By: Fatou Krubally
The Minister for Transport, Works and Infrastructure, Ebrima Sillah, has admitted before lawmakers that serious lapses in procurement and supervision led to costly setbacks in The Gambia’s embassy project in Guinea-Bissau, urging for tighter collaboration and clear land ownership before any future construction begins.
Appearing before the National Assembly on Tuesday, Minister Sillah responded to the report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs following its oversight visit to the Gambia Mission in Bissau last April. He told members that while the idea to build a chancery in Bissau dated back to a 2008 bilateral arrangement, his ministry was never involved in the original procurement process.
He confirmed that the Government of Guinea-Bissau had allocated a plot measuring 5,740 square metres to The Gambia for the mission building. However, the minister raised concerns that there was no concrete proof that the land’s title was ever properly secured in the government’s name.
According to him, both the contractor and consultant who were Bissau nationals were engaged without evidence of competitive bidding or proper due diligence. “We have not seen any records showing how these two were selected,” he said, adding that poor construction quality means it would now cost as much as the original project to repair the building.
Minister Sillah told members that the ministry recommends demolishing the faulty structure and starting afresh but only after confirming rightful ownership of the land. He stressed that future chancery projects abroad must follow clear procurement steps, involving all key institutions including the Ministry of Finance, Justice, Foreign Affairs and the Accountant General’s Department.
During a heated question session, several lawmakers pressed Minister Sillah on whether anyone involved in the flawed project would be held accountable. But he explained that his ministry only stepped in last year to assess the building after concerns were raised and that any administrative actions rest mainly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Honourable Members from across the chamber questioned how millions were spent without verifying the land’s legal status or supervising the work. In response, the minister admitted gaps in coordination but insisted that lessons had been learned. He assured parliament that similar issues would not recur as the new policy demands technical committees to oversee all overseas chancery works from planning to completion.
The session ended with the Speaker thanking the minister for engaging openly with lawmakers and promising that the Foreign Affairs Minister would be summoned separately to answer unresolved questions about the failed Bissau mission project.