Advertorial The Gambia
The Gambia What public-private partnership can do
Public-private partnerships work when the main stakeholders put their mind to it. In The Gambia, a partnership between the government and the private company, TAF Holdings, has borne immense fruits. Here, Mustapha Njie, the CEO of TAF, relates what the company has done in partnership with the government.
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N 2006, THE GAMBIA HOSTED THE African Union (AU) Summit and the government approached TAF Holding Company to build and furnish the presidential residences
in the country. We built 52 furnished vil- las in four months; this was Kofi Annan’s last year as the UN secretary general and he was also in attendance. We built and managed the AU Villas
during this period and the event itself was attended by over 45 heads of state and other dignitaries. Te Summit was one of the biggest ever and went extremely well, with all our properties completed on time, and up to the standards expected by our distin- guished guests. In my new mission, I have a Pan-
African vision in addition to my passion for travelling in Africa. I have been in over 36 African countries thus far. As far as housing is concerned, TAF is now a strong brand in African housing. We have come a very
26 | October 2011 | New African
long way and we want to replicate what we are doing in Te Gambia in other African countries. We have made our mark in Te Gam-
bia and our success needs to be repeated in other growing African economies, targeting the increasing middle class. Our focus is not only on mansions or grand estates; we aim to be putting a roof over people’s heads, and to do it most efficiently with the serv- ices that are best suited to complimenting current lifestyles and needs: for example, going green and eco-power. We are targeting up to 22 other African
countries, and are actually putting together a consortium on housing with a focus on technology, infrastructure and renewable energy, even the possibility of using waste energy; these are all ideas to be tested but we do allow for greater expansion, partner- ship and co-operation. We have worked well, and with support from the Gambian government, we have
been aided by development incentives to achieve our vision. We would like other potential African governments to see what the government has done with us here in Te Gambia, in a successful public-private partnership. Te regulatory framework on land administration has encouraged us to grow and develop. We would want to see how this model can be successfully trans- ported into other African countries. We market our properties both in and outside of Te Gambia, to both Gambians and non Gambians. We have sponsored TV docu- mentaries in showcasing Te Gambia as a tourist destination and an emerging African investment heaven. In our partnered TV campaigns, we also run inspection trips to Te Gambia for our potential buyers. Overwhelmingly, the response is positive. Tis is direct marketing and allows people to see the properties we have to offer and the country itself. Tis is important because we are not
only promoting quality TAF products and homes, but the country as well. Moreover, I believe we have a responsibility to our countries in Africa as a whole. Our coun- tries are emerging, they are growing, it’s not only the role of the government to promote the country, we are happy to do things in partnership with the government. (For further details, visit: www.tafgam- bia; or
information.services@
tafgambia.com)
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