#Headlines

8 heads of state expected to grace Barrow’s inauguration

Jan 19, 2022, 12:52 PM | Article By: Pa Modou Cham

President Adama Barrow will today – Wednesday –be sworn into office as president at the Independence Stadium after winning the last December 4 presidential election with 53%.

At least eight heads of state from: Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Liberia are expected to attend.

President-elect Barrow, who initially promised Gambians to serve for three years contested with the top opposition leader lawyer Ousainou Darboe, Mama Kandeh, Halifa Sallah, Ebrima Jammeh, and Essa MbyeFaal for this term.

Mr. Barrow ended the government of a long-serving President Yahya Jammeh's 22-year authoritarian rule by winning more than 45% of the vote in December 2016.

Barrow's inauguration as President in 2017, ending 22 years of rule by Jammeh, raised hopes of a new era of respect for media freedom. However, after five years of ruling the country, the draconian media laws are still in the laws of the country. A newly drafted Constitution to rescue Gambians from the bad laws in the 1997 Constitution failed to attract parliamentary approval after spending millions in the process.

With the continuous rise in prices of basic food commodities and other tangible goods, many people who rallied behind the president during the presidential election have expressed some disappointment due to the high cost of living. Some APRC militants, a party that backed the incumbent during the just concluded elections have also taken to social media in the recent days to express disappointment for the arrest and charge of former President Yahya Jammeh’s most trusted general bodyguards, who recently returned from exile.

The main issue with the country after 57 years of independence is the lack of stable power supply and water, employment opportunities for young people, world-class roads and health infrastructure, education, and high cost in living conditions.

Forbes has reported that the Gambia is the worst country to do business since 2019, which many citizens described as unfortunate and called for action.

Read Other Articles In Headlines
USAID, UNICEF boost Health Ministry with USS$500,000
Sep 7, 2022, 10:53 AM

Press release

Banjul, 06 September 2022 – Today, UNICEF handed over more than $500,000 USD in supplies to help the Ministry of Health of The Gambia respond to COVID-19 and other health emergencies. Supplies were procured and delivered by UNICEF with funding provided by the United States through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

UDP selects mayors, area council chairpersons for upcoming elections
Dec 27, 2022, 12:23 PM

A statement released by Tombong Saidy, the Admin Secretary for Media and Communication of the United Democratic Party (UDP), revealed the selections of mayors and area council chairpersons for the upcoming local government elections.

Barrow, Sall & Embalò inaugurate  over $700M joint OMVG project
Oct 25, 2021, 1:19 PM

President Adama Barrow with his counterparts President MackySall of Senegal and President Umaro Sissoco Embalò of Guinea Bissau over the weekend inaugurated a $700 million The Gambia River Development Organisation (OMVG) Soma sub-station to solve electricity constraints of The Gambia, Senegal and Guinea Bissau.

Dr Lamin Sise
TRRC chair says witnesses before TRRC are mostly victims of atrocities
May 31, 2021, 11:19 AM

The chairman of the TRRC Dr. Lamin J. Sise, on Friday during the closing event of public hearings of the commission indicated that during the 871 days of work, The Gambia and the world heard from 392 witnesses, which the majority of whom were victims of atrocities meted out to innocent civilians by the State. He said the witnesses appearing before the Commission also included self-confessed perpetrators.