Assembly asks gov’t to consider terminating Securiport contract

National Assembly members have recommended that government review, for possible termination, the contract of US based company Securiport, which collects $20 security fee from arriving and departing passengers at the Banjul International Airport.

The fee continues to attract complaints from Gambians and foreigners alike with most observers saying it has greatly hampered the country’s tourism sector.

Tour operators like Nordic Leisure Travel Group suspended operations to Gambia in 2022, because of the levy.

A National Audit Office  report  in 2023 revealed that the contract “lacked transparency and was being awarded with intention of receiving kickbacks” and that the contracting agencies such as Office of the President and the Immigration Department disregarded  advice from the  Attorney General by extending the duration of the contract from ten years to fifteen years”.

Last week, the Public Enterprises Committee (PEC) of the National Assembly, in its financial report on State Owned Enterprises SOEs for 2022, advised the ministries of Finance, Interior and Works to review the contract and consider a possible termination revealing that it has in fact not been paying any compensation to the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for using its facilities to collect the fees and for acting as collection agency on behalf of the government.

The parliamentary committee chaired by Lamin J Sanneh, Member for Brikama South, revealed that auditors have found that the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority GCCA is currently not deriving any benefits from the border security fees despite the fact that Securiport is presently utilising four cash collection points within the airport terminal, two for arriving passengers, and two for those leaving, without any payment of rent or concessions to the GCCA.

The Committee recommends that GCAA re-evaluate the management and collection of the security fees to ensure that it receives the appropriate benefits from these charges.

GCAA transferring millions without benefit
According to the parliamentary committee, the GCAA serves as the collection agency for the funds on behalf of the government, and between July to December 2022, the Authority,  acting on directive from the Ministry of Finance, transferred D43,824,494.38 to the government for its shares from the collections but received no compensation for this.

It said the GCCA acted on this directive and executed the said transfer in its entirety, refraining from deducting any form of commission or agency fees as compensation or benefit for its services.

GIA unpaid hajj tickets
Presenting its report on the audit of another SOE, the Gambia International Airlines, GIA, the parliamentary committee  said  auditors have reported that in  2022, 17 pilgrims were sponsored by the Office of the President and were supposed to make a total payment of D7, 140,000 but only D4,040,000 was paid by the OP through Ecobank leaving an unpaid balance of D3,100,000 which was not invoiced to OP, as at 31st December 2022. 

The Committee further found that in the same year four pilgrims, three on the first hajj flight and one on the second, were reported to be under the care of former managing director Lamin Cham without evidence of payments.

“No payment as in respect of these four seats totaling D1, 680, 000, was invoiced to the MD and booked as hajj revenue as at 31st December 2022,” the Committee said.

It said in the case of the fourth pilgrim, an invoice of D210,000 was issued and payment  made at Zenith Bank.

The PEC recommends that the board and management must ensure that the invoices issued to the OP and the former MD Lamin Cham are fully settled, and provide the implementation status of the recovery plan from OP and former MD Cham and notify the Committee by 31st July 2026.

NAMs also urged the GIA management to ensure that henceforth, its Finance Department check to confirm that all intending pilgrims have fully settled their payments prior to being allocated seats as pilgrims.