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Momodou
Denmark
11832 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Aug 2007 : 17:56:18
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Foroyaa Editorial
GOVERNMENT DIVERSTITURE PROGRAMME IN DISARRAY
After receiving information regarding the sale of GAMTEL/GAMCEL, Foroyaa approached the management of GAMTEL for information. They would not comment.
We decided to publish what the government promised the Nation last year and called for independent agencies like The Gambia Divestiture Agency and The Gambia Public Procurement Authority to open themselves to the press for the sake of accountability and transparency.
It is important for the reader to understand why there is need to recall what government promised last year regarding its divestiture programme and further called for transparency and accountability on the side of public agencies.
What government promised in black and white is as follows:
"Based on the revised divestiture programme, government will now focus on the divestiture transactions of GPTC, GIA, MSA and the sector studies of GAMTEL/GAMCEL and the National Water and Electricity Company Limited (NAWEC). To this end, government has since commissioned technical, environmental and financial assessments of GPTC and GIA jointly, and for the sector studies of GAMTEL/GAMCEL and NAWEC, and the initial stage of the procurement of the consultancies to undertake these assessments and sector studies have been completed. The end of these sector studies and assessments will pave the way for the transaction stages of GPTC - GIA and provide the necessary information to help government take a position with respect to GAMTEL and NAWEC."
In the very words of the government, privatization of the public enterprises goes through technical, financial and environmental assessment or studies. This provides the necessary information to know how to transact the privatization of any given sector.
Has this been done with GAMTEL /GAMCEL?
This is what Foroyaa wanted to find out from the chairperson of the Board of Directors of The Gambia Divestiture Agency or its Chief executive.
We discovered that there was no Director and the person overseeing felt that the Department of State for Communication, Information and Technology was the best institution to clarify matters. This confirms that the institution set up to advise government on its divestiture programme is on the side line. It is the Department which issued a press release which was announced as follows for GRTS:
The Government of The Gambia has approved a strategic partnership for Gamtel/Gamcel in a bid to salvage the one time leading institution in the Gambia. It would be recalled that Gamtel over the years had deteriorated in service provision, accessibility, and quality of service. A press release from the Department of State for Communication and Information Technology says that Gamtel has also been experiencing stagnation in network expansion and subscriber base. Furthermore, Gamtel was near bankruptcy and is heavily indebted. The release says that the Government of the Gambia consequently has been reviewing various proposals for strategic partnership to give Gamtel the needed boost to enter into new business models and technology with a view to providing high quality and affordable telecommunications services. The release named the approved strategic partner as Spectrum Group, a Company with investments in many industries throughout the region. It says government and the new shareholder jointly assigned Detecon International as the consulting and management partner. Detecon International is a German Company with more than 30 years international experience in telecommunications and other related industries. According to the release, more and more countries around the world are taking advantage of the benefits of strategic partnership and the Gambia is no exception. Meanwhile, the consulting firm Detecon is consulting on the strategic management of the corporation."
Some National Assembly members did caution the SoS that the way the corporation's money was being dished out to finance state ceremonies and other social activities left it with little investment capital, thus causing it to borrow to improve on infrastructure. They were told that such indebtedness would only lead to privatization.
Now, the press release is confirming all the fears.
No privatization should take place without the Gambia Divestiture Agency conducting its work. It is the Agency which has the following duties;
"(a) plan, manage, oversee, co-ordinate and implement the State's divestiture programme in respect of public enterprises and public interest;
(b) develop criteria for the selection of public enterprises and public interests to be divested
(c) be responsible for preparing public enterprises and public interests for divestiture;
(d) ensure consistency in procedures for divestiture, in particular, with regard to valuation, invitation for bids, negotiation of sales and settlement of accounts; and
(e) evaluate all State divestiture;"
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No.99/2007, 24 - 26 August 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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