GPTC hastily laid to rest at a time when needed most

At a time when the transport system in the country is getting worse hence the need for a viable public transport system, the National Assembly Members has urgently and hastily repealed the Gambia Public Transport Corporation (GPTC) Act 1976 leading to the disbanding of the public transport service.

Sidia Jatta, former National Assembly Member for Wuli West Constituency and a member of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development, has earlier on noted that the transport situation in the country “is disastrous”, saying that one only needs to stand on the way, particularly at the Banjul Serrekunda Highway, “to see how disastrous” the transport situation has become.

On the heels of this, Minister of Works, Construction and Infrastructure, Francis Liti Mboge, sought on 19^th November 2012 the approval of the Lawmakers to repeal the Act that established the GPTC and the Parliamentarians did just as the Minister wished without any hesitation.

Ebrima Garba Cham, the secretary general of The Gambia National Trade Union Congress (GNTUC) has said that it is important for government to take a comprehensive mechanism as an institution of investment to develop a National Strategy of Transport in this country. 

This he said should include all public transport including the ferry services.

According to the Minister of Works, the government is ever conscious of its commitment to provide public transport for the socio-economic development of the country.  He hinted the parliamentarians that plans are on the way for the revival of public transport in line with the objectives of the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE).

“Acute shortage” of skilled personnel at Gambia Gov’t health facilities

The Gambia’s health sector is currently handicapped due to acute shortage of skilled health personnel like doctors and nurses as well as laboratory technicians and scientists coupled with staff attrition and redeployment, this paper can reveal.

Fatim Badjie, Gambia's Minister of Health and Social Welfare

In this vein, maternal mortality rate is considered to be still high in the country, and neonatal mortality rate, estimated at 54 per 1000 live birth, is also high. 

A document of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare says the key challenges hindering the country’s 

health sector also include inadequate budgetary allocation as the annual budget of the ministry is lower than the Abuja target, which states that 15% of the national budget should be allocated to the health sector.

Presented during the resource mobilization and investment forum for the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE) held in early July, the document also indicates that there is inadequate staff accommodation in hospitals and other health facilities across the country, aggravated by lack of adequate information within the health sector due to weak health management information system. 

“Lack of funds to conduct the annual sentinel surveillance,” is also mentioned in the document as being among the key challenges of the ministry. 

The latest sentinel surveillance in The Gambia was done in 2008.  There is also lack of fund to conduct nationwide survey on HIV, and to do an assessment and refurbishment of pharmaceutical stores of the health facilities across the country. There is also lack of electricity and water supply in health facilities, the document states.

Gambia Govt’s high debt burden impedes other development endeavours

The Gambia government’s high domestic debt burden, which continues to rise by the day and interest payment of which consumes more than 22% of the public revenues, is crowding out other public expenditures as there is no space to increase funding for employment creation, purchase drug for the hospitals, and other pressing national needs.

Mrs Songwe

“The debt dynamics today are dragging down in the economy and cold undermine growth in the future,” the World Bank regional director for The Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, and Mauritania, Vera Songwe, has said.

Speaking at the recently ended (12 – 13 July) resource mobilization and investment for the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE), Mrs Songwe said The Gambia’s debt has increased from 61.7 per cent in 2009 to 68.4 per cent in 2011.  Interest payments on debt are 22.5 per cent of public revenues. The World Bank director observed that if this trend continues, the government will have to forgo necessary infrastructure investments in energy and road construction.

Apart from reducing government’s power to channels fund to other areas, the high domestic borrowing is also pushing up interest rates and denying the private sector of the much needed fund for investment to generate employment.

$28M FOR GAMBIA TO LESSEN BALANCE OF PAYMENTS EFFECTS

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a new arrangement for The Gambia under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) to the tune of about US$28.3 million.
This decision will enable an immediate disbursement equivalent to about US$14.2 million.
According to a statement from the IMF Banjul office on Monday, this is aimed at meeting an acute balance of payments need arising from the recent crop failure due to drought, and helping to catalyze support from development partners for The Gambia’s new poverty reduction strategy, the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE).

Over the medium term, the IMF seeks to ease The Gambia’s heavy debt burden through fiscal adjustment, while implementing a strong economic reform agenda in support of the PAGE.

In the statement, Naoyuki Shinohara, IMF’s Deputy Managing Director, said the Gambian economy has made good progress in achieving strong growth and making a substantial reduction in poverty.
However, he said, major crop failure due to the drought has created hardship that calls for effective and timely delivery of assistance for the most vulnerable households.

“The Gambia’s heavy debt burden poses high costs for the government and risks for the economy,” Mr Shinohara said.

“To address this problem,” he continued, “the IMF's new ECF-supported program rightly focuses on fiscal adjustment to curb government's domestic borrowing. Limiting external borrowing to concessional loans is also necessary to reduce the risk of debt distress.”