By Fatou Sillah
The Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, has criticised the Banjul City Council (BCC), the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), and the Brikama Area Council, accusing them of failing to effectively maintain cleanliness in their respective municipalities.
According to Dr. Ceesay, the inability of these councils to manage sanitation has necessitated direct government intervention through the National Environment Agency (NEA).
“What is clear is that BCC, KM, and the West Coast Region have failed in their mandate to keep their cities clean. Nobody can deny that they failed,” he said.
He noted that government involvement, particularly through the NEA, has led to noticeable improvements in sanitation, arguing that such progress would not have been achieved if responsibility had been left solely to the councils.
“It’s a big improvement because of the government’s involvement,” Dr. Ceesay stated.
The minister explained that the government has committed additional resources to sanitation efforts, including the deployment of more environmental inspectors under the NEA to monitor cleanliness and enforce environmental standards, especially in the Kanifing Municipality.
“That is why we employ more inspectors to go around and make sure that the environment is clean. If we had left it to the mayor alone, it would have been a disaster,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay further compared sanitation outcomes across the country, noting that councils in the Central River Region, Upper River Region, and North Bank Region—headed by National People’s Party (NPP) chairpersons—appear to be performing better in waste management.
“They don’t have the same challenge in terms of waste disposal, and we have not been seeing market fire disasters there,” he said.
Addressing concerns about the release of development funds to councils, Dr. Ceesay clarified that such disbursements are conditional and not automatic. He stressed that councils must meet specific requirements before funds can be released.
“Those monies are not given just like that; you must fulfill certain conditions. If those conditions are not met, then you cannot disburse them,” he said.