By: Fatou Kebbeh

Gambians will start paying more on both water and electricity bills with effect from next month – 10th April, as the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), announces the increment of new tariffs.

The Managing Director of NAWEC attributed the increment to the rise in prices of fuel, lubricants, spare parts and other materials due to Covid-19 and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“We used to buy fuel ton for four hundred and forty-four dollars (USD444) but now it has been increased to over six hundred and fifty (650) dollars per metric ton,” Nani Juwara said.

This increment comes at a time when Gambians are already crying over the rise in prices of basic commodities.

It is the first time NAWEC increases the prices of water and electricity since 2015.

Mr Juwara said the company is registering huge losses every month which has compounded the situation.

The old tariff charges customers D5.50 for water consumption ranging from 0-10 per cubic meter; D12.00 for 11-25 per cubic meter; and D16.00 for consumption ranging between 26-40 per meter cube.

However, the new tariff comes with an increment of 6.48 for water consumptions that fall within 0-10 per meter cube; D14.15 for 11-25 per cubic meter and D18.86 for this ranging from 26-40 per cubic meter.

Similarly, D10.14 is the charge in the old tariff for electricity consumption ranging from 0-300 kwh but has been increased to D13.85 in the new tariff. 601-1000 kwh electricity consumption range which was D10.77 has now increased to D14.43

“It is reasonable to increase and continue to supply than go back to the dark days of blackout. That should be history in this country, managing director, Juwara told journalists.

He said they are making sure that the tariff reflects the current situation of the market.

According to Juwara, the company is putting efforts in place to invest in renewable energy, saying that might end up being the only saviour.

“We cannot sustain the operation with the old tariff because prices have gone up and the increase of price on raw materials has impacted the cost of spare parts”, he added.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Momodou MC Cham Junior, the former campaign manager of the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), has dismissed rumours of new voter registration in Banjul and urged the electorates to go out in large numbers to vote for their candidates in the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for 15th April and 20th May 2023.

“I heard an audio circulating on social media that the IEC is registering new people in Banjul to vote in the coming local government election. I want to tell Gambians that new voter registration cannot take place but voter replacement. People have the voter registration list, and the National Assembly is also having it,” he explained.

“The voters that were used for the presidential election and national assembly elections will continue for the local government election. So, there cannot be any new voter registration,” he added.

According to the young politician, the rumour is circulated to create doubts in people’s minds so that many will feel it’s not worth it for them to vote.

“If this happens, the National People’s Party (NPP) will have the chance to win all the seats. National Assembly elections and local government elections are different from the presidential election. Those who go in numbers to vote for their candidates will win the election,” he emphasized.

Mc Cham Jr further urged the electorates not to allow anyone to make them believe there is new voter registration. This, he said, is just propaganda to mislead the public from going to vote because they will believe that voting is not necessary as the candidates for the incumbent are going to win.

He emphasized that what is possible is a replacement of voter cards for those who lost their voter ID cards due to several incidents not a registration of new voter cards.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Majority of Gambians (52%) are not satisfied with the pace of public sector reforms initiated by the government in 2017 to reorganise the public service as part of its transitional justice and democracy programme, the latest Afrobarometer survey indicates.

The survey indicates that respondents’ dissatisfaction which includes paying bribes is even rift among the best-educated citizens (60%), the wealthiest (57%) and men (55%) than amongst their respective counterparts.

Almost a quarter (24%) of citizens who sought police assistance during the previous year say they had to pay a bribe. Fewer report having to pay a bribe to obtain identity documents (13%), medical care (9%), and public school services (5%).

The report also indicates that some large majorities say the government is doing a poor job of delivering public services such as improving basic health care (79%), water and sanitation (69%), electricity (69%), road and bridge maintenance (68%), and education (67%).

Afrobarometer is a research network that provides data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.

The network’s team in Gambia, led by the Center for Policy, Research and Strategic Studies (CepRass), interviewed 1,200 adult citizens of Gambia between 30 August and 19 September 2022, it says in a press release.

Respondents were asked about how satisfied they were with the pace of the government’s public sector reforms, entirely.

One Alpha Bah, a resident of Banjulinding has expressed concern over what he refers to as the “negligence” of drivers on the road as well as nurses and doctors in hospitals, a behaviour he said pisses him off.

The 30-year-old was giving an account of a recent incident that happened in Lamin, on 21 March 2023 where he volunteered to escort to the hospital a bleeding man who got hit by a car.

“With the victim bleeding from his mouth, they needed an escort to the hospital but the traffic officer on duty was engaged in another accident case at Abuko. So, I volunteered to escort him to save his life or try saving his life,” Bah told this medium.

While on the ambulance going to Kanifing Hospital from Banjulinding Clinic, the young man said he was angered by the drivers who paid deaf ears to the ambulance.

“The ambulance’s siren was on but the drivers were ignoring us as if they didn’t hear the siren at all. What really pissed me off, was one driver that we passed at Abuko on his phone – on the fast lane.

“The siren was on, but this guy did not even notice us. The ambulance has to drive him. I was pissed and the ambulance driver told me that was the least of his encounters on the highway,” he said.

The “negligence” of nurses and doctors at the hospital is another thing Alpha Bah is so much concerned about. He believes that alone can worsen the conditions of emergency patients.

“Just when we arrived at kanifing hospital with an emergency victim, [there were] one doctor and four nurses, [but] none of them could attend to this dying man for more than 30 minutes. I was on my toes wiping his blood from his mouth, so he does not choke to death,” Alpha Bah said.

According to him, the nurses were doing “absolutely nothing but taking notes of God knows what”.

“I said to myself something has to be done. I don’t know exactly how to change things, but I will start from somewhere,” Alpha, who says he is concerned about the safety of everyone said.

For Alpha, respect for the siren of an ambulance is the safety of everyone; and negligence of emergency patients by nurses and doctors has the potential of affecting everyone.

By: Dawda Baldeh

The CEO and Founder of Africa Citizen Radio Online, Mamour M Mbenga known as Kifa Barham, who is also a sports administrator, has called on football stakeholders to scout more potential football players in top professional leagues.

Kifa Barham said the youth world cup is approaching and the Gambia needs to be at the top tier competition list.

Adding that more effort is needed to achieve a collective victory in the world of football.

He further mentioned that the Senegalese football industry is doing its utmost best to secure all competition platforms both from grass-root and senior football competitions.

Mr. Mbenga asserted that more Gambian young footballers are dreaming to play in the Senegalese league which they see as a route to their professional careers.

Kifa, a sports administrator and football manager who owns a grass-root club, Dolphin Stars F.C., highlights the importance of football scouting and talent identification.

“We almost lost all our young talents, the likes of Lamin Jarjue and other great young players who are now playing and representing other countries and African clubs,” he said.

“I have seen another young Gambian player, Lamin Deen, who is currently playing in Italy at Napoli Under 19 youth, a regular player just to mention a few but there are many unknowns,” he added.

He urged the football stakeholders to closely partner with Sports journalists, football scouts, and coaches to invite competent professional young players to participate in the Under 20 World Cup without favouritism and biased selection.

Additionally, the Gambia stands a better chance to be the champion of the youth world cup despite losing the final to Senegal during the recent Under 20 African Cup of Nations.

He appeals to the government, private sector, and individuals to support the process and early preparation for the upcoming league world cup.

Kifa further compliments the effort and hard work of the baby scorpions and team officials for a tremendous performance in Egypt during the Under 20 African Cup of Nations.

According to him, the central government and other stakeholders in the sports industry need to adjust their contribution and effort to make it happen for the Gambia our homeland.

He said football and sports at large contribute a huge economic growth to national development.

Additionally, that Senegal is now identified in the global sports industry because of football and other related sports activities, not politics.

Kifa called on the country’s President Adama Barrow and other tycoons to fully pledge their financial muscles for the upcoming Under 20 world Cup in Indonesia.

He said early preparation and financial aid are needed, adding that there is no football without grass-root.

He advised the young scorpions to stay focused and work hard to set the pace for a collective victory.

Kifa is a practising journalist who recently graduates among other nationalities with an Advanced Certificate Program in Football Business Management and HR at Valley View University in partnership with Linked Sports Business College in Ghana.

He is currently pursuing his training program in Football Intermediary, Football Scouting, and Talent Identification at the same University in Ghana.

The Gambia is on course to register universal access to electricity by 2025. However, power interruption and frequent blackouts have left many asking whether the country has the generation capacity to supply the increasing electricity demand.

Honourable Kebba K Barrow, National Assembly Member for Kombo South; and Honorable Alhagie S. Darboe, National Assembly for Brikama North, are suggesting for the country to direct its focus on investing more in renewable energy, such as solar energy, to meet the high demand of energy.

“Renewable energy, I think, is the best thing for us. In the sub-region, we have a lot of sunshine and what we need is the capital expenses that need to be met. In doing that, it is the responsibility of the respective member countries to raise the required funds to get the projects in place. For us, in The Gambia, we have just ratified a loan and a grant to support renewable energy that is going to give a number of kilowatts for the provision of electricity”.

According to KKB, the Gambia has secured a grant of 24 million Euros and a loan of 8 million Euros towards helping the country’s renewable energy drive. “The foundation stone of that project has already been laid by the President of the Republic and, hopefully, it is going to be up and running within the next 24 months,” stated Hon. Barrow, who also chairs the Ecowas Parliament’s Committee on Macro Economics and Economic Policy Research.

For Alhagie S. Darboe, Minority Leader and National Assembly Member for Brikama North, the Ecowas bloc is doing well to improve energy access within the sub-region, through various projects, such as the West Africa Power Pool and the OMVG.

Nonetheless, Darboe equally believes renewable energy could be an alternative for Ecowas member states, including The Gambia. “Renewable energy is more reliable, affordable and accessible. I would therefore recommend The Gambia to direct more attention to the renewable energy sector.”

Hon Barrow and Darboe, respectively, who are part of The Gambia’s five-member delegation to the Ecowas Parliament, made these interventions in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where the Parliament is organizing a meeting on energy transition.

The West Africa Competitiveness and Quality Infrastructure (WACQIC) project began a 4-day Technical Management Committee for the review of 31 draft EWOCAS standards relating to regional value chains – Mango, Cassava & Information and Communications Technologies – on Tuesday 21st March 2023 at Senegambia Beach Hotel.

Funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), WACQIC is aimed at improving the competitiveness of West African enterprises, especially SMEs, and deepening regional integration and the countries’ participation in the continental and international trading systems.

The identified standards are considered according to the ECOWAS Standards Harmonization Model (ECOSHAM). Thirty-one (31) of the ninety-one (91) standards in three 3 value chains have reached the step of validation by the Technical Management Committee of Ecowas Standards Harmonisation Model TMC/ECOSHAM.

The Technical Management Committee of Ecowas Standards Harmonisation Model has converged in Banjul on Tuesday 21st March 2023 to validate draft standards in three 3 value chains within West Africa. The draft standards are submitted by the Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture of the ECOWAS Commission for validation by the TMC/ECOSHAM.

The high-level meeting, organized by UNIDO, seeks to harmonize thirty-one (31) standards in the cassava, mango and information and communication technology value chains in West Africa to promote regional integration in trade, investment and economic development. The initiative also seeks to enhance quality infrastructure and competitiveness programs in the region.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) works closely with the European Union, and ECOWAS Commission to promote business development and industrialization within the ECOWAS region to enhance economic growth and sustainable development.

The Representative of UNIDO, Mr. Christian Lasser, believes that “Inclusion and sustainable industrialization is an important part of the way forward for the ECOWAS region and UNIDO encourages the ECOWAS Commission to support enterprises in their development and upgrading to improve their competitiveness.”

The European Union gives financial support for the creation and execution of programmes aimed at improving quality infrastructure and competitiveness in West Africa, including national quality policies, the establishment of quality infrastructure institutions and the designing of technical regulations and standards.

“We believe that standard harmonization is crucial to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of mango, cassava and information and communication technologies value chains,” Ms. Aisha Sillah, a representative of the European Union told the meeting.

She emphasized that European Union is “confident that the validation of the draft standards will contribute to the achievement of those objectives and enhance West Africa’s competitiveness and facilitate the integration of the region in the global economy.”

Lassane Kabore of the Ecowas Commission underscored the importance of the convergence and urged participants to live up to expectations. He said the “development of a chain is significant to poverty reduction and creating employment” in the region.

The representative of the Gambia Government, Mr. Assan Gaye, emphasized that the “regional dynamic” initiated by the ECOWAS Commission must be supported with “innovative policies” to enhance the activities of local production units. He believes that will transform those production units into medium-sized enterprises and bridge the gap between them and multinational companies in the region.

He said The Gambia Government, therefore, urge the ECOWAS Commission to “accelerate the operationalisation of ECOWAS Regional Quality Infrastructure structures for a better coordination of quality in the region for the benefit of regional companies, ECOWAS citizens and the protection of the regional environment.”

The four-day validation meeting is organised by the United Nation Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and funded by the European Union (EU). The meeting starts on 21st March and ends on 24th March 2023, in Banjul, The Gambia.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

Thirty (30) independent candidates as of March 23 and twenty-one (21) candidates from the United Democratic Party (UDP) have submitted their nomination forms to the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) West Coast Region office for different wards’ councillor’s seats in the forthcoming Brikama Area councillorship elections next month.

As the country moves toward the local government election next month, aspiring candidates for various wards in the West Coast Region began submitting their nomination forms to the ICE office in Brikama.

According to Faraba Janneh, the regional electoral officer for West Coast Region, 95 forms were picked up from their office to contest for 28 wards in the Brikama Area Council election. Among the 95 forms, 35 were independent, 21 from UDP, 16 from NPP, 12 from APRC, and 11 from other political parties.

“95 forms were collected. Among them, 35 are independent candidates. Out of this number, 4 withdrew. As of now, we have only nominated 30 of them and are left with only one. NPP, UDP, GDC, and PDOIS all bought forms from here. However, parties like GMC, CA, and NRP didn’t collect any forms here,” Janneh told The Fatu Network.

Aside from the independent candidates, the UDP has presented more candidates than any other political party in the West Coast region. The ruling National people’s Party submitted 16 while political ally APRC submitted 12.

The nomination proper is expected to end on the 27th of March at 4 pm.

By: Hadram Hydara

In the wake of the Kunta Kinteh Ferry fiasco over the weekend, which had left the vessel stranded in the middle of the sea with passengers and vehicles aboard for twelve hours and proved fatal for one passenger who was in an ambulance bound for the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, The Fatu Network has been informed by a source close to the Gambia Ferry Services that General Manager, Lamin Jawara’s claim that the ferry got stranded at sea due to its rudder propeller getting entangled in a fishing net, was a lie peddled to cover up the cranky conditions of the ferries.

On Sunday, March 19, the Kunta Kinteh ferry got stuck at the Barra landing site, spending the night in the middle of the sea which led to the death of Alagie Sarr, a native of Medina Serign Mass. On Monday, March 20, the General Manager of the Gambia Ferry Services Lamin Jawara told the press the incident was a result of the ferry’s propeller getting stuck in a fishing net.

“As a result of this, the ferry was not able to move and spent the night at the Barra landing site. When it happened, the captain rushed to remove the net and attempted to ply back to Banjul, but it was hindered by low tide.”

However, according to our source, who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, this was an attempt to cover up the dire conditions of the engines of the ferries, adding that the same thing happened two days before the incident [Kunta Kinteh ferry getting stuck in the sea].

“That is not true,” he said, adding that “he was given 206 million dalasis by GPA (Gambia Ports Authority) board to improve the ferries as well as wean off ferries of GPA.

“Guess what he did, he went and buy cheap engines from an agent in Senegal instead of our regular supplier in Holland. After about a year, one of the engines got broken while the other two are not registering the required power,” the source continued.

The ferry is a disaster waiting to happen, as per the source, noting that the engines have been registering way below the recommended Revolutions Per Minute (RPM).

“The ferry is a disaster waiting to happen. At best, the engines register 1300 RMP instead of the recommended 1800 RMP. Corruption is killing us, if [the] situation is not fixed with utmost urgency, it would take a disaster to fix it.”

Efforts from TFN to get the comments of the General Manager of the Gambia Ferry Services Lamin Jawara have proved futile.

BY: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

Ya Adam Njie, the University of the Gambia overall best student of the class of 2022, has urged females in the country to fight to overcome the gender disparity gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by venturing into these fields like their male counterparts. 

Ya Adam, who majored in Computer Science and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a stunning CGPA of 4.123, said women should stop overthinking and give it a shot in the area. She exhorted them to explore computer science and its related areas.

“We ladies, tend to overthink a lot sporadically. It’s a great thing, but every so often it can stop us from taking risks. Just give it a shot! You would rather not be in your old age and wondering “what if?”.

“Explore Computer Science and don’t be afraid of failure. It’s part of life. Hell, it’s part of coding! That’s what we call bugs! You don’t let a bug stop you, no matter how long it takes, you fix it and move on. Also, don’t listen to the people who call the field difficult. It is not when you have a deep passion for it,” she explained.

According to her, when she was informed that she was the overall best-graduating student in the recent UTG convocation, she felt good but sad because she would have preferred the gender disparity in her class to be more balance.

“It felt good, but also sad. Good because I love to win [and] sad because I would’ve loved for the male-to-female ratio of the students in the class to have been more balanced.

“A lot of my classes were like 30 plus men and not more than 5 women. It’s disheartening to witness. Especially knowing the origins of Computer Science. Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer.

“This field used to be a female-dominated field at its start. I don’t entirely understand why the shift happened, but I would like for more women to actively pursue the field. It is so wonderful, and I know they would excel in it,” she explained to The Fatu Network.

Ya Adam is now looking forward to studying Artificial Intelligence for her master’s degree after graduating with Suma Cum Launde in Computer Science from the University of The Gambia.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Musa Ousainou Yali Bachilly, the leader of the opposition Gambia Action Party (GAP), has called on the government to regulate the prices of food commodities ahead of Ramadan to avoid intimidation of customers with self-imposed prices.

“This year’s Ramadan will be challenging financially. Other factors that surround our market prices. Traders are continuously taking advantage by ripping off people with throat-cut prices and the Ministry of Trade is looking without introducing fixed price regulations,” he said.

According to the GAP leader, all the Gambian market traders are continuously and brutally abusive and introduce their market prices without sympathy whilst the government is naively busy in support of corruption.

“A GAP-led government will curb corruption and poverty reduction as well as overstretched and demoralized public services including the economic downturn and price regulations,” he asserted.

He noted that GAP-led government culprits will be brought to book as an implementation of self-market prices will be criminalized in The Gambia with zero tolerance.

“Survival should not be ignored because of poverty, and one cannot afford to die due to the government’s inability to implement workable policies for all the citizens.

“In other countries with responsible governments, prices of basic commodities are being prioritized to prevent hunger strikes amongst the people, but in the Gambia, the people’s representatives are keeping quiet whilst ordinary Gambians continue to languish in confusion,” he emphasized.

Speaking further, the opposition leader called on the National Assembly members as direct representatives of the people to work together with the Ministry of Trade and implement price fixing with immediate effect.

“We are bonded by a sense of humour and commonalities. When survival becomes difficult in a country, it triggers political and social instability.

We take this opportunity to call for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the Gambia ahead of local government elections and also wish the entire Muslim family a blissful month of Ramadan with joy and rewards,” he stressed.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Thieves have broken into Men’s Closet Aminaa, a designer’s shop belonging to one Amina Faal, a resident of Brusubi, and reportedly escaped with items worth more than two hundred thousand dalasis on Sunday, March 19.

Speaking to The Fatu Network, the young businesswoman said she was shocked after realizing her shop was broken into by thieves.

According to Amina Faal, the Chief Executive Officer of Men’s Closet Aminaa, the incident occurred at around 9 a.m. on Sunday.

“I was told by neighbours that my back window to the shop was open. I rush to check and found that it was broken,” she said.

She stated the thieves entered the shop through the window and then to the toilet where they broke the other door and get into the shop.

“They took a lot of items in the shop which can be worth up to more than two hundred thousand dalasis (D200, 000.00). The items stolen include clothes, shoes, and other luxury accessories. The shoes are many and I had a new arrival which I didn’t price before the incident occurred,” she explained.

Ms. Faal described the incident as a major setback for her young business while calling on people to help her recover the items.

She further revealed that the thieves have broken the doors of her shop which needed urgent maintenance. This, she added, is devastating as she would have to start everything again from scratch.

The matter has been reported to the police for investigation, however, such incidents are not uncommon as barely a day or two will pass without hearing such news on local news outlets across the country.

Access to reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity helps improve the living standard of all. However, almost half of the population of the over 400 million people in the ECOWAS sub-region has no access to energy, according to Sidie Mohamed Tunis, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament at the start of a five-day joint Parliamentary Committee in Freetown, Sierra Leone on the theme “Building the regional energy market for a just energy transition”.

“With a total population of over 400 million people, only 220 million (54%) have access to electricity, while the remaining 180 million (46%) lack access to power due to low generation or poor distribution capacity,” said Speaker Tunis, who went further to described it as “this unfortunate reality has impacted negatively on the performance and competitiveness of our businesses, particularly our 7 manufacturing plants that rely heavily on the sustainable power supply to survive.”

He said the energy issue, particularly the need for an energy transition is, therefore, at the heart of the sub-region’s economies and national productivity.

For Speaker Tunis, no single state can provide sustainable solutions to these challenges, thus the need for a concerted effort.

“It is with this in mind that the Member States have set up the West African Power Pool to create a system of interconnection of electricity networks aimed at enabling a better distribution of energy resources, to compensate for the production deficit of member states. It is true that the construction of major roads and rail arteries between our capitals will allow for a more intense movement of people and goods.

“However, we must also agree that the physical interconnection infrastructure of the electricity networks that are being developed within the framework of the regional electricity market is, without a doubt, the veins that will enable the transporting and sharing of life-giving energy for the concrete integration of the sub-region.”

To achieve its objectives of the meeting, the joint Parliamentary Committee is benefiting from the presence of Resource Persons and Stakeholders from relevant ECOWAS Institutions and Agencies, as well as experts from the region who have produced high-quality reports and studies on the process of creating the regional electricity market.

Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, the Vice President of Sierra Leone, said at the heart of the underdevelopment in the sub-region is attributed to the energy supply deficit, which is unquestionably the backbone of any country’s development.

“No country or region would develop or prosper without energy, as energy is vital to the productive sector, which holds the key to economic development.”

VP Jalloh said the region is still struggling to meet its growing energy needs, as he shared with the meeting some of the gains registered in Sierra Leone since 2018.

“In Sierra Leone, when we took over in 2018, the energy sector was plagued with a lot of challenges. First, energy access was 16 per cent, because there was inadequate generation, high cost of electricity, and lack of transmission and distribution lines. But when we took over in 2018, we developed a strategic plan to turn around this story by increasing energy generation access to over 35 per cent.”

He informed the ECOWAS Parliament joint meeting that the Government of Sierra Leone, through the energy ministry, created an off-grid solar solution to provide solar renewable energy to over 56 small villages and towns.

According to Vice President Jalloh, his government has also passed a regulation, allowing the participation of the private sector in the energy market.

“As a government, we want to make a shift from utility energy to produce energy.”

He calls for creative thinking to boost the energy sector by further encouraging Banks to move from just commercial banking to project financing to be able to mobilise the needed resources.