By Omar Bah
The Gambia government has spent a staggering D2,879,432,900 on vehicles, maintenance, fuel and lubricant since 2020.
According to the 2025 national estimates, the government has budgeted D1,621,253,000 for vehicles, maintenance, fuel and lubricants.
As of December 2019, as per the vehicle control records, the government has a total number of 925 vehicles of which 12% are project vehicles while 88% comprises VIP and regular or pool user motors.
There are also 266 motorcycles for mail delivery and other office services.
The massive spending on maintenance is associated with the absence of appropriate institutional and regulatory framework; inefficiency in procurement; absence of a centralised management system; poor operation and management; inappropriate policy; inadequate monitoring and evaluation of current system; inadequate capacity building of drivers and limited government involvement in procurement of project vehicles.
In 2021, the government through the Ministry of Works and Transport validated a draft vehicle policy which will provide guidelines for the procurement, operations, maintenance, disposal and overall management of government vehicles. However, little has been heard about the policy which seeks to ensure that all government vehicles are registered and assigned with number plates. That draft policy required all government vehicles to be centralised under a department of transport which will be responsible for their maintenance and administration.
The policy also directed that ministers should be allocated a 4?4 flag and a saloon utility vehicle while permanent secretaries and their deputies should also be allocated official vehicles.
The policy states that where a deputy permanent secretary or director opted for a car loan, he or she shall be entitled to fuel allocation for the execution of official work. The policy also indicated that all other senior officials shall have access to vehicles by departmental requisition and authorisation.
The Standard could not reach the transport minister, Ebrima Sillah, over the holidays for an update on the vehicle policy.
