In this publication, economist Dr. Ousman Gajigo highlights discrepancies observed in the Central Bank of the Gambia’s latest Monetary Policy Committee press briefing issued in August 2026. According to Dr. Gajigo, the government’s addiction to domestic debt continues to overcrowd the private sector while contradicting the Central Bank's claim that credit to the private sector increased by 41% within a year.

More in this latest Economic Deep Dive.

While attending classes is essential for education, it is not sufficient. Students need to properly learn the subject matter, particularly in core subjects such as mathematics, science, and language. Without adequate levels of proficiency, mere school attendance does not mean much.

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The Minister of Finance, Mr. Seedy Keita, recently appeared in the media, where he tried to spin a narrative at odds with reality regarding The Gambia's public debt. But it is hard to spin reality about the size and structure of a subject such as public debt when so much is well documented.

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The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment recently announced an agreement it signed with Pakistan for the supply of rice and other agricultural products. This announcement was presented as an achievement. In reality, it is a major sign of failure. It takes a certain level of incompetence to mistake failure for achievement.

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As Tobaski approaches, almost everyone is bemoaning the high cost of rams. The past week has also seen some of the worst electricity blackouts the country has experienced. In my neighbourhood of Brusubi alone, we endured over 10 hours of outages in a single 24-hour period. These two phenomena – both of which are deeply affecting the average Gambian – are more closely related than they might appear.

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Eventually, Adama Barrow broke his silence over Seedy Njie's despicable words and behaviour. But it would probably have been better to remain quiet and let people speculate about his state of mind than to make a statement that dispels all doubt about his leadership qualities. It is now absolutely clear that Adama Barrow is not a national leader in the true sense of the word.

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The Minister of Fisheries, Musa Drammeh, was quoted in the press attributing high fish prices to fuel costs. He also claimed that the lack of a fish landing port in Banjul contributes to high prices and pointed to the absence of cold storage and fish processing facilities as additional factors. In doing so, Minister Drammeh is merely confirming what should have long been obvious to anyone paying attention: he is an unserious minister who does not care about the welfare of Gambians and is instead weaving a demonstrably false narrative.

More in this in-depth look at the rising cost of fish.

The head of the National Road Authority (NRA), Mr. Sulayman S. Janneh, was quoted in the press blaming the country's road deficit on the previous regimes of Yahya Jammeh and Dawda Jawara, and claiming that there are better standards under the Adama Barrow regime. The Gambia certainly has a major roads problem. It is reflected in both quality and quantity - though Mr. Janneh chose to attribute only the quantity deficit to his boss’s predecessors.

More in our latest edition of Economic Deep Dive.

In our latest edition of Economic Deep Dive by Dr Ousman Gajigo, he dissects The Gambia’s economic domestic challenges, which he argues is an unfolding emergency that “few people are talking about with the urgency it deserves”.

More in this data-driven business economy analysis.

Dr Ousman Gajigo reviews the Broadcasting and Online Content Regulations and the National Press Accreditation Policy, widely condemned by the Gambia Press Union and media stakeholders. In his review Dr Gajigo opines that “the regulation reflects a disturbing pattern of the Adama Barrow government taking all the wrong lessons from the Yahya Jammeh regime."

He labelled the instruments as “an attempt to restrict press freedom and the general freedom of expression while paying lip service to principles such as standards, fairness, and combating misinformation."

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