GT Board Director General Aboubacarr S. Camara told the Special Select Committee that for years, land allocation within the Tourism Development Area (TDA) has been governed largely by memory, technical staff knowledge, and scattered files because the GT Board does not currently have a proper database to track land use.
Camara’s admission came after he was questioned on how GT Board monitors allocations, keeps track of available land, and identifies properties seized or flagged by the Janneh Commission. According to him, the absence of a structured system is one reason he was shocked to learn that several major TDA plots once belonged to the former president.
“I was surprised to know that all these land areas belonged to the former president,” he told the committee.
He explained that he only became aware of the full list after counsel sent him a notification. “I did not add or delete what they sent me; my technical team verified the information.”
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Without a digital system, Camara said, the Board depends on its technical department to know which land is free, which is allocated, and what remains available in the TDA.
“They know all the lands that have been allocated and the ones that are free, the department relies on experience and support from the Department of Physical Planning, using the cadastral map to confirm boundaries and allocations.
He confirmed that documentation exists, but it is all physical. When asked whether GT Board keeps files for every applicant and plot, he said yes but nothing is digitised or consolidated.
“The list of allocations; that one we have, but the database does not exist.”
Counsel pressed Camara on why, as Director General since 2020, he was unfamiliar with properties identified by the Janneh Commission as belonging to or associated with the former president.
“I did not see one,” he responded.
Camara stressed that he previously served in another department far from head office, and TDA land allocations involve technical work that he was not previously exposed to. Even after becoming DG, he said, most of the disputed allocations predated him.
“Most of them, almost all of them, were done before I became DG,” he testified.
“We have started to do a database; the new system will map all TDA land, show allocation years, indicate sizes, identify who allocated the land, and display what remains available.
Camara acknowledged the weakness, saying the new system would finally bring transparency and clarity to land administration.
Counsel questioned him on the absence of any written limitation on how many times a person may apply for land in the TDA or how large a plot they can request.
“I have not seen anywhere written that an applicant should not apply more than once; the technical department would say what size is enough,” he explained.
The process, he said, depends entirely on technical discretion – another area lacking written guidance.
Camara clarified that the GT Board itself does not cancel leases without instructions. During his time as DG, no lease had been cancelled. Instead, the legal department provides justifications, which are passed to the Ministry for advice from the Minister for Justice before Cabinet acts.
He also confirmed the Ministry of Lands has authority to cancel sub-leases if evidence supports it.
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