By Fatou Sillah
Gambia’s Minister of Works, Transport, and Infrastructure, Ebrima Sillah, told lawmakers on Thursday that allowing Senegalese motorists to pay tolls at the Senegambia Bridge in CFA francs helps the country generate much-needed foreign currency, a policy he described as financially advantageous and rooted in a longstanding bilateral agreement.
His remarks came in response to a question from the National Assembly Member for Foni Bintang, who pressed the minister on why the government accepts CFA at a bridge located fully within Gambian territory, rather than requiring payments in the national currency, the Dalasi.
“Although not an obligation, at the Senegambia Bridge, the government has decided to allow payments in CFA, which could avail the country with the opportunity to collect foreign currency for the government.” Mr. Sillah said, adding that such inflows help ease pressure on the Dalasi.
The exchange drew a sharp reaction from the Foni Bintang lawmaker, who argued that the Dalasi should be the exclusive legal tender within the country.
“In Senegal, the Dalasi is of no value and is of no use, “Honorable Badjie said. “This Senegambia Bridge we are talking about is inside the Gambia, and you said you want the CFA to be used inside the Gambia.”
Mr. Sillah countered that the practice stems from a 2018 bilateral agreement that permits Senegalese motorists to pay in either currency. The arrangement, he said, was designed to ease cross-border transit and reflect the reality that most users of the bridge come from Senegal, where the CFA is the dominant currency.
“This bilateral agreement spells out that Senegalese motorists crossing the Senegambia Bridge are at liberty to pay the crossing fee either in Dalasi or the equivalent in the CFA,” he said.
The minister also pointed to existing utility agreements between the Gambia’s NAWEC and Senegal’s SENELEC, in which payments are made in CFA. Accepting CFA at the bridge, he argued, is consistent with current practice and supports national financial stability.
“So, therefore, having an opportunity where CFA is available to Gambia being collected at the bridge is another opportunity to reduce pressure on the local currency,” he said.
Beyond fiscal benefits, Mr. Sillah said the policy simplifies trade and travel for motorists who would otherwise have to exchange currency at the border.
“As part of trade facilitation, having CFA and changing it into Dalasi to pay can sometimes be cumbersome, so it is sometimes more convenient if you come with your CFA and pay in equivalent Dalasi,” he said.