Minister Sillah, while speaking during the ‘Mengbe Kereng’ radio programme hosted by Suu FM on Saturday 16 February 2025 offered apology to the people of Sanyang for not adequately engaging them on matters relative to the execution of the project.
The development comes on the heels of mounting pressures launched by the people of Sanyang through Sanyang Village Development Committee (SVDC), Sanyang Development Fund (SDF), Deep Sea Taskforce Committee and Sanyang UK Association (SUKA), demanding Gambia government cancels the identified site for the project to a most ideal place between Sanyang and Tujereng, hold proper consultation with the community and reconsider the land seize demanded for the DSP project among others.
Admitting to the demands of the people of Sanyang, Works Minister Ebrima Sillah and GPA’s MD Ousman Jobarteh both confessed on Mengbe Kereng programme that they could have done better in handling such a development project.
"During our engagement with the people of Sanyang, there were some good remarks expressed that we (MoWI and GPA) have learnt from on how they wanted the project to be implemented and how we intended to implement the project. What they (community of Sanyang) wanted was for us to write to them officially on how we intended to go about the project but we (MoWI and GPA), did not do that. We came abruptly to the community and told them, this is what we wanted to do," Ebrima Sillah admitted.
"We failed to inform the community on how we plan to implement the project and when the project will start. These were not clear to them. This is why the community of Sanyang including the VDC, Bulungda Council of Elders consulted each other to come out with their options and hired a lawyer to help them in this matter."
He commended the people of Sanyang for taking such a bold step of hiring a lawyer to guide them on this matter, arguing that it is important for the community of Sanyang to hire a lawyer who could help them in many ways in addressing issues revolving around compensations and way forward for the commencement of the project.
"There were certain errors that we have mistakenly made that could have been avoided...What we were engaging on was a scooping mission, meant to assess the project needs and how that will be implemented, assess all properties and identify all property owners who will be affected by the project," Minister Sillah explained.
"What happened was, we sent our officials in the field to start the scooping exercise without consulting the people of Sanyang. This action was worrying to the people of Sanyang, prompting them to engage in writings, going to the radios and even come here (Mengbe Kereng)...and definitely, we (MoWI and GPA) agreed with their views that, we could have done better."
He revealed that this development prompted MoWI and GPA to take the bold decision of halting all the scooping activities in Sanyang and chart a new route for pre-entry engagements, adding that the pre-entry engagement has already been held with the participation of the governor of West Coast, all district chiefs of Kombo and all the 17 indigenous alkalolu, designed to traditionally express the aim of the government to develop a Deep Sea Port in Sanyang.
Minister Sillah further disclosed that a pre-entry meeting was also held with members of Sanyang VDC on Saturday, 15th February, 2025, where villagers expressed their concerns on how GPA started its work and how its officials entered the community. However, he noted that MoWI and GPA have accepted all the mistakes that were made before the pre-entry engagements and since stopped all works and apologised to the community.
Among other things, Minister Sillah adduced that a steering committee will be formed where two people from Sanyang will be part, adding that an agreement has been reached with the people of Sanyang on how a joint assessment for a final site for the implementation of the project.
Meanwhile, Ousman Jobarteh, managing director (MD), Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) has also admitted errors committed by his office in distributing flyers without consulting the community. He emphasised that such mistakes could have been avoided had a pre-entry meeting been held before works start in Sanyang.
MD Jobarteh also admitted that he had misinformed Gambians and the National Assembly on the number of properties to affected by the project, adding that all assessments previously done were all cancelled till a compromise is reached with the people of Sanyang.
