By Fatou Sillah
The National Audit Office (NAO) has uncovered widespread financial mismanagement in the multi-phase rehabilitation of The Gambia’s Independence Stadium, according to its 2023 annual report.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports launched the project after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned the venue for failing to meet international hosting standards. What began as a phased rehabilitation has now spiraled into a costly endeavor riddled with irregularities.
The audit reveals that Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the project cost D153 million and D83 million, respectively, with an additional D10 million requested for further renovations. However, serious lapses were found in how these funds were managed and accounted for.
In Phase 1, auditors flagged breaches of contract payment terms, including advance payments that exceeded the 50% ceiling set by the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA). Payments to contractors also failed to align with agreed percentages, raising risks of both overpayment and underpayment.
Phase 2 was marked by overlapping contracts, with parts of completed and certified works later demolished and re-executed by GIGO Construction. The CFTM Group, tasked with Phase 2 works, was found to have received an overpayment of D1 million. The report further noted duplication of earlier project scopes across multiple phases, suggesting systemic waste and mismanagement of public funds.
Other red flags included missing billing documents for Phase 2, unaccounted demolition materials, inactive technical oversight committees, and progress reports that overstated the level of work completed. Additionally, auditors found that CAF’s initial recommendations were not fully implemented in Phase 1, while later phases were executed without proper contract attachments—exposing the project to procurement fraud and financial risks.
In response, management cited delays in the release of funds, phased implementation tied to CAF inspections, and technical advice from consultants as the primary reasons for the project’s shortcomings.
The NAO concluded that critical concerns—including procurement breaches and accountability failures—remain unresolved. As a result, large sums of public money remain unaccounted for, while the stadium’s rehabilitation continues to lag behind CAF and FIFA standards.