Institutions and records

What the Securiport audit in The Gambia found

Last checked 25 October 2026 · 11 sources

Short answer

The National Audit Office reviewed procurement and fee collections from 1 September 2019 to 31 May 2021 ¹¹. Its report records findings, detailed responses from Securiport and GCAA, and corrective action including joint accounts, payment of the accrued government share and assignment of monitoring officials ¹¹. Some points remained open when the evidence supplied did not fully answer the auditors' questions ¹¹.

Audit body: National Audit Office ¹¹
Contract audited: Securiport, civil aviation, immigration security and e-visa services ¹¹
Audit period: 1 September 2019 to 31 May 2021 ¹¹
Fee split in contract: US$15 Securiport, US$5 GCAA ¹¹
First GCAA share: D16,452,987.3 on 20 May 2021 ¹¹
Amount to recover: D164,053,036, subject to the legal review recommended by the auditors ¹¹

What the audit examined

The official management letter says the audit examined procurement and management of the contract. Its financial scope ran from 1 September 2019 to 31 May 2021 ¹¹.

The office found that an unsolicited proposal first presented in 2016 was not subjected to competitive tendering. It recorded Ministry of Justice advice from 2016, 2017 and 2018 and found that the contracting bodies proceeded without taking that advice into account ^1,11.

The auditors examined D164,053,036 paid as accrued arrears. They recommended stopping further payments until the Attorney General gave legal advice and recovery if that advice favoured the government. Securiport replied that the contract placed liability on the government after it failed to secure the IATA code and that government bodies had checked the figures. The auditors maintained their recommendation ¹¹.

Findings, responses and status

Finding	Detail	Reported
Fee share not paid ²	No 25 percent GCAA share from September 2020 to April 2021. Securiport said the accrued share was transferred when the joint account became active ¹¹	Audit finding and management response ¹¹
Recommendation on liability ²	The audit recommended liability for any loss. Securiport said the government share remained available and was transferred ¹¹	Position remained contested ¹¹
Missing receipts ⁴	No matching receipts for deposits of US$3,235 and £6,780. Securiport said deposit slips were available. Auditors said the response did not resolve the finding ¹¹	Open when report was completed ¹¹
Cash collection at terminal ³	An IATA code was not obtained, so staff collected cash. Securiport and GCAA said the government approved physical collection ¹¹	Direct collection remained unresolved ¹¹
Exemptions ⁵	Diplomatic and service passports were exempted though not listed in the contract. The report records no management response ¹¹	Open when report was completed ¹¹

Recommendations

The audit office warned of a risk of public outcry over the fee and of tourists choosing cheaper destinations ¹¹.

Review the whole project through the Directorate of PPP, weighing economic and social benefits ¹¹.
Deposit all cash into the joint account and share it monthly as the contract provides ¹¹.
Provide receipts and bank transaction details for fee collections ¹¹.
Investigate the award and identify the officials responsible for disregarding legal advice ¹¹.

Official responses

The management letter includes responses from Securiport and GCAA. Securiport said the lack of an IATA code led to manual collection and that GCAA had approved it. GCAA said the joint accounts were active by June 2022, earlier government shares had been paid and officials were assigned to monitor collections and reconciliation ¹¹.

The auditors said direct collection still lacked government participation when the report was completed. On receipts, the company said deposit slips would be supplied, but the auditors said the response did not address the finding. The report must be read as a record of findings, responses and unresolved points ¹¹.

On 21 March 2023 President Adama Barrow defended the contract on national security grounds. He said officials were negotiating to add the US$20 fee to airline tickets ⁷.

On 28 March 2023 presidential adviser Sulayman Camara called the audit report half-baked. He said it did not include management's response. He said single sourcing is used for security matters ⁶.

A government spokesperson told Dubawa that diplomatic passport holders do not pay and that an addendum cancelled the service passport exemption ⁵. The Point reports carried no response from Securiport or the GCAA ².

National Assembly scrutiny

In January 2016 the joint PAC and PEC session adopted the GCAA activity and financial report and commended the authority for complying with procurement rules ⁸.

In March 2024 the Public Enterprise Committee ordered GIA to retire D835,185 in imprest by 1 May 2024 and to investigate a D842,074 balance difference ⁹.

In July 2025 the Assembly adopted a resolution on the Finance and Public Accounts Committee report on the Auditor General's report for 2020. The resolution page does not mention the airport ¹⁰. This site found no Assembly committee report on the Securiport contract in the Assembly online library.

Common questions

What did the Securiport audit in The Gambia find?

The audit recorded procurement, contract, collection, revenue-sharing, receipt and exemption findings. It printed responses from Securiport and GCAA and kept some points open where the evidence did not resolve them ¹¹.

Did the audit make a criminal corruption finding against Securiport?

No court or criminal finding appears in the management letter. It is an audit record with findings, recommendations, management responses and unresolved points ¹¹.

What corrective action is recorded?

GCAA said joint accounts were operating, the accrued government share had been paid and officials were assigned to monitor collections and reconciliation ¹¹.

How is the airport security fee shared?

The contract quoted in the audit provides US$15 to Securiport and US$5 to the GCAA ¹¹.

Did the government respond to the audit?

Yes. The management letter includes detailed responses from Securiport and GCAA. Later, a presidential adviser criticised the report and President Barrow defended the contract on security grounds ^6,7¹¹.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].

Sources

What the D274 million Securiport figure means
The D274.9 million claim traced to its source, compared with the National Audit Office findings and later government records.
The D164 million Securiport payment explained
The five payments, the contract claim, the audit recommendation, Securiport's response and what remains unconfirmed.
The Banjul airport security fee
The current US$20 Banjul security fee, payment methods, exemptions, revenue split, passenger tips and plans to include it in air tickets.
Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
The GCAA regulates aviation and runs Banjul International Airport. Its legal basis, directorates, passenger charges, and what audits and Parliament said.
The Banjul airport security contract with Securiport
The Securiport contract in The Gambia: services, US$20 fee, revenue split, passenger data, audit findings, responses and later controls.