By Makutu Manneh
Allegations of financial mismanagement, conflict of interest, and a troubling lack of oversight are at the heart of a €3.1 million European Union-funded project managed by the Banjul City Council (BCC). Testimonies presented to the Local Government Commission have raised serious concerns about governance within the council, particularly regarding the project’s steering committee.
The steering committee, which is tasked with overseeing the EU-funded project, is at the center of the controversy. Sandigie Njie, the BCC’s administrative manager, testified that members of the committee were closely linked to the CEO. This arrangement, Njie argued, allowed the same individuals overseeing the project to also be directly involved in its execution, creating a clear conflict of interest.
“The people implementing the project cannot be the ones overseeing it,” Njie emphasized. “That’s not right—it’s a serious issue.”
Njie’s testimony painted a troubling picture of committee members who, despite their responsibilities for ensuring transparency and proper governance, were allegedly enriching themselves at the expense of the project. His account was further corroborated by revelations that procurement contracts for the EU-funded project were almost exclusively awarded to Kebba and Sons, a private company with apparent ties to some committee members.
The near-monopoly awarded to Kebba and Sons raised concerns over the integrity of the procurement process. Njie disclosed that the company received several contracts for the EU project without a transparent bidding process, prompting auditors to flag potential issues.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions about how this project was handled,” Njie stated, adding that despite his attempts to address the issue with the CEO, his letters went unanswered.
Njie’s testimony also revealed his exclusion from the interview process for key personnel, including field coordinator Buba Camara and accountant Ndey I. Touray. Both later resigned under suspicious circumstances, which Njie believed were linked to internal conflicts with the CEO and steering committee members, many of whom were reportedly benefitting from the project’s funds.
In addition to procurement irregularities, Yusupha Jallow, the acting administration director of BCC, testified to further governance failures. Jallow confirmed that some employees had been appointed directly into the BCC after Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe bypassed the council’s standard hiring procedures. Among the direct appointments were the mayor’s secretary, Isatou Njie, her personal assistant, and other staff members.
Jallow’s testimony pointed to serious concerns about nepotism and favoritism, raising further questions about the integrity of hiring practices at BCC.
The investigation also exposed significant shortcomings in the council’s internal auditing practices. Jallow was questioned about a 2022 internal audit report that flagged the use of unofficial receipt books at the Albert Market, raising concerns about potential revenue leakage. However, Jallow admitted he had never seen the report and could not recall it being discussed at senior management meetings.
“I have never seen this report before,” Jallow stated, underscoring the lack of attention given to crucial financial oversight.
Furthermore, Jallow revealed that BCC staff could request loans directly from the CEO without a formal loan policy in place, highlighting a broader issue of financial mismanagement and lack of governance at the council.
Another troubling revelation came when Jallow discussed the frequency of senior management meetings, where the mayor’s absence was notably common. When asked why the mayor was often absent, Jallow could not provide an explanation.
The commission continued to investigate the allegations, with Sanna Sawaneh, the BCC’s director of internal audit, submitting crucial financial documents for review, including: Budget estimates for 2020, 2021, and 2023, Income and expenditure statements for 2021, Audit file for 2022 and correspondence with former acting audit director Abdoulie J. Corr.
