The Gambia: National Assembly recommendation on the Securiport contract (2026)
- Parliament
- National Assembly of The Gambia 3
- Committee
- Public Enterprises Committee (PEC), chaired by Lamin J Sanneh, Member for Brikama South 3
- Report
- PEC report on the financial reports of State Owned Enterprises for 2022, presented in the week before 6 July 2026 3
- Audit relied on
- NAO management letter, Audit of the Award of Contract to Securiport, listed 1 November 2022 1,2
- Contract
- Signed 20 June 2018 for 10 years. An addendum of 29 March 2019 extended it to 15 years 1
- Security fee
- US$20 or D1,000 per arriving and departing international passenger 1
- Government response to 2026 report
- No public record found as of 22 October 2026
- Outcome status
- Pending. No public record of a review decision found as of 22 October 2026
What the committee recommended
This page could not open the committee report or the Hansard record of its presentation. The wording below is as reported by Tabora Bojang in The Standard on 6 July 2026, and the report's own numbering of its recommendations could not be confirmed 3.
The Standard reports that the committee looked at Securiport in its report on State Owned Enterprises for 2022 3. Its recommendations, as reported, are listed in the order given in the article 3.
- The Ministries of Finance, Interior and Works should review the Securiport contract and consider possible termination (paraphrased by The Standard) 3.
- "The Committee recommends that GCAA re-evaluate the management and collection of the security fees" (quoted by The Standard) 3.
- In a related item on the Gambia International Airlines pilgrims account, the committee asked the board and management to notify it by 31 July 2026 (quoted in part by The Standard) 3.
What the 2022 audit letter says
The National Audit Office lists the "SECURIPORT Audit Final Management Letter" as a special audit published on 1 November 2022 2. The letter is titled "Audit of the Award of Contract to Securiport for the Administrative and Management of Immigration Security Services at the Banjul International Airport" and covers transactions from 1 September 2019 to 31 May 2021 1.
The letter records 36 findings, numbered 3.1.1 to 3.1.36. They include an unsolicited proposal with no competitive tender, no involvement of the PPP Directorate, failure to follow legal advice, the extension of the contract, and a payment of D164,053,036.00 in arrears that the auditors said the government had no obligation to pay 1. The revenue split is 75% to Securiport and 25% to the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority 1.
Recommendation 3.1.1 reads that "the contract be reviewed and where there are abnormalities and wrongs, be corrected with immediate effects" 1. The conclusion calls for "a review of the contract in its entirety with possible amendments" 1. The letter mentions termination only as a cost risk, saying the extension "exposes government to high termination cost if it chooses to terminate the contract before its term ends" 1.
Where The Standard's account of the audit differs from the audit
The Standard's article of 6 July 2026 describes the audit findings in its own words. It does not attribute the kickback, transparency or extension statements to the committee, so this page does not treat them as the committee's wording 3. The table compares that press account with the audit letter on the NAO website 1,3.
| Point | The Standard's account of the audit | Audit letter |
|---|---|---|
| Kickbacks | Says the audit found the contract was awarded with the intention of receiving kickbacks 3 | Kickback wording appears in 3.1.4 to 3.1.6 as an inference. Under 3.1.6 it says the pattern "suggests that contracts are being awarded to favoured service providers with the intention of receiving kickbacks". It does not state that a kickback occurred 1 |
| Corruption | Says the audit found the contract "lacked transparency" 3 | Conclusion says the handling by the Office of the President "raises a lot of suspicion of impropriety and corruption" 1 |
| Remedy | Committee advised review and possible termination (paraphrased by The Standard) 3 | Review with possible amendments. Termination appears only as a cost risk 1 |
| Audit date | Dates the audit report to 2023 3 | NAO lists the letter as published 1 November 2022 2 |
| Extension | Says contracting agencies disregarded Attorney General advice by extending the contract from ten to fifteen years 3 | Finding 3.1.6 describes an extension to 15 years "by adding extra 10 year period", against advice of 12 July 2016 that the term "should not exceed five years". The letter's conclusion refers instead to "additional 5 years" 1 |
Government and company responses
No public response from the government or from Securiport to the 2026 committee recommendation was found as of 22 October 2026.
In its management response in the 2022 audit letter, the Office of the President said the justification for the extension "is not considered plausible" and proposed that the Contract Management Committee, the Ministry of Justice and other stakeholders re-examine the contract, with a "good exit strategy" 1. Securiport disputed most findings in the same letter. It said it opened the bank accounts for accountability and transparency when the GCAA did not cooperate. It described its use of its 75% share to keep the system running as "sound business practice" (company response in the audit letter) 1.
A government statement signed by spokesperson Ebrima Sankareh and published by The Standard on an undated page said "the audit report on Securiport is not new. Originally published in November 2022" 5. The statement said the government had set up a taskforce to renegotiate the contract and had referred the matter to the Attorney General 5. Pa Modou Cham of The Point reported the audit findings on 6 February 2023, including Securiport's demand for D164 million 4.
Outcome status
- Review of the contract by the three ministries: Pending. No public record found as of 22 October 2026.
- Consideration of termination: No public record found as of 22 October 2026.
- GCAA re-evaluation of fee collection: No public record found as of 22 October 2026.
- Audit recommendation 3.1.1 (review the contract, 2022): the Office of the President proposed a re-examination in its management response 1. The undated government statement says a renegotiation taskforce was set up 5. No public record of a completed review found as of 22 October 2026.
Common questions
Did the National Assembly find wrongdoing by Securiport?
No. A committee recommendation is not a finding of wrongdoing. The committee advised a review and possible termination, as reported by The Standard on 6 July 2026 3.
Did the National Audit Office recommend ending the contract?
No. The 2022 letter recommends that the contract be reviewed with possible amendments. It mentions termination only as a cost risk 1.
How much is the Securiport security fee?
The audit letter records a fee of US$20 or D1,000 per arriving and departing international passenger 1.
Where can I read the audit letter?
The NAO publishes it under compliance and other audit reports, dated 1 November 2022 2.
Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email hello@parliamentfollowup.org with the official link.
Sources
- National Audit Office of The Gambia: Audit of the Award of Contract to Securiport, Final Management Letter (1 November 2022)
- National Audit Office of The Gambia: Compliance and Other Audit Reports (list of special audits)
- The Standard: Assembly Asks Gov't To Consider Terminating Securiport Contract, as reported by Tabora Bojang (6 July 2026)
- The Point: Securiport demands payment of D164M from gov't, NAO reveals, as reported by Pa Modou Cham (6 February 2023)
- The Standard: Gov't Reacts To Auditors' Findings On Securiport Contract, government statement by Ebrima Sankareh (undated page)
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