The Director General of GAMWORKS, Ebrima Cham, has outlined some of the challenges, risks and constraints faced by the agency, stating that due to the nature of the operations of an institution, there is likely to be constraints and risks.
The challenge, he said is for management to manage the constraints and minimize risks to the agency’s operations.
Mr Cham was presenting his report on the 10th Annual General Meeting of GAMWORKS held on 29 January 2015.
According to the GAMWORKS DG, the main constraints continue to be the late or non-receipt of Gambia government counterpart contributions stipulated in financing agreements.
He said that, recently, the frequent suspension by the Islamic Development Bank of disbursements to projects in The Gambia has had a negative impact on project implementation.
He said, as the agency does not receive any direct subventions from the government budget, GAMWORKS’ relied entirely on management fees from their DMCs and budget allocations in projects for the project management unit, to sustain its operations.
He added that the biggest challenge faced by management continues to be mobilization of resources to fund the operations of GAMWORKS.
Regarding the future prospects, Mr Cham said GAMWORKs management is continuously making efforts to attract new projects and contracts.
The agency would continue its successful collaboration with the various government sectors, the public enterprises and public institutions such as the University of The Gambia.
GAMWORKS, he also said, would continue to engage the sectors and public institutions in new projects and contracts.
Regarding development partners, he said GAMWORKS’ work, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, would continue to engage its development partners on new projects.
Mr Cham noted that a number of interactions and collaborative activities with their partners took place during the period under review.
He said the agency hosted, on behalf of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, a number of missions from the Islamic Development Bank to The Gambia.
These missions created valuable opportunities for GAMWORKS’ management and staff to interact with the bank’s officials and address relevant project issues.
The board chairman together with senior management attended the 2013 joint session of the Public Accounts Committee/Public Enterprise Committee of the National Assembly, he said.
The annual report and financial statements of the agency for the year ended 31 December 2012, were considered and adopted by the committees at the meeting.
He added that members of the National Assembly commended the Agency on the quality of the report submitted to the body, and expressed their appreciation of the projects implemented by GAMWORKS.
According to Mr Cham, the agency continues to play an active role in the activities of the African Association of Public Works Agencies, AFRICATIP, the network of agencies such as GAMWORKS.
During 2013, the Director General attended the 29th and 30th General Assemblies of AFRICATIP, held in Bujumbura, Burundi, and Lome, Togo, respectively.
DG Cham was also part of the AFRICATIP delegation that visited the Islamic Development Bank headquarters in Jeddah, which he described as successful mission.
The director general also stated that GAMWORKS is cognizant of its corporate social responsibility, and has continued to support worthwhile causes with cash donations, printed T-shirts and sponsorships.
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