The Gambia government has been urged to open immediate investigations into recent land allocations at the new Kawmalo industrial zone to establish the transparency and fairness of the process.
The government has now allocated all the plots at Old Jeshwang’s Kawmalo area as an industrial zone but the exercise has been mired in controversies as the former lands minister, Musa Drammeh stands accused of graft.
Competent sources informed The Alkamba Times that the ex-lands minister used his influence throughout the allocation process to receive pecuniary benefits.
Informed sources say the greater chunk of the new industrial zone was allocated to Lebanese businessmen at kickbacks of sometimes USD100,000 but Mr. Drammeh has staunchly denied this.
The former lands minister now fisheries minister underlined the transparency and fairness of the entire process.
He told Alkamba Times that allocations in the new industrial zone were successfully done and ancestral owners of the area duly compensated.
“It’s not true,” he remarked when put to him that the process was reportedly marred by shady deals.
“The place is an industrial area and all the plots were allocated,” he told Alkamba Times without elaborating on criteria behind the allocation.
Meanwhile, the Gambia government has been urged to open a probe in the new Kamalo industrial zone allocations to establish whether or not cash has changed hands as well as the fairness of the process among others.
The Kawmalo area belonged to the Mamadi Maniang Ceesay family of Old Jeshwang but according to former lands minister Musa Drammeh, the family has been adequately compensated for losing their ancestral land.
