#National News

Restaurant, Bar and Night Club owners to launch Association

Jun 29, 2020, 12:51 PM | Article By: Njie Baldeh

Gambia Bar, Restaurant and Night Club Association (G-BRANA) has pleaded to form a representative and inclusive association through a strong consultative process. This follows what they referred to as “inappropriate approach” taken by certain group who created an association after the government had announced covid-19 funds to the staff in the tourism industry.

This information was revealed to journalists by members at a press briefing that was held recently at Envy Bar and Restaurant in Fajara. Earlier this year, a meeting was held on June 7 at GUSTO Restaurant in Senegambia where an interim committee was formed to represent the interest of the group that petitioned RBNA to the GTBoard.

Benjamin Roberts, proprietor of Business Edge Advisory and Porky Farms, who gave an overview of what has been obtained for the first time, said agenda was tabled following the inappropriate approach that was undertaken by a group of interest bar, restaurant and night club owners to create an association called RBNA.

According to him, the premise was built that the association was not representing the proprietors of existing bar, restaurant and night club owners in The Gambia.

Mr. Roberts added that the meeting was proposed to find a common ground and to explore the possibility to reaching a consensus to move forward with the creation of an association that would represent the interest of all bars, restaurants and night clubs in The Gambia which was agreed upon.

He further informed journalists that the RBNA executive made the point that some of the bar, restaurant, and night club owners who have signed the petition letter sent to the GTBoard (Big Apple, Icey Wonderland, and Nubian), following enquiry from the executive of the RBNA that they were misled by those who collated the signatures for the petition in believing that the collation of signatures was to benefit from the Covi-19 support that was to be given by government.

"Yet others have indicated that those who collated the signatures were purported to be from the GTBoard," he said.

Lamin Sillah, proprietor of Chosaan Bar and Restaurant said he would not be part of any organisation that does not include all, adding that he was tasked to bring the two groups together to form one association.