In its petition on the AKI crisis, GALA urged the president to act swiftly on the 29 recommendations put forward by the National Assembly Select Committee, following months-long investigation into the deaths of over 70 children linked to contaminated cough syrups imported from India. The group said the findings represent a national emergency and require firm executive leadership to prevent future pharmaceutical disasters.
Key among GALA’s demands is the immediate completion and operationalisation of the National Medicines Quality Control Laboratory, mandated by law since 2014, to ensure that all medicines entering the Gambian market are tested for safety. The petition also calls for the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) to be given full regulatory independence and resources to carry out its mandate without political interference.
GALA is also demanding the establishment of a fully functional pharmacovigilance unit, enforcement of a complete ban on all products from India-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, mandatory registration and post-import testing of all drugs, and legal action against the manufacturers responsible for the children’s deaths. Victims’ families, the group says, must receive full compensation and long-term medical and psychosocial support.
The petition proposes broader structural reforms, including the establishment of a School of Pharmacy at the University of The Gambia, granting direct regulatory powers to the Pharmacy Council, and the creation of a real-time digital traceability system for all pharmacies and wholesalers to track medicine distribution.
Beyond public health, GALA also delivered a second petition to the president based on the damning findings of the Joint Committee Report of the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) and the Public Enterprises Committee (PEC), which uncovered systemic fraud, corruption, tax evasion, and possible money laundering in the petroleum sector.
The report, dated June 2025, outlines how foreign and unlicensed actors including Apogee FZC, Creed Energy Ltd, and Ultimate Beige Logistics illegally operated in the petroleum industry with the apparent complicity or negligence of key public institutions. Investigators uncovered the use of illicit bank sub-accounts controlled solely by a foreign national, Mr. Aurimas Steiblys, and linked these to transactions bypassing regulatory oversight from PURA, the GRA, and the Central Bank.
GALA expressed concern over what it described as deliberate attempts to shield key suspects from investigation, including alleged political interference with police inquiries and directives to halt criminal probes. It also cited revenue losses resulting from failure to remit VAT, file tax returns, and comply with anti-money laundering laws.
In response, the group is calling for the immediate prosecution of all individuals and officials implicated, the dismissal or suspension of responsible public officers, and the recovery of unlawfully transferred funds through frozen bank accounts abroad. The petition further demands legislative reforms to bolster the independence of regulatory institutions like the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), GRA, and the Office of the Registrar of Companies.
To ensure justice and accountability, GALA is urging the establishment of a Public Inquiry Tribunal or Special Task Force to investigate and recover the stolen funds and restore public trust in the country’s petroleum governance.
GALA concludes both petitions with a unified demand: that the president takes bold and transparent executive action within one month. The group argues that failure to act on these critical national issues would further erode public confidence and undermine the government’s credibility in upholding the rule of law and protecting national interests.
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