His
Excellency, President Adama Barrow yesterday presided over the Third Cabinet
Session of 2020.
The
session deliberated on various matters and adopted series of Cabinet Papers,
including The Gambia Maritime Administration (GMA) Fees and Charges Regulation
2020 and the levy of 1.5% on freight charged on ship owners for shipping cargo;
the National Public Building and Facilities Policy, plus the Data Protection
and Privacy Policy and Strategy 2019.
Below
is the Concluding statement of the session read by Minister of Information and
Communications Infrastructure, Hon. Ebrima Sillah.
These
are the conclusions of the third Cabinet meeting held on Thursday 13th February
2020.
Cabinet
adopted a paper presented by the Hon Minister of Transport, Works, &
Infrastructure on The Gambia Maritime Administration (GMA) Fees and Charges
Regulation 2020. The GMA provides services for which it charges fees as
prescribed under the Marchant Shipping Act of 2013.
Most
of these fees and charges were instituted since 2014. However The Gambia
Maritime Administration is faced with new realities presented by the emergence
of new ocean uses and expanded activities not foreseen in the existing
regulations thus the review of the existing fees charged. It is important to
note that fees and charges in respect of inland water crafts, namely artisanal
fishing vessels and cargo passengers built locally are revised downwards in
consideration of the kind of trade they are engaged in.
The
Hon Minister of Transport, Works, & Infrastructure presented another paper
on the levy of 1.5% on freight charged on ship owners for shipping cargo to and
from The Gambia as it is obtained in the subregion and beyond.
Freight
levy is a charge on all manifested cargo imported or exported through a
seaport. Such levy is borne by the ship owner and paid to the Maritime
Administration through their local agent. The levy collection mechanism is now
shifted from the consignee to the ship-owners.
The
introduction of the 1.5% levy on freight charged to ship owners will go a long
way in enhancing the capability of The Gambia Maritime Administration to
effectively discharge it functions.
Cabinet
also discussed and adopted a paper presented by the Hon Minister of Transport,
Works, & Infrastructure on the National Public Building and Facilities
Policy to guide the construction, operation, maintenance and management of The
Gambia’s public buildings and facilities.
The
goal of the National Public Building and Facilities Policy is to enable the
Ministry of Transport, Works, & Infrastructure to create safe and healthy
work spaces and generally safeguard public safety through competent design,
construction, maintenance, renovation and decommissioning of the country’s
public buildings and facilities under its control.
The
establishment of the National Public Building and Facilities Policy is
conceived to address the challenges inherent in the sector. It is also geared
towards supporting the government’s approach in ensuring that there exist
appropriate policies and guidelines to drive the sector.
The
Minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure presented a Cabinet
paper on the Data Protection and Privacy Policy and Strategy 2019. The policy
seeks to lay the foundation for institutional and legal framework on data
protection and privacy that will give effect to section 23 of the 1997
Constitution and to express the commitment of the government in ensuring the
protection of personal data and associated rights of individuals and in
particular, the right to privacy.
An
important principle of the policy is that Personal Data must be collected
lawfully and or processed fairly, and in a transparent manner.
