GTSC donates 2 Mini-Buses worth D10.7M to Prison Service
The Gambia Transport Service Company, on Wednesday handed over two (29) seated Mini-buses worth D10, 760,834 to the Gambia Prison Service aimed to support and resolve the transportation difficulties of the Prison Service.
The ceremony was held at the Administrative Headquarters of the Mile II Central Prisons in Banjul which brought together government officials and those of the private sector.
Speaking at the ceremony, Siaka Sonko, Minister of Interior said the donation of the Buses would ease the transportation constraints of officers by enhancing punctuality to work, thus boosting their morale.
Minister Sonko revealed that the intervention is a clear manifestation of the government’s continuous commitment in supporting the Gambia’s security sector in a bid to ensure that the security and safety needs of the people are guaranteed.
On behalf of President Adama Barrow, he thanked the donor for the invaluable assistance complementing government’s efforts in strengthening the security sector.
“I call on other private entities to emulate the national transport association in providing similar assistance as the government cannot do it alone.The Gambia Prisons Service, I implore you to take greater care of the mini-buses and to best utilize them on the purpose it has been donated,” he concluded.
For his part, Ansumana Manneh, Director General of the Prison Service said the event marked a significant milestone in the prison, as another chapter of change and transformation has surface to the prisons to increase and improve the transportation challenges faced by the GPS administration.
He said that GPS has been struggling with challenges relating to transportation for many years, to help facilitate the transportation and access to mobility of their officers and inmates to Court and hospital among others.
DG Manneh explained that the prisons department is faced with massive mobility problems which had long been an outcry for the personnel, noting that if not talked in a holistic manner, the institution will not be able to meet its aims and objectives.
“To enhance efficient service delivery, the department needs road worthy vehicles to facilitate daily movements of officers and inmates. It is always a sad moment for me as a director general most times seeing my officers standing by the road side looking for lift to and from work,” he said.
He advanced that “there are only two vehicles available for both the senior and junior officers’ transportation. These are the same vehicles used for inmates’ transportation to various courts and hospitals across the country and they are not suitable for the inmates’ transportation because they are not designed for that purpose.”
He urged that therefore, “we are expecting two specialized vehicles for the transportation of inmates to meet the security requirement.”
DG Manneh applauds the intervention and efforts of the national security adviser and the Ministry of Interior for their valuable support to the Prison Service through their expert which align to prison management.
Saloum Malang, chairman of the Gambia Transport Service Company said that it is a clear manifestation of the Public Private Partnership.
He revealed that they received a letter on 27th July from which they called an emergency board meeting and approved for their general manager to proceed with the process of the busses for the GPS.He noted that President Barrow has a personal hand in the donation of the buses.
