By Fatou Sillah
The Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, has defended the government’s decision to sell Mile 2 Central Prison to the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA), arguing that the move is a strategic effort to finance the construction of a new correctional facility while supporting the expansion of the Banjul Port.
In an interview with West Coast Radio, Dr. Ceesay said the arrangement should be viewed as an innovative approach to mobilizing resources, not as a sale to a private entity.
“I think we should even commend the government for having the foresight and the vision and the wisdom to be innovative in raising the funds to build a new correctional facility,” he said.
The minister emphasized that both institutions involved in the transaction are state-owned, rejecting characterizations of the deal as a privatization of public assets. “It is a takeover because, remember, Gambia Ports Authority is a government institution, and Mile 2 is a government institution under the Ministry of Interior,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay added that the decision was informed by a broad consensus that Mile 2 Central Prison no longer meets acceptable standards for inmate accommodation.
“Everybody, there is a consensus across the board that the Mile 2 prison is not fit for purpose anymore, and it is not fit for human habitation,” he said.
According to the minister, the government has already secured land in Nyambikala, in the West Coast Region, where a new prison complex is planned in line with international standards.
“The government is planning, and land has been allocated in Nyambikala in the West Coast region, to build a new correctional facility, which is in line with international standards,” he said.
He also linked the transfer of the prison site to the ongoing expansion of the Banjul Port, noting that the project requires additional space to handle container traffic effectively. “We need more space for containers so that the expansion can be successful, and there is space where the Mile 2 prison is,” he said. Adding that “the ports authority has brought in some financing to start the prison facility.”
Responding to public criticism of the decision, Dr. Ceesay said he saw no cause for concern, reiterating that the transaction involves only public institutions.
“So I don’t see anything wrong with that; I don’t know why people are crying about that. The Gambia Ports Authority is not a private entity; it is a government entity,” he said. “It is a public institution taking over another public institution and putting forward the finances to build a new correctional facility. I think it is kudos to the government for that.”