Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The long-awaited election of the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) Staff Association, scheduled for today, October 20, 2025, has been postponed, deepening unease among workers at the country’s only seaport.
The decision, which management says follows advice from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), has triggered suspicion among employees who see it as an attempt to tilt the race in management’s favor.
At stake is more than just a staff association leadership contest. The president of the association holds a seat on the GPA Board, making the position one of the few direct channels through which workers can influence strategic decisions.
With the Banjul Seaport currently under a 30-year concession to the Turkish Albayrak Group, many employees believe the association’s independence is crucial for safeguarding staff interests and amplifying workers’ voices on issues of pay, working conditions, and national accountability.
The delay comes amid accusations that management is trying to steer the election outcome. Until recently, Aboubacarr Gibba, leader of a newly formed workers’ bloc known as the Democratic Movement, was the sole candidate for the presidency.
However, following the postponement, a new contender emerged: Adama Jatta, daughter of GPA’s Human Resources Director, Suwadou Jatta. For many workers, the timing suggests a coordinated effort to weaken Gibba’s momentum and install leadership more aligned with management.
Underlying these tensions is growing anger over a new pay policy that boosted allowances for senior officials (over D20,000 for managers and nearly D30,000 for directors) while leaving junior staff behind.
Workers argue that the policy has widened divisions within the authority and signaled disregard for the welfare of lower-tier employees.
As the election hangs in limbo, employees are looking ahead to what the eventual executive must confront.
Central to their demands are fairness in pay structures, restoration of trust between staff and management, and an assertive stance on the Albayrak concession, which many Gambians view as opaque despite a massive government communication campaign.
For now, the postponement has only deepened mistrust. Workers fear that if the association loses its independence, the staff’s strongest voice on the GPA Board could be silenced, leaving management unchecked at a time when the future of the country’s main gateway to the world remains under scrutiny.
