BANJUL, June 26 — A new framework agreement between the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) and the Department of Geology aims to end a long-standing problem: mining licences being issued on land already set aside for tourism development. Officials signed the deal on Thursday, marking the first formal cooperation between the two institutions over the Tourism Development Area (TDA). The pact comes after weeks of consultations and technical discussions involving both agencies and their respective ministries.
Director General of the Gambia Tourism Board, Ida Jeng Njie, called the signing a significant milestone. “Our gem, which is the TDA, is where your gem is.
We share the same resource, and as government institutions, we must ensure that investors are provided with a conducive environment,” she said. For communities across the region, this is about more than paperwork. The TDA holds land that could support tourism — hotels, small businesses, local jobs.
But the same area contains natural resources that fall under the Department of Geology. Without coordination, a plot cleared for a beachside lodge could end up licensed for mining, creating confusion for investors and delays for local families hoping for work.
Mrs. Jeng Njie said the agreement would boost investor confidence and streamline bureaucratic processes. She disclosed that a joint committee would be established to serve as a one-stop platform for investors, reducing the need for them to move between different institutions. She commended the ministries of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Petroleum, Energy, and Mines for facilitating the initiative, describing the collaboration as an example other sectors should follow.
Alieu Jawo, the Director of the Department of Geology, praised the growing partnership. He acknowledged that in the past, both institutions operated independently, with mining licences and tourism allocations sometimes processed without consultation. That disconnect, he suggested, is now being addressed.
Closer to home, the agreement means clearer rules for anyone looking to invest in the TDA. Instead of navigating two separate agencies that might not talk to each other, investors will have a single point of contact through the new joint committee.
For small business owners and local workers, that could translate into faster project approvals and more predictable development. What to watch next: how the joint committee operates in practice and whether the one-stop platform truly cuts through the red tape that has held up projects in the past. Other sectors across The Gambia may also be watching — as Mrs. Jeng Njie noted, this is a model worth emulating.
