“CORRUPTION IS REAL SERIOUS CHALLENGE IN GAMBIA” E.U Ambassador Says

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E.U Ambassador Says

“CORRUPTION REAL SERIOUS CHALLENGE IN GAMBIA”

Demands Barrow Gov’t to Establish National Anti-Corruption Commission

President Barrow surprise-visiting Banjul streets
European Union Ambassador in The Gambia Attila Lajos told forGambia News that corruption is a serious challenge in the Gambia today. The Ambassador cites Rwanda as a role model for an anti-corruption crusade. We continue to serialize the interview with Mr. Lajos below—nothing, in sentences and mechanics abridged.
forGambia: Now, African governments are notorious for corruption. There is no question about that. We may try to be diplomatic about making statements to that effect. But not just in West Africa—that’s just many Third World countries. In The Gambian context, what’s your assessment of government level corruption, diversion of public funds to other places different from where they’re meant to be. You’ve been in The Gambia for quite a while. If you’re going to do a quick assessment of what I was just asking, what would be your response to that?
AMBASSADOR: I think corruption is real serious challenge in the Gambia. At the same time let me add because when you introduced the question, you narrowed it down to African governments. Corruption is an issue worldwide. There is no country immune of corruption. The question is not that. The question is whether the government, the authorities of the country are doing well or something about it. And this is where, also, I believe that there is room for improvement in terms of corruption in the Gambia because remember, the country was spoilt during the past twenty-two years. The country was corrupted and the culture of corruption was widespread in the country. And to change that, it does not go by itself. There got to be a very strong campaign against corruption at every level and this campaign should be led by the government. That’s why we are encouraging the government, in fact demanding the government to establish the national anti-corruption commission independently working to help, you know, investigating all the possible potential cases including any international donor support or funded projects, whatever, and not only the government spending, because it is an issue Gambia  needs. If we look around in Africa and if we look at examples of countries where development is really impressive—everybody talks about Rwanda, for example, we shall not forget one of the reasons why they succeed is because they were extremely firm on anti-corruption campaign and active measures. So, I think The Gambia will have to also follow that.
A Street in Banjul
forGambia: So, what do you think the E.U would do in the next coming years, let’s say two years from today or a year from today. If you guys observe that, well we’ve been trying to help the best way we can but it looks like nothing comes out of our positive endeavors in The Gambia. We’ve been pumping money. It could be in the form of cash or kind. What will the E.U do when you guys sit back at the round table to do your assessments?
AMBASSADOR: Well, I think I can’t say with full confidence that we could not do this or that. We will, actually, because of simple reasons. The current model financial framework of the E.U is coming to an end as we speak—more than that, the legal instrument not reached. The E.U collaborates with many African, Caribbean, and Pacific states. The so-called Cotonou agreement is actually coming to an end next February. So, we’re already in the stage of the so-called post Cotonou planning. There are already series of negotiations on-going on union level between E.U and the African Union whereby the two sides are defining how this collaboration should continue in the future. So, rest assured that there will really be a mechanism in place whereby the E.U can continue the collaboration and partnership with the African countries. The reason I’m saying this is because we’re already in this preprogramming negotiation phase and sometime, later this year towards the end of this year we’re planning the post-Cotonou days of political and development cooperation with Gambia and this is time when we indeed look at what we have done so far—what are the areas where the E.U intention and the E.U intervention served a European interest at the same time a Gambian interest and was successful and those are the areas where we’ll be happy to continue in the future. No, we do this stock-taking. We’ll also look at areas where we might have done interventions, offered project assistance, and perhaps for some reason, it wasn’t that successful or is no longer needed or other donor partners may be engaging in that field or they’re better place to engage in that field. Consequently, E.U may decide not to do certain type of intervention in certain sectors in the future. But this thinking already started in general terms. But it will be starting sometime towards the end of this year in terms of very specific sectors like which sector should be the one we believe that the full E.U intervention, there is a good chance to have a breakthrough to really have an impact for the benefit of the population. So, it’s really the name of the game in the coming days. So, there is also an opportunity where we’ll have to look at what is the progress made by this new Gambia in the past two-an-a-half years and we’d decide consequently how to go about it in the future. So, there is no such thing like you can take E.U support for granted. We can’t promise that. We never promise that because E.U support is actually E.U taxpayer money. We got to do in a transparent manner and we got to ensure that what we do is meaningful.
A collage of Gambia's poverty
forGambia: If you guys go back to the drawing board at the E.U round table, if somebody were to ask you, do you think that amount of money—whether it’s a pledge or it comes in kind, not in cash; do you think this government has put it into good use. Are you seeing any symptoms of that money being used in the best way to help Gambia and her people? What would you answer?
AMBASSADOR: I think these pledges we made and the interventions we offered in consultation with Gambian partners and those Gambian partners—not only the government, but also civil society and the population, the wider population, I believe that these investments are good investments and it has been worth to make these investments. Remember in each and every project, whether it is a project intervention, or whether it is a consultancy, whether it is budgetary support, whatever, there are built-in mannerisms when it comes to the objectives of the intervention. When it comes to the implementation of the projects, whether the objectives were reached, whether these objectives are sustainable. So, we have checks and balances even in our own operations to make sure that we invest and we deliver where it will make a difference. And it really has. Let me give you one example, one of the biggest projects in this entire total portfolio is a very ambitious energy project. It is in the tune of €130 million worth and this is blending between E.U, the European Investment Bank, and the World Bank joining together. Now, in this intervention, there will be everything. I repeat there will be every school and health center in The Gambia connected to electricity 24/7. And this is going to be a solar solution sustainable energy. There will be an establishment of a 30-megawatt solar plant as well as improvement upgrading of the distribution system and the connection of all the schools and health centers to the grid of this energy supply. I think this will have an impact on the lives of every Gambian because remember, here, everybody goes to the clinics sometimes. Everybody goes to school. I mean the children. So, I think such an intervention, such a result will really make a difference in the given field. So, I’m really confident this unprecedented E.U support to the Gambia ever in history which is now taking place is really going to be making a difference for the benefit of the Gambian people.