By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Gambia Radio and Television Service (GRTS) appeared before the National Assembly Standing Committee on Public Enterprises on February 1st, 2024, without their activity report and financial statements. They were scheduled to present these documents for the year ended December 31st, 2021.
Director General of GRTS, Abdoulie Sey, blamed the delay on system issues that hampered their financial system. He requested more time to finalize the documents, citing an incomplete management letter from the auditors.
“We could not submit our documents because our financial statement has been audited, but we are awaiting the management letter. The delay is attributed to some system issues that affected our financial system, but these have been rectified. Therefore, we seek your indulgence in granting us some time to go and finalize the documents,” Sey explained to the committee.
The auditors confirmed that the audits were completed, but there were outstanding information and audit journals that GRTS needed to address to finalize the work.
Chairman Lamin J. Sanneh expressed the committee’s difficulty with GRTS in past engagements, noting recurring challenges with report submissions. Sanneh emphasized the need to break this pattern, stating, “It seems to be becoming a culture, and we have to put a stop to this.”
“ I want to believe that this has something to do with the generation of your reports, even the last time your activity report was lead and the content of the activity report was not commensurate with the actual year that they are reporting, Because I happen to be part of the 5th legislation we know what captured, but it entails more of the 36 million that came under the supplementary appropriation bill so this was something we were not really much comfortable with,” Chairman Sanneh told the management of GRTS.
Committee member Honourable Lamine Ceesay echoed the committee’s challenges, noting a consistent struggle for GRTS to submit reports on their initially scheduled dates. In response, GRTS management requested a second chance and proposed submitting both reports on February 22, 2024, which the committee agreed to. The meeting was adjourned to the specified date.