Gambia-L:
The e-mail below came from source
Ebrima Ceesay
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Hello Ebrima,
This Government is cracking. Just maintain the pressure. I have never seen,
in my years of service, a government in such a disarray. I am sure you will
read the Farrafenni debacle in the internet later on today.
This latest incident is yet another manifestation of the incompetence of the
regime. Soldiers who cannot operate the simplest of mitilary hardware
without getting themseves blown to pieces. The death toll now
stands at four with the death of one of them this morning at the RVH from
wounds sustained from this embarrassing incident.
The newpapers will continue to report without fear despite warnings from
Jammeh and this incompetent and disgraceful regime. The two known
civilians wounded in the incident are in fair condition at the Farrafenni
hospital.
[The above is an update on the piece submitted by Ebou
Colley to Gambia L entitled ...State Guards Killed..]
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Gambia L:
THE PIECE BELOW ON THE PRE-INSPECTION HAS BEEN WITH ME SINCE LAST WEEK AND
IT IS CULLED FROM THE OBSERVER OF THE 28 JUNE, 2000
Ebrima Ceesay
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SoS Musa Sillah and SoS Famara Jatta: Their departments are divided on the
pre-shipment policy
How fares the pre-shipment inspection?
(Culled from the Sunday Observer of May 28, 2000)
Analysts believe that it’s becoming more apparent that the Pre-shipment
Inspection Programme introduced some nine months back by the department of
state for Finance and Economic Affairs is not particularly
succeeding in achieving the desired gains.
At least as much as facts and figures can show. The three reasons named for
the institution of the policy were enhancing government’s revenue from
customs duties, ensuring the standard of imported goods and assisting in the
creation of a niche for Gambian produce and products in the international
market.
According to authoritative reports, the volume of imports has suffered a
decrease of 40 percent, provoking parallel decline in the revenue generated
at the Gambia Port Authority. Instead of a boost, total
government revenue from Customs duties for the period of January to March
2000 went down by 2 percent, compared to figures of the same period in 1999
when the inspection wasn’t in place.
Prices of some commodities have also increased despite government’s
assurance that pre-shipment inspection programme would not provoke an
increase in prices of goods. The increase has been blamed on the inspection
fee charged by BIVAC International, the inspection firm overseeing the
programme.
It is difficult to place the results of BIVAC’s efforts at ensuring that
sub-standard goods are barred from importation. The evident lack of
improvement in the quality standards of imports has also triggered a
rubbishing of government’s second reason as ostensible. Authorities in the
import/export industry assert that BIVAC lacks the technical capacity to
ascertain the quality of goods.
Even according to Stephen Sachoshek and Razhard Tardieu, founding directors
of BIVAC’s Gambia office, the physical inspection carried out by BIVAC can
only ensure that the shelf life of goods does not exceed
half before importation. While these may be adequate duties of an
inspection agency, experts argue that it is not enough to halt the
importation of sub-standard goods.
Stakeholders in the Gambian export market, notably exporters of agro-related
stocks are also crying hue. While, according to them, BIVAC does no
contribution to the inspection of their wares, the inspection fee charged by
the firm is an added burden on the industry. World prices of the export
stocks are fixed; therefor pre-shipment inspection has meant increased
expenditure without corresponding increase in revenue.
“For the past 15 years, we’ve been in this industry and we’ve been selling
our produce to the international community. For all this time, there has
been no doubt as regards our wares because the Phytosanitary inspection is
in place and efficient. I really don’t see the need for this BIVAC thing.
It’s just an added burden,” quipped an exporter of
agricultural produce.
Experts in economics and international trade have also categorically
expressed doubts that Pre-shipment Inspection would augur well for The
Gambia. Razia Khan of Standard Chartered Bank’s Global Economic Desk
and chairman of the board of directors of Trust Bank, Ken Ofori Atta advised
the government to reconsider its decision to adopt the policy.
Gambian economists and experts have honed on this, citing the neutrality and
supposed indifference as evident of impartial analysis of the issue.
BUSINESS INDEX has gathered that the department of state for Trade, Industry
and Employment, the Customs and Excise department and the Gambia Chamber of
Commerce and Industry are averse to the pre-shipment
inspection programme. These departments are also working to establish facts
that may lead to the abrogation of the policy.
(Culled from the Sunday Observer of 28 May 2000)
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