By Lamin Njie
Assistant Information Officer
Ministry of Transport
Ebrima Sillah, the new Minister of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, together with his Permanent Secretary and other senior officials of his Ministry, on Tuesday 5th July, 2022 visited the head offices of The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), in Yundum and The Gambia Maritime Administration (GMA), in Bijilo.
The day-long visit was dedicated to formally meet with the officials of the two institutions which are directly under his purview, in order to know their areas of achievements, plans for the next five years, challenges and the way forward.
Speaking at the Airport, Mr. Sillah thanked the management and staff of GCAA for the warmed reception accorded to him and his delegation. According to him, the visit was meant to foster closer collaboration with all the sectors under his ministry.
Minister Sillah further called on the management of GCAA to ensure that the airport stands tall among its peers in the sub-region and in Africa as a whole.
“The airport is the first image of the country for first timers coming and the last image to see when they are leaving. So the airport is an important national edifice that should be well secured and be cleansed at all times,” he said. He assured them of his ministry’s support at all times.
From the airport, the Minister and delegation went straight to The Gambia Maritime Administration (GMA), where they were also received by the management of the administration.
At the Maritime house, Minister Sillah urged them to work as a team in order for them to achieve the aims and objectives of the administration.
“Team work is essential in whatever work you are doing. One of the key roles of the Maritime is to ensure there is safety at sea at all times. One cannot achieve this without team work, he added.
He stressed the need for proper protection of our waters from environmental pollutions such oil spillage and other illegal activities that they normally occurred at high water seas.
In the same vein, the Minister and team on Thursday, 8th July, 2022 also visited the Head Offices of the Gambia Ports Authority in Banjul, where discussions were held on the ongoing activities currently happening at the ports, such as the port expansion project and the digitalization program of the port.
