Gambia puts former ruler’s luxury car fleet on sale

By Mustapha K Daroboe

BANJUL, Gambia

The Gambian government has put on sale a luxury car collection and an aircraft left behind by exiled ex-President Yahya Jammeh, the finance minister said Wednesday.

Jammeh owns tens of expensive brands such as Hummer, Rolls Royce and others.

All the customized vehicles are engraved with the names of Jammeh, his wife and children.

“The vehicles and the aircraft are on sale. We are working on a website to publicize it,” Amadou Sanneh said at a joint news conference with a visiting delegation of International Monetary Fund (IMF).

IMF mission chief Jaroslaw Wieczorek said the country’s economy is recovering but its debt vulnerabilities are still very high.

“In 2018, GDP growth is expected to rise to 5.5 percent, inflation is projected to drop to about 5 percent, close to the Central Bank target of 5 percent, and the international reserves to strengthen to 3.4 months of next year’s imports of goods and services,” he said.

Gambia’s debt is at 130% of the country’s GDP.

The government has devised many means of cutting expenditure.

Sanneh said they are also planning to retrench staff and downsize the government fleet of vehicles.

Jammeh stepped down after 22 years in power last year and currently lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea.