Minister of Youth and Sports Bakary Y. Badjie has responded to mounting public criticism following the recent road accident involving The Gambia’s U-16 boys’ and girls’ national basketball teams. 

The accident occurred while the teams were travelling to Guinea for the FIBA Africa Zone II Championship.

In a detailed statement released over the weekend, Minister Badjie defended the Ministry’s role and clarified that responsibility for travel arrangements lies with sports associations, not the government.

“Every sport association in the country manages its participation in international competitions and makes its own travel arrangements. The Ministry does not handle that process,” he said.

Minister Badjie explained that sports associations are independent entities governed by their own internal structures. They are not directly managed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports or the National Sports Council (NSC). 

The Ministry, he said, plays a supervisory role focused on setting policy, developing infrastructure, and offering financial support where necessary and available.

“When we provide funding, it is transferred to the association. They are responsible for handling their own travel, accommodation, and allowances. The Ministry does not dictate the mode of transport or approve travel plans,” he said.

He added that, in many cases, the Ministry is only informed of travel plans when associations submit funding requests. This, he said, was also the case with the recent basketball delegation.

Minister Badjie also dismissed claims that the Gambia Basketball Association (GBA) submitted a D2 million budget for air travel and was denied funding.

“The budget submitted to the NSC was D1.2 million. The Ministry provided D1 million, which essentially covered the entire cost of the association’s plan,” he said.

He noted that air travel within the West African region is extremely limited and costly, with few available flights and long layovers. As a result, many associations from across the region often opt for road transport.

Despite defending the Ministry’s handling of the matter, Badjie acknowledged the need for stronger regulation and oversight. He announced that new measures will soon require all sports associations to submit annual activity plans to the NSC and seek prior approval before registering teams for international competitions.

These requirements, he said, will allow the NSC to assess the preparedness of associations and evaluate whether to provide funding or deny support for travel.

The planned reforms are part of a new National Sports Bill, which has been finalised by the Attorney General’s Chambers and is set to be tabled before the National Assembly in its next session.

Minister Badjie concluded by urging the public to better understand the roles of the Ministry and the associations. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving safety, accountability, and development in Gambian sports.