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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Momodou |
Posted - 05 Aug 2023 : 13:17:51
OPEN GAMBIA PLATFORM SHARES FEEDBACK ON ARTICLES REGARDING MISMANAGEMENT AND CORRUPTION AT THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND THE GAMBIA TOURISM BOARD
Our esteemed followers will recall at the beginning of July, OG published two articles. They came on the back of devastating feedback from an international tourism consultant who analysed the Gambia tourism industry’s attractiveness and marketability.
These articles addressed the poor management of tourist sites and the lack of innovative marketing strategies for promoting "destination Gambia" to international tourists. The second article also explored the alleged misuse of public funds by the Ministry of Tourism and the Gambia Tourism Board through the improper handling of per diem payments. An insider source provided these revelations.
We have received feedback from two different insiders within the tourism industry, who have corroborated the earlier exposé by a separate insider.
On 23rd July, Insider 1 sent us the following message:
"Hello, Mr. Suwareh. I have read your article on the tourism industry. I work within the tourism sector and have privileged access to both the Ministry of Tourism and the Gambia Tourism Board due to the nature of my business. I regularly engage with staff at various levels within these institutions.
I must assert that the information provided by your contacts is nothing but the truth. The Minister of Tourism (Hamat Bah) and his incompetent Director General at the GT Board appear to be leading the tourism sector to its demise under the watchful eyes of our disengaged president. Shockingly, these two individuals embark on frequent trips that benefit only themselves and not the country.
There is incompetence, especially at the GT Board, which appears to operate like a family business. Job advertisements for GT Board positions are scarce, and the Director General tends to hire individuals based on personal interests, leading to a significant capacity gap that threatens our tourism industry.
Moreover, Hamat is the worst Tourism Minister, more interested in his benefits than the industry's welfare. Did you know that Hamat receives double per diem when travelling abroad? He gets paid by both his Ministry and the GT Board. The Head of the Department and staff at the GT Board fear the current Director General, who holds an elevated status, akin to a Demigod Anyone challenging him faces no prospects of promotion, forcing them to comply unquestioningly for any career advancement.
Additionally, he appoints grossly incompetent individuals to head departments, regardless of their qualifications, to maintain control, as they owe their positions to him. Before their trip to India, they spent two weeks in Cuba. The relevance of such trips to our tourism industry is questionable. Sadly, our president is not prioritising this matter, which is a cause for concern. Thank you."
On 26th July, we received separate information from another insider working as a stakeholder in the tourism sector:
"Hi, Mr Ben Suwareh; currently, the Minister for Tourism (Hamat Bah) and the Director General of GT Board (Bubacarr S Camara) are away. They when to Mauritius for a UNWTO meeting. However, due to your article, they have refrained from sharing details of their recent trip on the GT Board's Facebook page.
Could your platform please investigate and publish an article on the employment practices at GT Board to expose the staff competency based on their TORs and GT Board assets? Did you know that the current DG owns three vehicles? GT Board 1 is the Pajero, while he also has another private car owned by GT Board, which he uses for his children's school and his wife's errands. Recently, the GT Board purchased four pickups and allocated them to him, complete with private number plates (KM 2031 and BJ 5457), intended for the Director General's errands.”
OG Platform welcomes feedback from people within the tourism sector who wish to remain anonymous to highlight the alleged mismanagement and corruption at the Ministry of Tourism and the GT Board to avert the risk posed to the collapse of our tourism industry and the massive damage it will have on our economy.
We encourage whistleblowers within the institutions or their stakeholders to contact us with information about exposing misconduct within their environment, promoting transparency and accountability. Your input and identity will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
Your support means the world to us! Please follow our page to keep up with our latest posts, and don't forget to hit that like button and share our content with your friends. Thank you for being a part of the OPEN GAMBIA PLATFORM community! Article contributed by Sulayman Ben Suwareh 05/08/2023! |
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