The CEO of GACH Global, Abubakary Jawara, has announced that his company will soon launch a new water factory, ‘JaeJa Water’, with the capacity of producing 12,000 bottles per hour.
Jawara said the water factory is expected to create more job opportunities for young Gambians. GACH is currently employing 350 Gambians.
“We are done with all the installations and have sent our samples to the Department of Water Resources, who are reviewing them. The moment they give us the go-ahead, we will launch and start producing water. We are talking about what would be the biggest water factory in this country, and we are doing all this to, of course, make profit but also complement the government’s efforts in creating job opportunities,” he said.
Jawara said he has been very concerned with the alarming rate of young Gambians dying in the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea on irregular migration ventures to southern Europe popularly known as “backway” in The Gambia.
“We want to play our part in ensuring that we create jobs for our youths to stay and work here,” he said. He called on Gambians to support and prioritise Gambian-owned businesses.
Relocation of business
Jawara said when he decided to relocate his business to The Gambia, he faced a number of teething challenges before firmly establishing himself.
“I faced a lot of problems, especially with the hunting guns, which were misconceived and politicised by some individuals who had ulterior motives. But what some Gambians should understand is that some of us will always support a sitting government because, for me, it is not about the individual but the office. Former presidents Jawara and Jammeh came and went, and Barrow will also go, but the Office of the President will stay forever. I have never stood at a political rally to talk about politics. The critics just wanted to frustrate me, but I refused to surrender and thank God today, GACH is a household name in The Gambia,” he stated.
He said even some prominent critics of his gun business ended up buying the firearms. “So, it is important that Gambians start supporting Gambian businesses and stop frustrating us,” he said.
Tomato factory
Jawara said his tomato factory is producing the best tomato paste in The Gambia. He said recently they had an issue with their supplier, and that has affected the quality a little, but they have ordered more than ten containers from China, which will arrive next month.
“I thank God that the JaeJa Tomato is well recognised throughout the country,” he said.
Mining
He said from the first to the second republic, foreigners were holding mining licences, but the new government opened a tender and allowed Gambian businesses to apply.
“We submitted a proposal and offered to give the government 60 percent of the shares after profit. We are also the first mining company that gives mining royalties to communities. We don’t just work with communities and stop there; we try to build a very good relationship with them and support all their development initiatives,” he said.
Challenges
The government was giving many businesses duty waivers, including the mining sector, but Jawara said they have taken a lot of these privileges from them now.
“Before, they used to give us duty waivers when importing mining machines or buying gasoline,” he lamented.
Football tournament
Jawara said GACH is about to host a countrywide football tournament to advocate for peace and tranquility.
“We are doing all this to support the Gambian people, but there are a few individuals and media houses who are carried away by social media rhetoric to castigate me, but as far as my conscience is clear, I don’t care,” he said.
He thanked all those who stood by him and GACH when they were sailing in choppy waters.
“Today, because of my perseverance and support for Gambians, I have received a lot of accolades for my philanthropic gestures,” he said.
Expansion
Jawara said GACH Global is expanding very fast around Africa, and they are looking forward to establishing themselves in many more countries. He commended the Minister of Energy for his “uncompromising stand” when it comes to due process and support for Gambian businesses.
“This is why we are now able to pay D140 million in royalty to the government, and we are hoping to increase that next year with the coming of our new lines. So we make sure that we fulfil the agreements we have with the government and the community,” he said.
He said the damages done in the coastal Gambia were not caused by GACH.
“We found those damages as established by the Janneh Commission,” he said.
He advised Gambians to always make proper findings before concluding by castigating well-meaning Gambians who are doing all they can to support others.
Philanthropy
Jawara came to greater prominence after the fall of Jammeh, setting up the GACH tomato factory before spreading his muscles into sand mining.
He was 18 when he left The Gambia for Angola, where he made a fortune and is today one of the richest and leading philanthropists in the country.
“I inherited this philanthropic work from my family, and I have been doing it since an early age, when I was very little. When I was in China, I used to support Gambians who were put in jail for overstaying their visas. In many cases, most of them will struggle to reach their families to help buy their return tickets, so when they contacted me, I helped them. I also remember there was this Gambian who was deported and left his wife and child in China, but at some point, his wife dumped the child because she could not take care of him, so I supported the repatriation of the child to The Gambia. I was helping a lot of Gambians,” he said.
Jawara said to those who do not know him, he might appear as uppity, a mysterious figure, flamboyant and showy, but those who know him can attest to his humility and integrity as a good man whose heart is full of love and compassion for humanity.
He thanked his family, staff, communities where GACH operates, the government, and all Gambians for supporting and guiding him.
“I also thank all those who were criticising me and now realise that they were wrong, and I hope that those who are still refusing to accept reality will do so,” he added.
