Henry Gomez, Minister of Youth and Sports, has said he has no intention to dissolve or suspend the Gambia Football Federation (GFF).

Minister Gomez made this remark yesterday in an interview with The Point at his office, following reports in local newspapers on whether he plans to dissolve the GFF.

The minister, a onetime footballer, said he has no intention to dissolve GFF because he knows there are many countries that have tried to dissolve their FAs and had problems with FIFA, which led to their suspension.

He added that dissolving GFF would look like he was not fear with the youth.

He expressed his readiness to work hand in glove with everybody but was quick to add that his challenge also would be ensuring transparency within GFF, especially with the FIFA Goal Project in Yundum, which everybody in the country is talking about.

He pointed out that the GFF claimed to have rehabilitated the FIFA Goal Project to the tune of D7 million but “today it has only a toilet, a fence, and some windows and roofs”.

“The GFF claims that they had invested US$500,000, which is D20 million and also claimed that furniture cost was US$325,000,” he noted, saying all he was saying was the truth, as he also took some photos of the site.

The Youth and Sports Minister called for the FIFA Goal Project to be investigated but also for the GFF to tell Gambian youth when they are going to deliver the Goal Project to them.

“All I need is action and results,” he stated, saying he is not out to hunt or witch hunt anyone.

“FIFA does not want politics or interference in football but if there is no government there will be no Gambia Football Federation and as long as government is contributing to football then government have the right to have a say in it,” he highlighted, adding: “Government allocates subvention to GFF.”

He called for transparency within the GFF.

“If GFF wants to be a private body then let them stop government contributing to them,” he remarked, saying as long as the Gambia government is investing in GFF the government has the right to partake in its affairs.

He added that he had no grudge against whosoever is in GFF and is ready to work with everyone but let the cards be put on the table.

“I have not been quoted talking to any media house about dissolving or suspending Gambia Football Federation,” he clarified, saying the reports about him are all speculations.

“All what I wish is: we all work together,” he further said, adding that in football FIFA calls for fair play.

“I am not here to hunt anyone and I am not a human hunter but I rose up my hand and swore to the nation that I am going to work for this nation and for the youth,” Hon. Gomez said.

He questioned “those making noise”, saying why they should when “they are innocent”, adding that as a minister he would focus on doing his job.

Source: Point Newspaper

Coco Ocean and Spa, a Five-Star hotel in The Gambia, has filed a civil suit against Sedia Bayo, a Gambian-French after the hotel alleged that he and his entourage lodged for 13 nights and refused to pay.
The suit was filed against Sedia and one Philippe Andre Raymond Piere Etienne, also a French citizen.
According to an affidavit signed by Sheikh Tijan Gaye, the director of administration of Coco Ocean Resort, the hotel is asking

Sedia Bayo and his companion to settle over one million dalasi which they have so far failed or refused to do.
Part of the affidavit of Mr Gaye obtained by The Standard alleged that on the 3rd February 2017, both defendants Bayo and Philippe booked into his hotel and took a double-bedded Presidential Villa room for 13 nights but failing to settle the bills.

Part of the affidavit reads:

“The Defendants presented themselves as VIPs and arrived in a convoy of vehicles. I am familiar with the personality of the 2nd Defendant who has appeared several times on Senegalese television and Gambian online media as a politician and purported presidential candidate. The 2nd Defendant was also seen in the company of the Gambian President in France. As such they were afforded the courtesy of being accompanied directly to the Presidential Villa and the 1st Defendant on behalf of the 2ndDefendant handled all protocols.

“The Defendants did not pay a deposit upon booking in and the 2nd Defendant was quite dismissive and inaccessible. He was always accompanied by three burly military style bodyguards and refused to discuss issues of payment. The 1st Defendant assured the Plaintiff’s management that they would settle all bills before leaving. On the 16th February 2017, an international celebrity by the name Akon requested a booking as he was visiting President Barrow for 3 days. Despite the protests of the Defendants, the Plaintiff insisted on moving them to other accommodation to make room for Akon who was guaranteed to settle his bills. On the same day the 2nd Defendant booked into the Plaintiff hotel’s single-bedded Junior Room and stayed there for 3 days. Upon the 2nd Defendants request, the Plaintiff arranged for the 2nd Defendant to be moved back into the Presidential Villa on the 19th February 2017. The 2nd Defendant stayed in the Presidential Villa until the 4th March 2017.

“On the 4th March 2017, both Defendants again booked two Royal Suits Rooms in the Plaintiff hotel. They stayed in the hotel until the 21st March 2017. During all these periods, the Plaintiff rendered services to the Defendants.

“The total amount of services rendered is for the sum of GMD 1, 709, 522.45.
“Invoices were sent by the Plaintiff to the Defendants for the payment of the said outstanding balance but no payment was made by the Defendants. Now produced and shown to me marked “STG1” “STG2” “STG3” and “STG4” are copies of the said invoices from the 3rd February 2017 to 21st March 2017.

The Plaintiff thereafter made several requests of payment from the Defendants but to no avail.
Despite the Plaintiff’s several demands the Defendants have failed and/or refused to pay the said outstanding amount. The 2ndDefendant clandestinely left the hotel premises and apparently comes in and out of the country without settlement of his debt.

“As for the 1st Defendant, his passport is in the possession of the Plaintiff and to the best of my knowledge information and belief, he is within the country. Now produced and shown to me marked “STG5” is a copy of the said passport.

In a newspaper advert last week, the court has summoned the defendants, Sedia and Philippe, to appear on July 18, 2017 otherwise risk judgement against them.

Source: Standard Newspaper

A research report published yesterday by the West Africa Cyber security Indexing and Readiness has indicated that the most vulnerable sector within the Gambia to cyber-attack is the banking and financial sector.

The report looks at the scope, level of readiness and preparedness of Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia and Liberia, in their effort to combat cyber threats and intrusions into their economic, social and political structures.

“Available information from all four countries put the Banking and Finance sector as the most vulnerable to cyber-attacks,” it stated.

“More than 60% of those surveyed within the Banking and financial institutions have been victims or have known victims of cyber-crime in the last 12 months.”

The report examines the types of cybersecurity commitments by Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia and Liberia, success in cybersecurity policy implementation, the top cybersecurity threats in West Africa, emerging trends with a direct impact on cybersecurity in West Africa, the imminent types of vulnerabilities these countries are susceptible to and how it affects growth and development.

The report also revealed that network bypass theft and other incidents of cyber intrusion continue to plague the telecommunication industry in all four countries, even as they look forward to invest in new technologies to boost their security and infrastructure.

Regardless of the threat, the report stated that more than half of the telecommunications companies in the four countries had no budget set aside for security.

The report stated that telecommunication operators surveyed also believed they were losing revenue of about 20% due to illegal system access.

It added that 70 percent of private and public organizations polled in the survey and analysis in the countries involved had little or no idea about the reality of cybercrime.

“Gambia and Liberia’s organizational procedures and processes have lagged behind in developing organization measures to counter cyber threats. In 2015, Gambia made its first attempt at putting in place a Cybersecurity strategy,” the report added.

With an increase in internet users and countries such as Gambia registering 373,865 Internet users as of March 2017, the report stated that threat is equally growing.

“All 4 countries had one attack trend in common. The hacking of electoral systems and government websites: Hack attacks cut Internet access in Liberia. The official website of Gambia’s Government House has been shut down by suspected hackers after disputed electoral results,” the report added.

“Hackers paralyzed computers at Gambia’s U.N Permanent Mission. Hackers have targeted the website of Ghana’s electoral commission as votes are counted after tightly contested elections. The majority of the Ghanaian government’s websites, including its main site, have been hacked and are currently offline.”
The report said though the attack vectors in West Africa have been escalating, they are not up to the level of what is happening in developed countries.

“Cybercriminals are starting to wake up to the fact that West Africa is a gold field with wide open systems,” it stated.

The report was done by 3T Solutions Consulting, a global Cyber security and Technology organization with offices in the United States, Ghana, Nigeria and India, providing expert cyber security and innovative technology to all tiers of business and governments.

Source: Standard Newspaper

The Gambian government has taken a significant step towards improving electricity supply in the
country. The Gambian and Senegalese national electricity corporations last week signed a
memorandum of understanding that will strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries.
Both nations already enjoy an especially close relationship since the coming to office of President
Barrow in January this year.

Gambian Petroleum & Energy Minister Fafa Sanyang recently led a team of officials to Dakar for
meetings with Senegalese counterparts.

Besides finalising the memorandum of understanding, the national utilities, Société Nationale
d’Électricité de Sénégal (SENELEC) and National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), also
initialed a highly concessional draft power purchase agreement, to be presented for approval by their
respective boards for final signature.

The power purchase agreement deal will connect cross-border points at Keur Ayib, Karang and
Tamba Kunda. It will see SENELEC immediately supplying between three to 10 megawatts of
electricity to NAWEC, with the possibility of expansion as the capacity of the network grows.

The electricity supply from SENELEC will go a long way to complementing NAWEC`s supply. With
this initiative, most parts of rural Gambia are expected to enjoy access to 24-hour electricity before
long. This is a significant milestone in the Gambian government’s rural electrification programme.

While in Dakar, Minister Sanyang paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Mahammed Dione of
Senegal. He briefed him on the Gambian government’s aspirations of sector-wide cooperation
between the two ministries of energy and petroleum.

Mr Sanyang explained that the objective was to align policies and strategies and mutually defend
both countries’ interests as members of several regional organisations. These include the West Africa
Power Pool, the Gambia River Basin Development Organisation, the Senegalo-Gambia Permanent
Secretariat and the Mauritania-Senegal-Gambia-Guinea-Bissau-Guinea (Conakry) Geological Basin.

Prime Minister Dione thanked Mr Sanyang and welcomed the initiative. He confirmed the
Senegalese government’s commitment and full support, urging officials on both sides to take the
necessary next steps to expeditiously formalise the cooperative initiative through diplomatic
channels.

Electricity generation remains a top priority for the Barrow administration, which inherited less than
50% of the total installed generation capacity within the greater Banjul area. NAWEC has so far
rehabilitated three of several old and faulty generators, which had down for almost a year. These
generators are currently providing an additional 18 megawatts of power. The company is currently
rehabilitating three other generators of a total capacity of 21 megawatts, and these are expected to
come on line later this year.

NAWEC will also commission an 11-megawatt new generating set for commercial operations by the
end of December. In the medium term, NAWEC plans to increase the available generation capacity to
120 megawatts by 2020 through a combination of public and private investment.

Source: NAWEC and Ministry of Petroleum and Energy