By Omar Bah
Latrikunda Sabiji lawmaker Yahya Menteng Sanyang has said while he welcomed the government’s decision to suspend all foreign travel, he would like the policy to remain in place until the end of President Adama Barrow’s current term.
The lawmaker made this direct appeal to the minister of finance, Seedy Keita, who was briefing the National Assembly on how the 2023 budget was managed and executed during the first half of the 2023 fiscal year on Monday.
“I am appealing to the minister of finance to extend the suspension to the reminder of President Barrow’s term, to cut government’s expenditure on travel,” Sanyang said at the Assembly.
Last month, President Adama Barrow announced the suspension of all foreign travel by officials, including himself, to reduce public spending.
According to his announcement, the measure also covers overseas travel by the vice president, cabinet ministers, senior government officials, civil servants, and employees across all government institutions and agencies for the rest of the fiscal year.
However, it said meetings where Gambian participation is compulsory and foreign trips entirely financed by external sources are exempted.
