By Alieu Ceesay
In a major victory for dozens of Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) employees who spent months and years in limbo, the government has reinstated dismissed and redeployed staff, fully repaid illegal salary deductions, and launched sweeping reforms across the agency following a National Assembly petition and committee investigation.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Abdoulie Jobe delivered the official government response to lawmakers on March 16, confirming that all affected workers had been restored to their former positions by the end of February 2026. “As of the end of February 2026, the affected staff have been reinstated to their former positions,” the minister stated, adding that the Select Committee on Tourism and the Ombudsman would continue to monitor compliance.
The announcement ends a painful chapter for many families after some senior staff were abruptly terminated and others had their salaries slashed by 50%. Minister Jobe confirmed that the Governing Body approved—and management has already executed—full repayment of the deducted amounts. “The payment has been made,” he told the Assembly, bringing immediate financial relief to workers who had gone without full wages for an extended period.
Beyond staff redress, the government has initiated a wide-ranging staff audit covering appointments, promotions, and operations from January 2017 to December 2023. The exercise, now underway under the Prime Minister’s Office with Cabinet oversight, responds directly to earlier committee calls for an Auditor General-led review aimed at rooting out irregularities and restoring institutional integrity.
The response also closes the book on the long-running Eco-Lodges controversy. The government confirmed the termination of the contract with LERR Group, blacklisting the firm in line with a prior Cabinet decision, and instructed GTBoard to pursue legal action to recover public funds already disbursed. The move follows Solicitor General advice and addresses committee resolutions that had urged either restarting construction under the original terms or ending the arrangement entirely.
While accepting the majority of the Select Committee’s recommendations—including new regulations on fees, levies, land allocation, and stricter compliance with the GTBoard Act 2011—the government rejected calls to probe the removal of the former Governing Body chairperson, insisting such decisions remain an executive prerogative.
Minister Jobe emphasized that all actions would respect due process and existing legal frameworks, signaling a broader push to strengthen governance and transparency in one of The Gambia’s most important economic sectors. The measures are widely seen as a turning point that restores confidence among tourism workers and sets the stage for renewed focus on sector growth.
