Info minister quizzed over D40M media funds
Lamin Ceesay, the National Assembly Member (NAM) for Kiang West, has alleged that the minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services violated the Gambia Public Procurement Act in the allocation of funds to media houses.
It would be recalled that seven media houses were to have been awarded contract totalling D40 million to promote the OIC summit last year.
According to Minister Ismaila Ceesay, GPPA approved D40,145,648, which was renegotiated down to D35,825,000. Payments were made in three instalments: D17,900,000 in February 2024 (50% to contractors), D9,225,000 in October 2024 (30%), and D6,170,000 in December 2024 (20%).
Total payments to date are approximately D33,300,000, funded by the GLF, following budget allocations from the Ministry of Finance, which was paid to 5 media houses and 2 content creators.
However, Hon. Ceesay insisted that the negotiation was not done in line with GPPA Act, while making reference to section 118 of the GPPA Act regarding contract negotiations and award of contracts.
Member for Janjanbureh, Omar Jammeh, also raised concerns over the “inconsistency” of the Information minister, stating that “the responses have been inconsistent”. He thus urged the minister to provide the total sum awarded to the seven media houses, the source of funding, and the payment schedule per quarter.
In response, Minister Ceesay stated that he had answered the questions posed. He added that the inquiry about returning to GPPA was not included, saying he wasn’t prepared to address that question.
The Member for Latrikunda-Sabijie, Yahya Sanyang, also expressed that the minister’s statement contains inaccuracies.
“According to procurement rules, after GPPA approves an initial contract, any negotiations with contractors require returning to GPPA for approval. My question is, did you take the 35 million dalasis contract back to GPPA for approval?” Hon. Sanyang further pressed.
The minister maintained that from his review of the files, GPPA initially approved D40 million. The negotiations, which occurred later, reduced that to D35 million.
“We can only request what we need from the Ministry of Finance based on actual payment requirements,” he said.
Source: The Point
