By Momodou Justice Darboe
The Director General of the Gambia Tourism Board has denied media reports that he exonerated EJ Investments from encroaching on the Tourism Development Area.
EJ Investments was recently in the news after GTBoard claimed the real estate agency had encroached on the Tourism Development Area in Sanyang and Tujereng. GTBoard last month said in a statement that real estate agencies like EJ Investment, S&J Properties and Darboe Jula were selling landed properties in the Tourism Development Area, notably Tanji, Batokunku, Tujereng, Kartong and Sanyang. The tourism regulation body warned that anyone who buys land in the TDA is doing so at his or her own risk.
On May 2, EJ Investments called a press conference where it slammed GTBoard for claiming the company was selling land in the Tourism Development Area.
On Wednesday, The Standard newspaper reported that the director general of the Gambia Tourism Board confirmed to the paper that EJ Investments’ estate in Sanyang does not lie within Tourism Development Area.
But speaking in a press conference on Friday in Kololi, Abdoulie Hydara said reports that he had confirmed that EJ Investments has not encroached on the TDA in Sanyang were incorrect.
“If we give out information in an attempt to be very open and transparent and knowing very well that the media forms a critical component of our development agenda, we would be very happy to see you quoting us correctly. It is incorrect to quote that the director general of the Gambia Tourism Board has confirmed that EJ Investments has not encroached in Sanyang. I have never said that,” Hydara said.
