Muhammed BS Jallow, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia at the National Assembly.
By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia, Mohammad B.S. Jallow, appeared before lawmakers on December 12, 2023, to address inquiries about the financing of seventy new buses deployed nationwide by the Gambia Transport Service Corporation (GTSC).
The inquiry was raised by Hon. Sulayman Saho, the National Assembly member for Badibou Central, who asked, “Hon. Speaker, could His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic inform this august Assembly of the source of funding for the seventy buses distributed across the country and its cost?,” Hon. Saho asked.
In his response to the query, Vice President Jallow revealed that the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC), the overseeing body of GTSC, facilitated the procurement process.
“Hon. Speaker, I wish to inform this august assembly that in our bid to ease public transport and to deal with the challenges associated with transport disruption, the government engaged Gambia Transport Service Corporation (GTSC) to increase its coverage including the urban areas,
“The total cost of the project is €13, 401, 690 inclusive of two containers of spare part tools and special equipment 70 solar-powered bus shelters 24 months technical support mobile workshop upgrading of the main engineering workshop and modern ticketing soft and hardware,” VP Jallow said.
In a supplementary question, Hon. Suwaibou Touray, the National Assembly Member for Wuli East, inquired about the guarantees the government provided to Social Security to fund GTSC.
VP Jallow clarified, “Hon. Speaker, I would like to remind members that social security owns GTSC,” emphasizing the integral role of Social Security in the financial support and ownership of GTSC.