City of Banjul A Missed Opportunity For Economic Rejuvenation

The city of Banjul is probably the worst managed capital city in West Africa. City that has ran aground with derelict and dilapidated public infrastructure. Banjul found itself in this dire situation due to deliberate neglect of the previous government and sheer ineptitude of some office holders in the city's administration. Therefore, Banjul is in need of a new lease on life and this can only come in the form of a stimulus package. Unfortunately, the city is not financially endowed to give out what it doesn't have by way of cash and must find ways to induce would be economic operators to stay and do business within the city limits.

The recent revenue measures taken by the city will further move the city into obscurity and irrelevance because they are neither competitive nor attractive for would be investors to call Banjul home. Attached for the ease of reference and perusal are some tax schedules passed and ready for enforcement by the city. I am of the view that the city is ill advised because they are frustrating the business community from calling Banjul home. No country or municipality can tax their way to prosperity especially a distressed economic zone like Banjul. Then again, commonsense is not so common in public policy formulation circles in the Gambia. We all agree that Banjul is in need of a viable economic impetus to kick start the revival of the city but this initiative must be driven by revenue measures that are non tax oriented. These include parking fees, congestion charge, penalties and other user fee charges. Having to charge professionals and corporates and arm and a leg to do business in a run down city like Banjul shows the lack of foresight and aptitude by the city managers.

I have reiterated in the strongest terms that Banjul needs a comprehensive plan both in terms of public infrastructure blueprint and economic policy for its rebirth. The haphazard and stop go measures will further relegate the city to the boondock of underdevelopment and poverty. I therefore call on the Mayor to have a rethink.

Rehabilitation Or Rebuilding Of Banjul? A Prudent Question That Needs An Honest Answer

I am very pleased with the initiative taken to fix the city of Banjul. I will give the initiators an A grade for their intent. However thsts were I personally deviate with them because I believe that a comprehensive study should have been commissioned by the client (Banjul/Government) as prescribed by an EPC contract and also the supervision of works by a reputable consulting firm. I am cautiously optimistic about the quality of work based on the photos presented. I have vehemently stated that Banjul needs an overhaul starting with a new blueprint but our development strides are always short sighted. God save us and for us who choose to speak up, we are seen as saboteurs and jealous people  I will gladly be called that if I feel like due process and global best practices are not adhered to.

We all agree that Banjul has been neglected for reasons  best known to Jammeh not withstanding, we still have to do the right thing and the best for our beloved city. I have negotiated contracts and sourced funding for public infrastructure works in the past and all am saying without fear, favor or 'll will is that there are international best practice for contract supervision that must be strictly adhered to inorder for the beneficiary (Banjul) to make the most out of this venture. Generally an EPC contract requires a thorough study by a reputable firm, a technical design vetted by the consultant and strict supervision during the execution phase. All these must be in place before one bag of cement is poured on the ground. We are not fools and no one must insult our intelligence. The days of cronyism must be a thing of the past considering where we came from. Am never shy to call a spade a spade irrespective of who feels offended. There are no short cuts to good procedural processes and we either want the best or we are tacitly complicit in short changing Banjul. My grandfather of blessed memory Nyang Njie was fond of saying that " lou bon dou yagaa bem daahgan". We ought to know better cos no where in the world will rules be flouted the way we did in Banjul. I rest my case and time will vindicate me cos we know what's right but mostly opt for what's convenient. I have executed such projects using FIDIC rules of contract. Dodou Jagne #Bammy is a living witness and  can attest to that. Let's be serious about rebuilding Banjul  for once. My utterances and postulations are based on logic and prior experiences so I find it as an escapist route to term the nay sayers as know it all. We all know that the Banjul sewage system has failed and in need of an overhaul not repairs therefore fixing the roads before sorting the sewage may be a double expense in the medium term as we will get to fix the sewage sooner or later and the roads will be excavated to do so. Our differences in opinion must not be misconstrued for hatred or jealousy. We are citizens and vested parties of Banjul and we are just weighing in per the dictates of the market place of ideas so let no one take offence.. Banjul has been perennially flooding  for crying out loud and these incessant floods are due not only to clogged drainage but change in levels due to the new roads constructed over the years. A drain must have a capacity (volume of water in cubic meters to flush within a specified time) and this is calculated by depth and gradient of the drains. How can a contractor execute such without a thorough study. So let's be sincere with our actions and not short change the tax payers who will eventually foot the bill.

Three or Five years. The Gambian Dilemma

Religion is a contract between man and God. Conscience is a contract between man and himself. Politics is a contract between the governed and their proxies (politicians). The terms and conditions of our political contracts are guided by political manifestos (statement of intent). These statements  of intent must always be in conformity with our national document (constitution).

The brouhaha about 3 and 5 years is slowly becoming an insult to the Gambian polity. When the parties and non political interlucutor met to map out a strategy to boot the brutal brute and Butcher of Kanilai they were disingenuous about their tactical and strategic positions. They in a nut shell sold us an agenda that was not politically feasible nor constitutionally congruent with our electoral cycle. Yes a promise is a comfort to a fool and these political operatives took Gambians for a ride by proffering solutions that was neither tenable nor logical.

I have since the inception of this coalition stated without reservation that what brought these politicians together was smaller than what can keep them together for the duration of the coalition period. Jammeh was the only common denominator they shared. The tag alongs or shall I say the free riders (political operatives without equity/capital) gained significantly at the expense of those that invested with blood and sweat. The diversity of the political agendas and motives exhibited the cracks on this alliance I affectionately dubbed the "Unholy Alluance". Hence the reason it withered and fizzled.

On the issue of 3 and 5 years, we Gambians must be realistic for two good reasons;
1. Our constitution supersedes any arrangement entered by the political class and the sanctity of our constitution must not only be protected but preserved.

2. The Gambia hasn't conducted a voter registration drive in years. This implies that if the 3 year period were to be respected, we can't have an election in the shortest possible time and if we are to conduct a voter registration drive it will take 9 to 16 months and that will be be close to the 5 years we are bickering about.

Gambians must be vigilant going forward and be mindful that in life no one gets what they deserve but what they negotiate. God bless the Gambia and all her diverse peoples.

Political Dynamics In The Gambia

if the people want to be hoodwinked by the political class they will but what's happening in our political space the past few days is quite normal if one is a student of politics. Political wishes and political realities diverge from where they are conceived. I for one believe that Gambian political evolution is going through a natural selection process (survival of the fittest). The first phase has completed successfully and we were all happy of the outcome. That phase dealt with the convergence of political foes and nemesis  to dislodge a tyrant (Despot Jammeh). The Second phase is the political storm we witnessed during the parliamentary elections and this phase was for the imposition of power and dominion within the political machinery and this is almost at the tail spin and the National Assembly elections was the final arbiter of this phase. The third and final phase will be that of power consolidation. This phase will be the calm after the storm and hopefully that's when the legislative and political agenda will be fast tracked. If we understand these principles then we will understand fully well why Halifa had his preferred stance and Darboe had his entrenched position. Remember politics is a game of vested interest and in as much as these people talk the beautiful rhetoric of galvanizing the interest of the greater good, they have a vested interest they want to secure. Halifa's choice of a coalition led initiative for the National Assembly is premised on diluting the perceived relevance of the big boy (UDP) by making all parties as equals among men. On the contrary, The UDP want  a tactical alliance so as to display their might by differentiating the boys from the men. This in the eyes of the the UDP will be an equitable dispensation of power and authority. So lets not fret as these politicians will always be politicians but the electorate must be smart enough to decipher the political nuances from our established reality. The current boisterous move by the president to fire a sitting National Assembly Member is surely a test of his perceived might to consolidate his dominion. Unfortunately the move is an encroachment by the Executive and a clear unforced error on the part of the Secretary General to be an interlucutor inter alia to the whims and caprices of the Presidency. The Judicial branch of Government will only act when an aggrieved person(s) file in a suit.

I am watching the space and I do hope we don't allow ourselves to have extreme blood pressure over the jockeying and maneuvering of our political operatives. So let the games begin and it is only the shallow amongst our midst who see these tactical moves in the prism of tribal lenses. Politics is nothing out a game where the end justifies the means. Gambians must be smart enough to outwit and challenge the moves made by our politicians. A servant can't control the destiny of the master. God day Gambia let us rise up and wise up rather than fussing and fighting. Much ado about nothing must be in the past of the New Gambia.

#NyangNjie

Gambia A Case Of Poor Social Disconnect

The development of our dearly beloved Gambia will forever stall unless and  until we address the underlying social nuances that impede our development. Using Gambian social media circles as a yardstick of our behavioral traits clearly shows a country that is not at peace with itself and lacks a cohesive and homogeneous identity as Gambians.

Having stated the above, we have deep undercurrents of distrust, prejudice and social deficits that plague our collective progress as Gambians. This malaise is borne out of a poor social contract which is an extension of the colonial legacy of divide and rule. Behavioral traits are very important in the manner in which people think and ultimately behave. Gambians across all socioeconomic and ethnic divide suffer from one form f prejudice or inferiority syndrome. Living in 2019 and Gambians being a highly traveled and exposed group of people baffles me that we haven't adopted to the good things we learned from others over the years. Oftentimes, I feel like throwing in the towel and move on with all things #NYANGNJIE  but then again I am  microcosm of the bigger scheme of things. Therefore I have to relent by being part of the solution. The herd mentality and crab in a barrel syndrome is really retarding our collective resolve to build a better Gambia. Where have we gone wrong? Well in my view, Gambia is yet to address the social anomalies inherited from its colonial past and this in my view make  a lot of people harbor ill conceived and misplaced hatred towards each other. Art thou forsaken us or we just dont want to up our game to be a great nation in the neighborhood we find ourselves in.

The dog eat dog mentality will finish us sooner than we think. We bicker, we hate, we despise and most of the time without a justifiable reason. I am worried about my generation and the Gambia we want to pass on to the next one. There is advantage in our diversity and we need to harness that in furtherance of a better Gambia. Most of the people who  lash out on others have never come to a close proximity with their perceived nemesis. Thanks to the virtual space of social media, the lives of others have come closer to us than ever before. Hate the idea or issues raised by an individual not the individual for the individual is not your problem. My guide to life, the Dissiderata proclaimed that "we should not compare to others for we will always be vain and bitter". I implore on Government to create a better social contract to avert the notion of us and them cos we are all in the same boat called the Gambia and our collective resolve is what's going to make Gambia a better place.

A STUNTED GROWTH TRAJECTORY AS CELEBRATES 54

Two scores and fourteen years ago a nation was born. The birth of this nation didn't come through bloodshed but a political negotiation that left many doubting her ability to survive independently. This notion was conceived by the nay sayers who lacked hope and confidence on the newly established elongated speck of land with narrow river banks on both the North and South banks. Its geographic shape made her a thorn that literally pricks big brother Senegal.

Notwithstanding the negative prognosis, our founding fathers went ahead to establish the independent nation called The Gambia. An agrarian society that supported trade was the hallmark of her economy. Groundnut was her major export earner. The politics of the day was consumed by non nationalistic ideologies that served no ones interest. The people of the protectorate were made to believe that they need to galvanize their resolve for good representation. Another party called Muslim Congress fragmented itself to religious lines. The good old Reverend JC Faye equally had a party that centered around religion. The Wollofs had their king maker and fiefdom in athe United Party of PS Njie. Well these impediments were the building blocks of the #NewGambia of 1965. Politics there after fashioned itself on the interest groups listed above and that brought about the death of #Nationalism before it even got a chance to sprawl. The agitators of Independence brought forth the excess baggage of the colonial era by dwelling on the very divisive parameters of colonial Gambia which which drew its strength on a divide and rule strategy.

The euphoria of independence waned off after 18 February 1965 and the daunting task of nation building was entrusted on a bunch sho had noble and genuine love live for their new found country but sincerely as a collective lacked the no withal to build a of Gambians. In 1981 a rag tag militia headed by a delusional Gambian attempted to upset the realative tranquility enjoyed by Gambia. My choice of employing the cliché relative "tranquility" is very deliberate in the sense that peace is just not the absence of war. Gambia started on a poor focal contract that saw the widening of the income gap and opportunities for socioeconomic upward mobility. This amplified the chatter and contempt held by many in mainstream society and gave rise to #J22, 1994. The underwriters of July 22 Rebellion cited corruption as the basis for their disruption of civilian rule. This notion was later debunked by the Junta's position and subsequent utterances.

Gambia and Gambians were engulfed in a hellish nightmare that lasted for 22 years. This period brought about the worst in the Gambian psyche in the form of opportunism and ill will towards each other.

December 1st 2016 was a verdict that entrenched the will 9f the silent majority of Gambians who were frustrated by the inhumane Reign of the brutal brute of Kanilai. 54 years of nation hood for the Gambia didn't register major tangible for the people of the Gambia. This failure is largely due to poor leadership and lack of a national identity.  The new breed of Gambian is intolerant to bad leadership and a rude awakening is inevitable if the status quo continues. Happy independence and I do hope we collectively have a somber reflection of what we want and what is expected from us all. Happy Gambia day. May we all take a stock of our actions and muster the resolve to build a better Gambia for all.

Telecommunication Is Fast Becoming Gambia's Biggest Sector As Africell Moves To Become The Country's Biggest Tax Payer

Times have surely changed per the Gambia's business environment. Not too far in the distant past, petroleum retailing companies and Banks used to be the big boys of tax payments. Well times have surely changed as the telecomunication sector in the Gambia has come of age. 16 years ago, it was unthinkable that Africell will be not only a dominant player in the Gambian economy but a national leader in tax payments.

Africell has paid approximately 650 to 700 million dalasis in taxes to the Revenue Authority in 2018. In real terms, this represents anywhere between 9% to 11% of total tax collected in the period under review. These figures have far reaching implications on the overall economy that one needs to look at. The efforts made by Africell to bag this award has been complimented by the indirect jobs created through the distribution channel of their dealer. On a conservative estimate, Africell through its dealer have an approximately 11,000 agents. This by extension creates economic dividends to the overall economy. Telecommunications is not only a fast growth sector but a sector that will propell economic growth and Fin Tech innovation.

This sector is not only in need of government support to enhance the telecomunication architecture of the country but sound public policy to promote innovation and good service delivery. Gambians often complain about the quality of service delivered by network operators but they tend to forget that these operators invest in capital items and they expect a decent return on invest within a reasonable time frame. Unfortunately, the current tax regime and policy environment is not too conducive to make the telccommunication sector robust. Case in point, the stalled liberalisation quest to open up the market and the incessant over reach of the regulator.

Once the policy environment is robust and responsive to the demands of the telco market, the tax authority can collect more from companies such as Africell. Currently, the Gambian subscriber is yearning for cheaper international rates, and that can only be accomplished through liberalisation of the gateway. Congratulations to Africel for pushing away the petro companies and Banks from the covetted position of "BIGGEST TAX PAYER IN THE NATION".