By Kebba Touray
National Assembly members have called for an audit of the Eighty Million Dalasi (D80,000,000) Fisheries Development Fund.
Musa Drammeh, the Minister of Fisheries on Thursday, 24 July 2024 responded to the queries raised by the legislators during the adjournment debate regarding the Fund. Some of the deputies called for the audit of the Fund.
He mentioned that, as stipulated in the Fisheries Act, the Auditor General shall audit the account of the Fund. The law further provides that the audited account of the Fund shall form part of the Auditor General’s overall report to the National Assembly.
Minister Drammeh said there is no reason to call for the audit of the account of the Fund, which has not been completely disbursed. He added that at the end of the year, the Auditor General will audit the Fund and the report will be made available to the Assembly for their perusal.
In providing explanation regarding the Fund, the Minister said the Fund is a creation of the Fisheries Act. He referred the lawmakers to section 150 (2) of the 1997 Constitution, which provides that the National Assembly may create an Act to make provision for the payment of a particular revenue, other money into some other fund, established for a specific purpose. He said the Fisheries Act was enacted in 2002 by the National Assembly, which created the Fund under section 18.
The law provides that “there is hereby established a fund to be known as the Fisheries Development Fund, for the purpose of conservation, management and development of the fisheries in the Gambia.”
He stated that section 19 of the Act states that the fund shall consist of monies appropriated to it by the National Assembly, such percentage of the proceeds of any fees paid for any license issued under the Act, an administrative fine imposed and received in accordance with the provisions of the Fisheries Act and the proceeds of sale of any article forfeited in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
On the issue of water problems affecting the people in different parts of the country, he repeated that 110 boreholes were drilled, but no funding was secured for the installation of the systems. He added that they have secured funding for the first large 55 boreholes. He told the NAMs the laying of the pipes is at an advanced stage and 44 tanks have already been imported to the country. He added that the tanks have been distributed to the project sites. He said only 11 tanks and accessories are outstanding. He promised that they will be delivered in August. He added that they are donor funded through grants, adding that there is no loan.
He explained that the donors have their procurement rules, which they strictly follow.
“We want to urge all Members of parliament to bear with us because very soon the installation will be completed,” he said.
For the second 55, the World Bank, hopefully, will be coming in September to see the implementation state of the project.
“And they will be able to know exactly how much time and money they will need to provide for the rest of the 55 boreholes,” he said.
