By Adama Makasuba
Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) has been highly praised as the first state-owned enterprises to give a D50 million dividend to the government through the Ministry of Finance.
This comes as GPA’s 2019 profit, which was about D200 million – as agreed that state institutions are to share 20% of their yearly profits to the government.
Delivering the cheque on behalf of the staff and management of Gambia Ports Authority, Minister of Works Honorable Bai Lamin Jobe, said: “It’s a pleasure to handover to the Honourable Minister of Finance a cheque amounting to about D50 million by way of dividend coming from the Gambia Ports Authority to the Ministry of Finance.”
“Despite the pandemic and the congestion at the ports, despite the dilapidated nature of the facilities there and despite the pandemic since last march is being on, the GPA has been able to get this dividend,” he added.
However, he appealed to the Ministry of Finance “to assist the GPA to meet the challenges especially the physical challenges of the deficit in their infrastructure which has been on the table for the past five years.”
Also speaking at the handling over ceremony, the Minister of Finance and economic Affairs, Mambury Njie, said the support will greatly assist the government in executing the budget-based on plan revenue and plan expenditure.
He strongly recognised “the great reform strategies that the GPA has vigorously entered in order to attain sound and effective institution central” to the ability “to raise funds and improve accountability to the primary shareholders in government and to citizens.”
The Minister commended the management and staff of Gambia Ports Authority for the already agreed gesture between government and its corporate institutions, saying “this will serve as deeper catalyst for creating good fiscal space and enable GPA divesting shares.”
“I therefore, convey my sincere appreciation to GPA for being the only SOE that able to contribute this expected revenue sharing to its government the amount of D50,000,000,” he said.
