Assembly to receive reports of public enterprises/ agencies

As part of its oversight functions, the National Assembly will from Monday 1st November to Wednesday 1st December 2010 receive annual reports, accounts and financial statements of public enterprises and agencies.

This was announced at a briefing held at the National Assembly chambers in Banjul yesterday.

The Speaker of the National Assembly and chairperson of the joint committee of the Public Accounts Committee /Public Enterprises Committee, Elizabeth F Y Renner, said the principal objective of the statutory exercise is to carry out lawful checks and scrutiny over public enterprises and agencies and the public service delivery systems.

This, she noted, is with a view to ensuring that the Gambia government and its public service delivery systems, institutions, enterprises and agencies are all accountable to the Gambian people.

According to the Speaker, this is a mandate given to the National Assembly in section 102 (a and c), section 109 (1) (b), section 109 (2) (a and b) of the 1997 Constitution of the Gambia. She also cited section 77 (2) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly of the Gambia to buttress her point.

The PAC/PEC chairperson also added that all this is geared towards complementing the efforts of government to achieve the MDGs and Vision 2020.

While emphasising that the exercise is not to expose any particular individual or institution, Speaker Renner noted that it is meant to ensure transparency and openness in all our public institutions, and to hold the heads of those institutions accountable for their actions. She said the exercise also seeks to ensure that corporations and agencies deliver the required services to the general public in an efficient manner.

The Speaker disclosed that there will be a time limit for each institution, as the joint committee will do a lot of preview before the session, as well as a review after the session with each agency.

Speaker Renner also emphasised that the reports of each enterprise or agency must be accompanied by the chief executive/managing director, board chairperson, finance director and external auditors. She added that the reports should also be presented formally with their activities report and the accounts and financial statements of their respective enterprises and agencies.

The Speaker commended their development partners, especially the UNDP, the Gambia Government, among others, for their support to the National Assembly.