Hamat Bah Says Local Government Inquiry Report to Be Published Before End of August

By Fatou Sillah

The Minister of Local Government, Lands, and Religious Affairs, Hamat N.K. Bah has informed the National Assembly that the report of the Local Government Commission of Inquiry, along with the Government’s White Paper, will be made public before the end of August.

Minister Bah made the disclosure while responding to a question from the National Assembly Member for Banjul Central, who sought clarification on when the Commission’s report into the conduct of local government councils would be published and when implementation of its recommendations would commence.

“It is the government’s intention to lay both the Commission’s report and the Government White Paper before the end of August. Both the White Paper and the report itself will be published for public consumption,” the minister said.

Bah explained that the Commission of Inquiry was established under Section 200 of the Constitution and the Commission of Inquiry Act to investigate the administration and conduct of all eight local government councils during the period from May 2018 to January 2023.

He noted that the Commission has completed its mandate and submitted its report to President Adama Barrow.

According to the minister, the Government is now preparing a White Paper outlining its official response to the Commission’s findings and recommendations.

“I am pleased to inform this August Assembly that the Government has taken receipt of the Commission’s report and is currently preparing a White Paper setting out the government’s considered response to the findings and recommendations of the Commission,” he said.

Bah said the preparation of the White Paper involves a comprehensive review of the Commission’s findings across all councils, a legal assessment of accountability issues, and consideration of relevant legislation, including the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government Finance and Audit Act 2004, the Public Finance Act 2014, and other applicable laws.

He added that the process is intended to enable the Government to formulate its policy position on the Commission’s recommendations before both the report and the white paper are officially released to the public.