Gambia Transport Union Urges Action on Senegal Border Woes
By Awa Sanneh
The General Transport Union (GTU) of Gambia is pushing for swift solutions to transportation challenges with Senegal. In a recent briefing, GTU highlighted collaborative efforts with the Senegalese Transport Union to address hurdles affecting cross-border commercial vehicle movement.
Senegal has imposed restrictions, confining Gambian vehicles to transporting passengers exclusively through the national bus company, GTSC. This contradicts the ECOWAS protocol on free movement and a 2018 inter-state road transport agreement between the two nations.
Omar Ceesay, GTU President, expressed dissatisfaction with the non-implementation of the ECOWAS protocol and the Inter-State Road Transport Permit, affecting drivers and passengers.
Ceesay called for unity among civil society and Gambian residents to press for a resolution, emphasising the impact on the nation’s economy.
“We understand the ECOWAS protocol’s free movement, but between Gambia and Senegal, this is not happening. None of our commercial vehicles can enter Senegal, against the ECOWAS protocol and the Gambia-Senegal agreement. We are calling on the Government to explain because they have received our money as drivers, but we don’t see any development,” he lamented.
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Gora Khouma, Senegal Transport Union President, blamed both governments for limiting benefits between populations. He stated that mutual agreements would have allowed free movement.
“The fault is on the side of the Senegambian governments because both are trying to fight each other’s population from benefiting more from the other. We did several meetings regarding this, but if they agreed on the terms, then both countries would have been enjoying free movement by now,” he revealed.
Bayla Sow, Deputy Regional Secretary for Africa of the International Transport Workers Federation, suggested capacity-building for young maritime workers and stressed the need for a strong union to address key driving and safety issues.
The collaboration between GTU and the Senegalese Transport Union signals progress in resolving transportation issues between Gambia and Senegal.