeh said.

 No go area for the private sector

The continuous failing of government operated ferry service has attracted the interest the private sector players, who have expressed readiness in investing in sea transport but only to realize that it is a no-go area for the private players.

Abdoulie Baks Touray, president of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in The Gambia, has earlier on noted that one of the key areas the government has refused to open up for private sector participation is the ferry services. 

Some time ago, he noted, some members of the private sector, including himself, did a feasibility study for possible investment in sea transport, such as ferry services, and found out that there are untapped potentials in this area the private sector can explore.

But, according to the business and financial analyst, they were later made to understand that ferry services are a no-go area for the private sector.

“It is reserved for the public sector intervention,” Mr Touray said.

As it is now, if sea transport, particularly the ferry services is not open to the private sector, the operations of the ferries will not be effective and efficient as it should be. 

The same scenario was happening in the telecoms sectors when Gamcel was the only operator in that area, hence it was not as efficient as it is today when they have three more competitors.