Some may have forgotten him but Mustapha Njie, fondly known as Taf, is arguably one of the most successful real estate developers in the sub region.
After successfully developing numerous cosy homes in Brufut, West Coast Region, Taf allegedly had a breach in relations with former President Jammeh and moved to the oil rich West African county—Nigeria.
Now that the country has been freed from the claws of a 22 year dictatorship, the real estate mogul has an insatiable desire to partner with the new government to not only provide quality and affordable homes for Gambians, but as well address the jobless able-bodied men syndrome through his housing projects.
This is what he told the state broadcaster GRTS during a recent interview: “Since the Barrow government came to power, it gave me a lot of hope as an indigenous private operator.’’
He commended the new Gambian leader for creating the environment where the private sector will flourish.
This partnership he craves for with the Barrow administration has been further manifested in his recent invitation of senior government officials, including two cabinet members, to see first-hand his running projects.
The visit has availed the officials an opportunity to tour the RivTaf Golf Estate- which is a public private partnership with the Rivers State Government in Nigeria.
Being gripped with joy after the visit, the two ministers both expressed the willingness of the new government to partner with Taf and Tourism and Culture Minister, Hamat Bah made a startling revelation quoting UN that the Gambia needs 90,000 homes.
Taf certainly has a lot on his plate!
He has been painted far and wide as the first real estate developer in The Gambia and the fruits of his partnership have over the years been reap by African governments and leading financial institutions amongst which include Zenith Bank Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Access Bank Plc and ASO Savings & Loans Plc.
These partnerships provide mortgages for home buyers a replica of which he set out to establish in The Gambia.