#Headlines

We don’t just travel to receive per diem: Minister Bah

Jan 31, 2023, 12:31 PM | Article By: Fatou Dem

Ousman Bah, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, has disclosed that some people have the assumption that ministers travel through government’s money.

“It is absolutely false. In our ministry, we made it a duty that when we are supposed to travel, it will be something that is absolutely necessary and only people with expertise in that area will travel,” he said. 

It would be recalled that in September 2022 the minister travelled to four countries but the government only paid for the two visits whist the rest was observed by the other two countries, Minister Bah said.

He further stated that he doesn’t want people to think that they travel because of per diem. “I have travelled to some places but government partially funded it,” he emphasised.

He said that a lot is being gained from the four countries he recently travelled to, which is adding value to the development of the Gambia. “We don’t just travel for the sake of traveling,” Minister Bah pointed out.

He added that some of the hotels they stay at when they travel, the per diem does not cover their stay. “It is absolutely false that ministers including myself travel because of per diem,” he emphasised.