By: Binta Jaiteh
Hon. Musa Drammeh, Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources, Wednesday confirmed that the Gambia-European Union fishing agreement was not renewed due to unfavorable conditions for both parties.
The minister came up with the confirmation during the National Assembly’s question-and-answer session, when Serrekunda NAM Musa Cham asked him to provide an update on the status of the agreement.
According to Minister Drammeh, the agreement officially expired on 30th July 2025 and has not been renewed. He further states that neither the Government of The Gambia nor the EU intends to renew the deal.
“The first contract was not favorable, and even the EU has faced pressure from its own parliamentarians not to renew the contract. They felt they were not getting value for the money paid to the Gambian Government,” Drammeh remarked.
Bakau NAM Assan Touray followed up with a question on why the deal collapsed, prompting the Minister’s detailed explanation. However, an attempt by Central Badibou NAM Sulayman Saho to ask about the benefits of the previous agreement was ruled out of order by Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie.
