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| toubab1020 |
Posted - 03 Jul 2018 : 13:09:40
Reading this report by Baba Hydara I was surprised that I could find no discussion reported of what was headlined as "Fight Against Corruption brought to fore series of issues the continent is being gripped with." very much about other "issues" NOTHING about " Fight Against Corruption"
Please enlighten me BANTABA IN CYBERSPACE READER about this.
Corruption is endemic in EVERY country,some may think that in Africa it is the only way to survive due to low wage structures.
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Monday, July 02, 2018
Heads of state and governments have arrived in Nouakchott, Mauritania for the last two days of the 31st African Union Summit.
A meeting whose main theme was: Fight Against Corruption brought to fore series of issues the continent is being gripped with.
At the meeting, the Mauritanian president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who is also the host of the summit, talked about challenges facing the continent, including terrorism. He said that one way to defeat terrorism is to reduce social disparities. “This is the only way to convince our young people not to fall into extremism.”
At the opening of the summit, Chairperson-in-Office of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, insisted that there will now be small-format meetings, a single summit of the heads of state by year. “The idea behind these reforms is ultimately to make the AU credible. Several ongoing projects have been announced.” He particularly encouraged heads of state to join the common market to sign a protocol on the free movement of people and goods.
At the rostrum, the president of the commission insisted on the need to continue reforms including the financial side with the introduction of an import tax.
“Peace calls for the surpassing of oneself, the compromise and the general interest, recalling at the same time the many deadlines planned in Africa with elections in Mali, the DRC, Libya and the crises in South Sudan and Central Africa”.
Another subject addressed by the chair of the AU Commission was migrations. “The tragic fate of African migrants on the borders of Europe today is coupled with the recurrence of intolerable practices against these populations in Africa itself. On pain of losing all moral credit on this issue, our Union cannot practice double standards here: condemn the gross violations of the rights of African migrants elsewhere and practice ostrich politics when similar events take place in the continent.”
Author: Baba Hydara in Nouakchott
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/african-leaders-converge-in-nouakchott-to-discuss-corruption-others |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 11 Feb 2019 : 17:52:09
Is this the START OF ACTION, instead of TALK TALK ?
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Monday, February 11, 2019
The Accountant General Department, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs has closed down 473 government bank accounts that were operated as ghost accounts spreading over the last decades.
This information was reported at the Permanent Secretaries and Planners Retreat held over the weekend at the Tendaba Camp in Kiang, Lower River Region. This step has helped save over D252Million for government, an amount that could have helped finance very urgent social sector interventions this year alone.
Some of the accounts were ghost accounts, others salaries of government workers who either left their posts but still continue to receive monthly pays; plus travel allowances and organisational payments that were diverted to individual benefits, government spokesperson, Ebrima Sankareh told the press at the end of the retreat.
See tomorrow’s edition for details on the retreat that brought together over 60 top officials from 19 ministries.
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/govt-closes-473-bank-accounts |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 10 Feb 2019 : 16:01:55
Dear Mr. Mbai, February 9, 2019
Our mission is to fight corruption anywhere and everywhere. One effective tool in the fight is to expose graft even when this new government is still reluctant to prioritize corruption in its national agenda.
We have been investigating the payroll of government since 2017 when we were told about the ‘Ghost workers’ inherited from the previous regime of Yayah Jammeh. Although, the issue of ghost workers is rampant and mainly in the security services, we were surprised to discover that all the top cadres in the Ministry of Finance were paying themselves special allowances to top up their monthly salaries. This inappropriate monthly payment had been in effect since the start of the IFMIS Project over 10 years ago.
Those benefiting from this illegal scheme are the permanent secretaries and their deputies; all directors including the accountant general and his deputies at the Treasury unit; the Auditor General and his top directors as well as all the accounting officers attached to different ministries and Government Agencies. It is important to note that this so-called ‘IFMIS Allowance’ is only unique to those working at the Ministry of Finance. (IFMIS is the Integrated Financial Management Information System that is currently installed by government. Some are paid up to D3, 000 every month as allowance).
Government has an Integrated Pay Scale and the General Orders and other Government Financial Regulations clearly stipulated the types of Allowance that Government employees are entitled to. There is nowhere in Government regulatory circles giving mandate to PMO or PSC to authorize such payment meant only for officials at the Ministry of Finance. This is a massive fraud that needs to be exposed and stopped. Millions of dalasis have been paid clandestinely included in the monthly payroll of civil servants.
We want this matter to be thoroughly investigated and all those involved be exposed. Stopping this illegal payment could bring huge savings to a cash-trapped government. There is no justification to waste taxpayers money for the payment of special allowances to special government employees ad infinitum just because they are using the IFMIS system. Whoever gave the approval for such payment was doing so based on misinformation and we believe it was never designed to be paid indefinitely. Now that Government salaries have been increased by 50%, this illegal payment must be stopped with immediate effect. How many youthful jobs can be created from this huge wastage of taxpayers money?
WE EXPECT THOSE IN AUTHORITY TO ACT RESPONSIBLY.
#Civil Servants United Against Graft And Corruption In Government.
https://www.freedomnewspaper.com/2019/02/09/massive-corruption-at-the-finance-ministry-inappropriate-monthly-payment-of-supplementary-allowance-to-senior-officers-at-the-minsitry-dubbed-ifmis-allowance-have-been-paid-well-over-five-years-n/ |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 01 Feb 2019 : 21:26:19
GOOD NEWS Gambia up 7 points.
Have a look at this WEBSITE results by COUNTRY:
https://www.transparency.org/country
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01/02/2019
The Gambia has been praised for its improvement in the fight against corruption. In the eagerly anticipated annual corruption index for 2018 released by Transparency International (TI) on Wednesday, The Gambia improved by seven points from 2017 to score 37.
According to the authors of the Gambian report, the improvement has been attributed to “the positive consequences of institutional reforms, as well as a political commitment in the fight against corruption” demonstrated by President Adama Barrow and his government.
The Gambia scored 37 out of 100 and ranks 93 among the countries assessed. This marks a notable improvement from 2017, when the country scored 30 and ranked 130, up from 145 in 2016.
The Gambia’s percentile rank for control of corruption in the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) likewise shows a marked improvement in 2017 to 27.4, after a period of steady decline from 2012 (30.3) to 2016 (21.6).
While the new administration has undertaken certain initiatives to reduce corruption, recent allegations of corruption involving the first lady’s foundation have raised questions about whether the government is serious about tackling corrupt practices.
The 2018 TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix places The Gambia in the high-risk category, ranking it 143 out of 200 surveyed countries, with a risk score of 61/100. Similarly, the Gambia’s Doing Business rank for 2019 is 149/190 with a Distance to Frontier (DTF4) score of 51.72 according to the World Bank.
According to the 2017 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), under Jammeh’s autocratic rule, The Gambia was one of the 10 countries experiencing the most dramatic deteriorations in governance quality between 2007 and 2016. Since the transition, the picture appears brighter; in its 2018 Freedom in the World report, Freedom House awards an aggregate score of 41/100, pushing the country from the “not free” category in 2017 to a rating of “partly free” in 2018.
Afrobarometer’s first national survey in the Gambia results revealed that almost half of Gambians (46 per cent) perceive a decrease in corruption over the past year, but one-third (32 per cent) say the level of corruption in the country has increased;
More than half (54 per cent) of Gambians say the government is doing “fairly well” or “very well” in fighting corruption;
two-thirds (66 per cent) think ordinary citizens can make a difference in fighting corruption, and six in 10 (58 per cent) say they can report corruption incidents without fear of retaliation;
A majority (55 per cent) say it is “somewhat likely” or “very likely” that authorities will take action when incidents of corruption are reported;
Large majorities of Gambians say the rich are more likely than ordinary persons to get away with paying a bribe or using personal connections to avoid taxes (71 per cent), avoid going to court (75 per cent) and register land that is not theirs (74 per cent);
Police and business executives are perceived to be the most corrupt officials, according to 38 per cent and 31 per cent of respondents, respectively, say “all” or “most” of them are corrupt. Officials perceived to be least corrupt are religious leaders (11 per cent), members of parliament (15 per cent) and traditional leaders (15 per cent).
Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal made significant improvements for the second year in a row. In the last six years, Côte d’Ivoire moved from 27 points in 2013 to 35 points in 2018, while Senegal moved from 36 points in 2012 to 45 points in 2018.
https://standard.gm/?p=52357 |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 31 Dec 2018 : 21:24:17
Monday, December 31, 2018
The re-elected leader of The Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), Mamma Kandeh, has said that there is high level of corruption that grips The Gambia, and that everybody is aware of.
He was speaking recently during the GDC’s congress held in Basse, Upper River Region.
“As a party, we have talked about corruption and there is no Gambian who is not aware of the level of corruption in the country; from the misuse of funds and unnecessary travels,” Mr. Kandeh said. “We have seen the president misusing the funds by traveling with private jets and many other unnecessary things.”
He said as a party (GDC), since they are talking about corruption, they will set a better example when they get to the office.
He added that GDC is not power hungry, but as citizens they want to contribute their quota to national development, which he said they are doing every day.
“GDC believes that we can change the narrative in the conduct of our national politic to demonstrate the fact that politics is not about lying or a means by which elected officials can enrich themselves,” Kandeh argued.
He explained that serving the country is not about politics, instead is about competence, commitment and how much one is dedicated to serve their nation. He added that all the members of the political parties are citizens of the country, and that nothing can stop him if he becomes the president of The Gambia to employ somebody who has worked with Ousainou Darboe or Adama Barrow.
“GDC is a united, tolerant and development oriented party,” he stated. “We established the party with the belief that politics is clean and honourable, which we can conduct our politics without resorting to character assassinations, sectionalism, tribalism and without making things that can rout our people.”
He said GDC holds the profound belief that The Gambia can develop into a culturally and economically strong country under a GDC led government.
“We will eradicate poverty, create jobs and reform our health, agriculture, education and fisheries sectors when we are elected into office,” he said.
Author: Pa Modou Cham
Source: Picture: Mamma Kandeh,GDC
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/mamma-kandeh-gambia-in-grips-of-high-level-corruption |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 04 Jul 2018 : 18:25:57
Ohhhh.........here it is must have got lost when it was transmitted to Gambia !
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Wednesday, July 04, 2018
President Adam Barrow has joined his colleague heads of state over the weekend in Mauritanian capital, Nouackchott, where he made a case for his government’s uncompromising stance on corruption: “My government is addressing the consequences of two decades of poor governance and misuse of state’s meager resources… in moving forward, the guiding principle of my government is the exercise of good governance in all facets of public administration,” he told leaders.
The theme of the 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union Summit was: “Winning the Fight Against Corruption: a Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation” – a theme President Barrow described as “a bold statement of intent”, given that corruption in both the public and private sectors negatively impact various national and continent’s development agendas.
“Our successes in the fight against corruption will ensure that resources are retained and used to support structural transformations and expansion of our economies,” President Barrow explained. “We can improve in most key human development indicators, such as access to quality health and education for the youth population of the continent, food security and meaningful employment. Corruption has negative effect on African nations and how we can judicious use of our resources,” he added.
Upon his return from the summit, the President told reporters that it was a “well-attended and represented summit”: “One thing is very important: Africa is speaking the same voice on how we deal with corruption. A lot of resources have been wasted in Africa, it is now time that Africa comes together and fight corruption when we mean development for Africa. I think we were serious about this, and we want to build our institutions, make them stronger so that will help us to eliminate corruption,” the president said, noting that even if African countries cannot eliminate corruption 100 percent, it could be minimised in the interest of the continent.
On the closed-door meeting with President Obiang, Barrow said: “We held a closed-door meetings and most of our discussions centered on African integration. The President of Equatorial Guinea is a Senior Statesman. We discussed...and assured them that one day, we the young ones will continue with the mantle of leadership on the continent.’’
Meanwhile, during his address, he emphasised that Africa needs to reform its legal and regulatory regimes, tax administration and procurement systems in order to combat corruption in the public, economic and business environments. “It is imperative that we intensify our efforts to ensure that corrupt practices are systematically tackled and resources that are siphoned off recovered,” he told the summit.
The president believes that Africa’s partnership with others should be reinforced to fully implement the Continental Strategic Plan on the Fight Against Corruption. This process requires disbursement of adequate budgetary resources, he maintained.
On the home front, the president informed colleagues that a Commission of Inquiry is ongoing and its revelations have shown the extent to which resources meant for national development were grossly misused and diverted by a small clique of unpatriotic and dishonest Gambians and their foreign partners in crime.
“Concurrently, a National Anti-corruption Bill has been promulgated and an Anti-corruption Commission is being established.In addition, The Gambia has signed the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (AUBC) in order to adopt best standards in the fight against corruption,” he said, noting: “We are determined in our quest for victory against corruption.”
Author: Bekai Njie
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/barrow-talks-tough-on-corruption-at-au-summit |
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