Nearly a decade on, it is both fair and necessary to ask—what was delivered, what was delayed, and what was lost along the way?
This reflection is not partisan. It is civic. Democracies mature not by praise alone, but by honest stocktaking.
Where the Nation Moved Forward
First, credit where it is due.
Democracy and freedoms were restored. Arbitrary arrests ended. Independent media flourished. The National Assembly regained relevance. Courts resumed their constitutional role. Compared to the pre-2017 era, this is a historic correction—and it matters.
Transitional justice was delivered. The TRRC did more than document abuses; it returned dignity to victims, reopened the national conscience, and anchored the principle of “Never Again.” Few transitions in Africa have matched this depth of public truth-telling.
The Gambia rejoined the world. Diplomatic isolation gave way to engagement. The Commonwealth welcomed us back. Development partners returned. The country’s global image was restored—swiftly and decisively.
These were not small feats. They were foundational.
Where the Promise Frayed
Yet, Mr President, transitions are judged as much by what they secure for the future as by what they correct from the past.
The most consequential promise of 2016—the three-year transitional mandate—was not honoured. That pledge was the moral glue of Coalition 2016. Its abandonment weakened public trust and blurred the distinction between transitional leadership and conventional incumbency.
Constitutional reform stalled. The failure to entrench term limits and rebalance executive power left the democratic architecture incomplete. Without constitutional locks, democratic gains remain vulnerable to reversal.
Economic transformation lagged. Stability improved at the margins, but structure did not change. Agriculture was not decisively modernised. Industry did not take off. Youth unemployment persisted, and irregular migration continued—clear signals that opportunity at home remained insufficient.
Decentralisation remained rhetorical. Local governments stayed fiscally weak, while decision-making remained concentrated at the centre—contrary to the spirit of people-centred governance promised in 2016.
What This Means for the Republic
History will likely record your 2016 mandate as politically successful but institutionally incomplete.
You reopened civic space, but did not fully lock it in.
You healed wounds, but did not fully redesign the system that caused them.
You stabilised the state, but did not sufficiently transform the economy.
This is not failure—but it is unfinished business.
The Lesson for the Future
Transitions must do three things:
1.Restore legitimacy (you did),
2.Rebuild institutions (partially done),
3.Irreversibly constrain power (not completed).
Without the third, the first two remain fragile.
Mr President, the legacy of 2016 is still being written—not only by what was achieved, but by what future leaders choose to complete. The Gambian people did their part when they voted for change. They still wait for a system that makes change permanent, not provisional.
Good day!
Editorial the point