The Minister of Interior, Abdoulie Sanyang, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, has informed the Gambian lawmakers that the government receives only 25 percent of revenues generated under the Airport Security Port agreement while the operating company takes 75 percent.
The disclosure came as the Member for Janjanbureh pressed the Minister for detailed figures covering April 2024 to September 2025, including evidence of payments into government accounts and minutes from management meetings that determined how the shares were distributed.
Minister Sanyang told lawmakers that although the Gambia Immigration Department serves as an implementing partner on the project, the financial components of the agreement fall entirely under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, not the Ministry of Interior. He said this limits his ability to provide revenue figures or bank statements requested by the Assembly.
His response triggered a heated back-and-forth, with several members citing earlier rulings that ministers must either answer questions directly or formally redirect them to the appropriate ministry. Member for Janjanbureh, Hon. Omar Jammeh, accused the Minister of contradicting statements he allegedly made in previous sessions, a claim he firmly rejected.
Clarifying the contract terms Minister Sanyang said, “Security Port receives 75 percent, and the Gambia Government gets 25 percent,” insisting this has always been the agreed formula.
Lawmakers continued to press for transparency, with the Member for Busumbala, Hon. Muhammad Kanteh, requesting a copy of the contract document. The Minister agreed that his Ministry would provide it once formally requested through the proper parliamentary channels.
The debate was briefly derailed when a member attempted to introduce issues unrelated to the original question, prompting the Speaker to intervene and remind the Assembly of rules restricting supplementary questions to the exact scope of the initial inquiry.
Members insisted that the Ministry of Finance must also appear before the Assembly to provide full revenue figures, share transfers, and explanations of how national income from the airport is managed.
The matter is expected to return to the floor once the requested documents and financial details are submitted.
