By Fatou Sillah
The Vice President of The Gambia, Muhammed BS Jallow, told lawmakers on Wednesday that the government is not considering the removal of the D1,000 airport security fee charged to departing and arriving passengers at Banjul International Airport, despite persistent public complaints.
Appearing before the National Assembly, Mr. Jallow said the administration had no immediate plans to review the charge.
“At this point it is not considered,” he said, responding to a question about whether the government intended to scrap the fee in light of concerns raised by travelers.
Lawmakers also pressed the vice president on whether persons with disabilities could be exempted from the payment. Mr. Jallow said the current agreement governing the fee provides no such exemption.
“I wish to inform this August Assembly that under the current contract, there is no exemption for persons with disabilities,” he said. “However, consideration may be given when the current contract is to be reviewed.”
Mr. Jallow added that the contract underpinning the fee arrangement is expected to remain in force for at least two more years.
“As far as I know, I think the contract has at least about two years to go,” he said.
Any future deliberations on exemptions, he said, would depend on established classifications of persons with disabilities. While he did not specify which standards would apply, he noted that existing definitions are used by relevant ministries and international bodies.
“I think there are already some standard classifications as far as persons with disabilities are concerned,” he said, adding that such definitions vary because “disabilities differ.”
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