New Scanning Machines Installed At Banjul Int’l Airport

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Bekai Njie

24 June 2011

The Scanning Systems Company Gambia Ltd recently installed two new scanners at the Banjul International Airport.

The installation follows a day-long training of some customs officials to better equip them with requisite skills with a view to easily operate the machines.

Speaking to the Daily Observer, Ibrahima Tenina Toure, the manager of the company, said the machines cost millions of dollars and are all operational. He said they can serve for at least 10 years if properly taken care of. He further stated that the machines are very vital, noting that they have the capability to detect weapons and other harmful objects.

Toure disclosed that his company signed a contract with the government of The Gambia in 2005, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs with a mandate to procure, finance, install and jointly operate with the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), scanning facilities at the Banjul seaport and the Banjul International Airport respectively.

Govt’s security concern

Toure highlighted the significance that the government of The Gambia attaches to this initiative, stating that it is government’s intention to provide the Customs Department with proper detection machines that would have the potential to reduce fraud and thus, improve revenue collection. He said government considers security as paramount, and wants to improve security at all the main borders of the country.

“Due to demands of security technology in developed countries, very few project development companies are interested in conducting business in Africa,” he noted, adding that emerging nations, therefore, represent a security breach in the international trade supply chain. He further revealed that private and public partnerships through built operate and transfer type projects are the solution to all these security issues. He added that the main challenge now is the maintenance of those expensive equipment.

He finally expressed his utmost gratitude to the Ministry of Finance& Economic Affairs and GRA for their cooperation and the generosity accorded to them since the day of the agreement between his company and the government of The Gambia.

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