GAMBIA
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Mr. Mam Sait Jallow, General Director and Chief Executive of GCAA

GAMBIA CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (GCAA)

Interview with:

Mr. Mam Sait Jallow
General Director and Chief Executive

October 10th, 2000
Since it is the first time we interview GCAA, can you give us an overview of the different steps that marked the development of GCAA?

Up to 1991, the Department of Civil Aviation under the then Ministry of Works and Communications was responsible for the regulation of civil aviation in The Gambia and the operation of Yundum Airport. However in June 1991, an autonomous public enterprise known as the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority was created. This new entity which was to have a more commercial orientation continued with this dual role of Regulator/Operator but under a new structure with a Board of Directors reporting to what is now the Department of State for Works Communications and Information.

The Authority comprises six departments responsible for Airport Operations, Engineering, Commerce, Flight Safety Standards, Finance and Human Resources respectively.

The readers of Forbes Global are always interested in figures. Could you give us some of them in order to get a better vision of the size of your business?

In 1990 traffic at Banjul International Airport (BIA) was in the region of 150,000 passengers per annum; with 2,500 annual aircraft movements and only 1,000 tonnes of cargo.

Following the creation of the GCAA and the improvements to airport infrastructure standards and capacity, significant traffic increases have resulted. Over the ten year period 1990-2000 annual passenger throughput at BIA, which now stands at 300,000, grew at an annual rate of approximately 8% whilst cargo grew at 12.2% annually to the present volume of 3,000 tonnes. Aircraft movements over the same period registered a slightly lower growth rate of about 6%, which is partly explained by changes in fleet mixes and improved loan factors particularly for non-scheduled tourist flights which constitute 60% of the traffic.

There has been a heavy reliance on the traditional aeronautical activities as a source of revenue such as landing, aircraft parking, air traffic services, etc. But we are now gradually shifting reliance for revenue to commercial non-aeronautical sources. With the development of the infrastructure at BIA we have brought in some commercial services in order to attract the private sector. Apart from for example the duty free shops, there are other concessions that are operated in the Airport by the private sector such as cargo warehouses; cold storage facilities paid parking facilities etc. This, allows the Authority to concentrate on its core business, whilst monitoring the standards of services provided by the private sector. Basically that has been our role and we are moving a step further to develop new initiatives such as the Gateway concept. This is in the form of a project based on the establishment of Export Processing Zones (EPZ) or Special Economic Zones (SEZ) which will seek to link activities at the seaport and airport and put in place incentives for certain types of industries that will bring business to the country.

For BIA in particular, it is intended to have an Export Processing Zone at a site within the airport, which will be developed in phases. This area will be used for small-scale industrial activities, manufacturing, re-packaging etc. and some telecommunication (teleport) services, power generation etc. The plan is to extend this to other sites on additional land next to the Airport. This will have an impact on movement of cargo and trade and that will hopefully link the region through The Gambia to other continents.

What is the timeframe of this Export Processing Zones project?

The studies are now completed, an implementation plan is being drawn up and it is expected that by the end of December 2000 this plan will be concretised. Already the sites have been identified and a development plan for basic infrastructure has been drafted as far as inter internal road networks and utilities (i.e. electricity and water supply) are concerned. The idea is to divide the sites into plots and invite investors to develop facilities and business activities within the controlled zones. And because the businesses are to be export oriented, companies operating within the EPZ will enjoy concessions or incentives in terms of tax exemptions, duties, etc. The initial phase for the development of the 8.8-hectare site within the Airport has an estimated cost of about $11million.

Apart from the EPZ project, do you have any other plans to upgrade the Airport infrastructure and services to the customers?

Yes, there is, and that is an important element in our activities. In June 2000 we embarked upon a $21 million project to improve Airport infrastructure. This is a modernisation process that will address both the standard and capacity of Airport facilities to ensure competitive quality services. This project infact took a major start in 1997 when the new passenger terminal building was constructed at BIA as a first step in the implementation of the airport master plan. Now, we are launching the remaining phases of the programme.

The Airport Improvement Project which is to be implemented over the next four years will address aircraft parking capacity, additional taxiways; sewage facilities; airport rescue and fire fighting services, and upgrading of the airport backup power supply system, air traffic services etc.

The upgrading of the Air Traffic Services will take into consideration the new technologies that are coming in the area of CNS/ATM (Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management) which relies on satellite technology instead of the ground based systems.

This medium term project certainly requires specific technological know-how. Are you looking for partners to help you implement those systems?

We have appointed the Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) as Consulting Engineers for the project and they will be working with GCAA to supervise the implementation of the project which is mainly being funded by the Kuwaiti Fund and the Arab Bank for African Economic Development. NACO are in partnership with a Kuwaiti firm, UNETEC, and a Gambian firm, SPHINQS Associates. The reason for these partnerships is to build up local capacity to implement such projects.

Do you have any bilateral agreement with sister airport authorities such as between GPA and Taiwan port authorities?

Three years ago we had some arrangement with Schiphol Management Services (SMS) of Netherlands. They worked with us here on the management of the new terminal building at BIA for a period of two years. During this period a number of GCAA personnel benefited from attachments at various airports in the Netherlands including Amsterdam, Schiphol. We also had SMS experts working here with us on various assignments. We have also been adopting a regional approach in seeking solutions to some of our challenges. The GCAA has been working for example very closely with the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority in the area of Flight Safety Standards enhancement. Most recently we have been forging ties between Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport and BIA. This is aimed at boosting travel and trade between the Gambia and the U.S. through the establishment of air links between the two airports. Co-operation activities between GCAA and Atlanta Department of Aviation are expected to take off in the early part of 2001.
The recently established Banjul-NY route is undoubtedly recognition of the airport as a main destination in the sub-region. What impact do you believe this agreement will have on your overall activity and what are the efforts designed to take advantage of this development?

There is a close linkage between the volume of traffic and the economic or financial viability of an Airport. So, we deemed it wise to try and work towards increasing the traffic volume for BIA. And one way we could do this was to access new markets. But before this could be done, we had to gain the recognition required through compliance with international standards, which meant that we had to open ourselves to assessment by foreign authorities and organisations who had the markets we wanted to access. Infact one year after the creation of the Authority, The Gambia (i.e: GCAA, BIA and one of our national carriers) was assessed by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It was then determined that we did not meet required safety and aviation security standards. As a result, The Gambia was listed amongst 14 countries assessed at the time as not being safe in terms of international air transport. In 1997, the Authority set up a strategy within its Corporate Plan to upgrade standards for flight safety and aviation security as well as airport infrastructure. In June 2000, we were re-assessed by the U.S. FAA and this time BIA was determined to have satisfied the security requirements of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. This meant that direct air services could now be established between The Gambia and the U.S. This has opened opportunities in terms of market linkages for trade and services between the Gambia and the USA.

We see BIA as an airport that is in international business and to increase our share of this business, we have to develop a strategy of making our airport a hub, which would be fully integrated, into the global air transport network. This is what directs our strategy.

Shortly before we got this FAA clearance, and at an advanced stage of our Aviation Security Enhancement programme we intensified our networking with airlines, informing them of what we were doing and what our intentions were. We wanted to open up and share with them whatever market opportunity came from our efforts to achieve compliance. As a result, a number of airlines expressed interest in utilising this opportunity. Currently, launch dates are being proposed and looked at for the start of operations, on the new NY-BJL and Baltimore-BJL routes. Other points in the U.S. are expected to follow, adding up to the existing European routes.

Businessmen always look for countries, which represent platforms for their business to the sub-region. How do you intend to boost the competition on regional routes in order make flight prices cheaper and increase connections within the region?

That is an important question. In fact, the key element is competition supported by a conducive business environment. In May this year The Gambia signed an Open Skies Air Services agreement with the USA. This is a liberal agreement with no restrictions on the number of carriers that operate between the two countries or the frequencies or capacity they put on the routes.

Now, parallel to this development there have been moves to liberalize air transport within the ECOWAS sub-region of West Africa. Up to now, there have been some restrictions, protectionists polices and practises that limit and restrict the movement of airlines and exchange of traffic flights between our countries.

In 1997, Gambia together with Ghana moved ahead to target selected countries within the region and bring them together so that we can liberalise our air space and have exchange of traffic rights facilitated. This grouping which is now formally known, as the Banjul Accord comprises seven countries: Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cape-Verde, Liberia and Guinea. It has been agreed amongst member states and airlines of the group for there to be free movement of air traffic within and between our countries and to simplify the process of exchanging such traffic rights.

The Banjul Accord Group, for which the GCAA serves as the secretariat, has also gone a long way towards harmonising standards and regulations amongst its members. Recently we concluded an agreement that will standardise the air services agreements between all the seven countries.

There are also other developments taking place within ECOWAS to ensure regular and efficient air services. At the end of September this year, the Gambia hosted a meeting of Directors of Civil Aviation and Airline Experts of ECOWAS member states organised by the ECOWAS Secretariat, to address the issue of flight schedule harmonisation within the region. You will find out that there are a lot of airline companies in the region but regular services and easy air access are still a problem. Some of these airlines are in fact restricted by anti-competition policies from moving outside their own countries.

Your are today the DG of GCAA, can you briefly come back on your professional background and tell us what will be your greatest challenge in the coming months?

By professional background, I am an Electronics Engineer. I came into aviation through that field. My first-degree was in Electronics Engineering and I worked in the Engineering Department of the authority at BIA for ten years before subsequently going on to do a master of science course in Airport Planning and Management at Loughborough University. This brought me into airport operations and management.

Within the next couple of years, our main challenge will be the implementation of our infrastructure development project. While we are doing this, we would also want to develop and improve on our business focus.

Already, we can see some positive results stemming from our strategy to improve on standards, but these improvements and achievements need to be consolidated and sustained.
Would you have any message for our readers or businessmen looking at the Gambia as a potential investment destination?

This part of the world has always been seen as a region lagging behind and this is especially true in the aviation sector. But, this is now rapidly changing particularly in the case of The Gambia. There have been significant developments in various countries of the region and the determination is there to perform better. The need to facilitate market access through a liberalised approach with appropriate incentives, which will contribute to creating an attractive environment for foreign investments is not only being increasingly felt but also being addressed.

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© World INvestment NEws, 2001.
This is the electronic edition of the special country report on Gambia published in Forbes Global Magazine.
May, 14th 2001 Issue.
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