The president of the Gambia Transport Union, Omar Ceesay, who is currently on tour with President Barrow, has said the union is officially invited to join the tour each year because of the importance of the transport sector as a stakeholder in road projects, usage and related matters.
Speaking to The Standard about the possible perception of the Union’s presence in the tour as political, Mr Ceesay said in the first place the tour is an official programme and not a political one.
“Also, the tour always includes visits to road projects and border areas all of which have something to do with transport operators. It is important for the Union to be present when new roads and policy decisions are being discussed which covers areas affecting the transport industry,” he said.
He added that the Union’s presence in the tour also provides an opportunity for transport operators to learn from the nature of the roads in terms of security among other things.
“For example, we already visited Hakalang Road which is developing to be a major highway that will attract heavy traffic in that part of the country. There is also the Banni- Njaba Kunda Road which I called the Baddibu Coastal Road. It provides good connection for the community in that area and it is necessary for transport operators to be familiar with all these road networks and the government policy towards them,” the GTU president said.
Mr Ceesay added that the transport sector needs to be involved in border trade matters on free movement of goods and people and all these make it necessary for the GTU to be represented at such visits like the Meet the People Tour. He said in addition, people often hire commercial vehicles during the tour and it is important that the safety of the passengers and the interests of the transport operators are monitored and protected.
“So there is a whole lot of reasons why the GTU is invited to work with government on the tour which is a national call,” he concluded.
