Additionally, he said with oil prices skyrocketing on a daily basis, the Q-Group Foundation will endeavor to help in providing cheap and affordable transport fares to the general public.
Mr. Jah said the fundamental principles of Q-Group Foundation is to participate in the socio-economic development of The Gambia, noting that this is not the first time that Q-Group is involved in life changing projects in the country.
He continued that Q-Group is one of the biggest employers in the country with thousands of employees in the different sectors under the foundation. He said Q-Group is also one of the biggest tax payers in The Gambia.
According to Mr. Jah, Q-Group Foundation is also undertaking its corporate social responsibility in different sectors of society, ranging from education, health and youth development. He revealed that AGIB Bank as the financial arm of the Q-Group has been in partnership with GGC to finance the purchase of groundnut and fertiliser for the country.
Furthermore, he said considering the fact that waste management has been one of the biggest problems of our municipalities, AGIB Bank again as the financial arm of Q-Group has also pre-financed the purchase of over thirty (30) trucks for the KMC Mballit Project.
Deliberating on the Urban Transport Initiative Project, the Q-Group Foundation CEO explained that several companies both local and international bid for the project, but none of them agreed to pre-finance the project.
“The Q-Group foundation believes in The Gambia government, its leadership and its people; we believe in GTSC and its contribution to society; we believe in the SUNU BUSS concept; we also believe in the Public Private Partnership model promoted and encouraged by President Adama Barrow,” he assured.
For public knowledge, Mr. Jah posited that Espace Motors together with AGIB Bank pre-financed all the buses for a period of four (4) years. “Thank you Gambians for the support, prayers and believing in the SUNU BUSS concept. Lets support each other and the returns would stay here in The Gambia,” he urged.
Moreover, President Adama Barrow assured that his government would continue to address the concerns linked to the increased demand for transport.
He added that his government would address the transport concerns through efficiency improvements, including regular and effective public transport service provision and traffic management measures.
President Barrow reiterated that with a broader City-State concept in mind, he expects that the project would extend services to the rural area in the drive to comprehensively address the transport challenges faced throughout the length and breadth of the country.
However, he said efficiency in the transport sector cannot come about without the active participation of the private sector. He called on the private sector operators to participate in operating an effective and efficient transport system in the country.
“We will consider allocating routes on the local and secondary roads to GTSC, based on agreed terms of engagement beneficial to all partners,” he pointed out.
“To those who will be gainfully employed by the project, I urge you to make use of this opportunity and take good care of the buses,” he appealed.
