By Kebba AF Touray
The Environment Minister, Rohey John Manjang, is scheduled to appear before the parliament, today Wednesday 18th December 2024, to provide answers on the two mahogany trees in Kaiaf on 21st May 2024.
Minister Manjang’s appearance is contained in the order paper for Wednesday 18th, by the Office of the Clerk.
Minister Manjang’s response is expected to be made to a question posed by the Hon. Member for Kiang East, Lamin Ceesay.
As indicated by the order paper, the Minister’s reply will be in response to the question to be put to her by the member for Kiang West Hon. Lamin Ceesay.
Hon. Ceesay would ask the Hon. Minister for Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources to provide the Assembly with the status report of the investigations currently ongoing into the two mahogany trees felled in Kaiaf on the 21st of May, 2024.
The Minister is also expected to respond to a question posed by Hon. Saho asking the Hon. Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources to update the Assembly on the confiscated timber or wood logs from Njabakunda and later deposited in Minteh Kunda village.
As questioned by the Member for Tallinding Kunjang, Hon. Badgie, the Environment Minister is expected to report on the focus area of the strategy, its implementation state, and challenges thereto.
According to the question, the Hon. Member for Tallinding pointed this out as a crucial matter, stressing that the Gambia Long-Term Climate-Neutral Development Strategy 2050 has been developed since 2022.
The Minister for Public Service, Baboucarr Bouy, is also expected to appear before the lawmakers, to provide answers to parliamentary questions.
Hon. Member for Banjul Central, Hon. Abdoulie Njai wants the Minister to confirm to the Assembly whether there are any unethical activities unearthed during the process of these findings
According to Hon Njai, after further investigations, only 882 civil servants have so far been verified, meaning there is an outstanding deficit of 2142 unaccounted civil servants still under government payroll as of 9 October 2024.
The Trade Minister, Baboucarr Joof, is also scheduled to appear before the legislature to provide answers to the Assembly on the number of jobs created in the first year of (2023) under the new Employment Policy.
The question for the Public Service Minister Bouy is expected to be raised by the Member for Banjul Central, Hon. Abdoulie Njai.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, Momodou Tangara, is also set to appear before legislators to provide answers to the question by the Member for Banjul South, Hon. Fatoumatta Njai.
Hon. Njia’s question is requesting the Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation & Gambians Abroad to inform the Assembly of the people issued with Diplomatic Passports from January 2017 to date and the criteria for issuing the document.
The Finance Minister, Seedy Keita, is scheduled to appear before the National Assembly, to respond to a question to be put to him by the Member for Lower Saloum, Hon. Sainey Jawara.
Hon. Jawara’s question reads, “Could the Hon. Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs inform this august Assembly which MDA’s budget line was used to pre-finance the payment of the first deposit of the 89 vehicles purchased from Espace Company and convert the value of €9,996,000.00 to Gambian dalasi?”
Works Minister Ebrima Sillah is also among the ministers to appear before the plenary to provide answers on issues relating to his Ministry.
The Member for Banjul South, Hon. Fatoumatta Njai, asked the Minister to state when Gambians are going to have more ferries since only one ferry has been operating for a while now.
