In a recent session of the Gambia National Assembly, the Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Honourable Ousman A. Bah, faced questions from members of parliament regarding the financial status and future plans for the state-owned telecommunications companies, Gamtel and Gamcel.

The session began with a question from the Honorable Member for Fonji, Kansala, who inquired about the main causes of revenue decline or losses for Gamtel and Gamcel in recent years. The Minister cited several factors, including outdated technology, excess staffing, revenue generation limitations, low service innovation, and inadequate investment in technology and infrastructure upgrades.

Regarding the proposed transfer of Gamtel’s fiber and telecom assets to a special purpose vehicle (SPV), Honourable Ousman A. Bah explained that this move was informed by a World Bank-supported study that found Gamtel to be highly indebted and operationally inefficient. The establishment of an SPV was among the options approved by the Cabinet in 2019 to revitalize Gamtel.

In response to a question about ghost workers at Gamtel, the Minister stated that around 75% of employees were identified as either ghost workers or redundant in a 2016 HR audit. While he did not have the names of these employees available, he committed to providing this information to the Assembly.

Regarding future plans for Gamtel and Gamcel, Honourable Ousman A. Bah disclosed that the government had recently approved a cabinet paper to privatize Gamtel and outright sell Gamcel. This decision, he explained, was driven by the need for private partner participation to inject investment into the companies, as the government could no longer afford to support them financially.

The Minister also highlighted the government’s ongoing support for Gamtel’s infrastructure development, including the ACE, ECO-1, and NBN fiber rollout, which are partly financed by government loans. He noted that the government had provided 1.5 billion in support to Gamtel in 2019, the last time such support was extended.

In conclusion, Honourable Ousman A. Bah reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting Gamtel’s operations while transitioning to private ownership. He emphasized the importance of private sector involvement in revitalizing the companies and ensuring their long-term sustainability.