By Binta Jaiteh &
Awa K Sanneh
Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency (GLMA) has been advised by the National Assembly select committee on agriculture and rural development to work on their mistakes.
According to Honorable Foday Drammeh member of the committee said looking at the report of 2018, there are issues that are brought forward in 2018 activities that are appeared in 2017. He stated that the committee wants the institution (GLMA) to work on risk management policy, disaster recovery and business continuity plan and designed salaries.
He said, this are document that supposed to be with the institution because you are the custodians, there is no reason for telling you what the documents entails.
“This are not petty issues, because GLMA as an institution set goals to get to those goals this are some of the barriers that can prevent you from reaching your destination’’
He further said what we meant by the institution violating the law of the act is because we have seen in the document where it talks about violation of act in page 32, adding that review of board reveals that the board chairman of GLMA was appointed by the Minister of Agriculture which is in contravention with the institution act.
He added that the board chairman was appointed by the minister on the 1st of September 2017, and is noted that implications are high, which is very serious and the recommendations met you but thank God the situation is regularize.
Honorable Drammeh went further that emphasis should be laid on the act which advised day to day activities and it is something that should be respected. He said mistake has occurred let avoid recurrence of same mistake.
However, they recommend that GLMA should make adjustment on the three issues to prevent recurrence of the issues in 2019 reports and pay attention to the act as an institution
This are small issue that will set the institution in doing justice to their work , as being recommended by the auditors GLMA should take note from today towards next year there is a big gap but they can work on them.
Honorable Alagie Jawara member also disclosed that section (109) sub section (3) says for the purpose of effective performance each of the committee shall have all the powers right and privilege’s as are vested in the high court.
“The reason for highlighting this, is we want the institution to give us exactly what is happening in their institution so that as a committee we will come up with alternatives, is an exercise done to extract facts,” he said
Sidat Hydara, from national audit office highlighted that, the 2017 and 2018 finance report audit at one point was ongoing concurrently, because the finalization of 2017 and 2018 has begun.
‘’So by the time 2017 and 2018 was finalized it was less than 4 months, so you can see the time gap, regarding 2018 final audit we deemed it necessary to pick out the points that have not been implemented in 2017’’ he pointed out.
However, the points we are making as risk management policy and disaster recovery are important policy, but to add value to the institution going forward they need to prepare themselves.
