After Askanwi published an article questioning the Auditor General’s salary in the 2027 Draft Budget, we received the following clarification from the National Audit Office (NAO).

Read their response and editor's notes in the publication.

Allowances can sometimes exceed basic salaries, as appears to be the case with the Chief Justice in the 2027 Draft Budget. According to the 2027 Draft Budget, the Chief Justice’s allowances total D1.4 million, exceeding his D1.2 million basic salary. The Auditor General’s allowances, however, are much more difficult to ascertain.

More in this budget report.

The race for salary increases among the highest-earning government officials continues in 2027, with the Chief Justice and Auditor General set for significant increases. According to the 2027 Draft Budget, the Chief Justice’s salary is set to increase by 27.4%, from D941,850 in 2026 to D1.2 million in 2027. Meanwhile, the Auditor General’s salary is projected to increase from D706,250 in 2026 to D2.1 million in 2027 — a staggering 198% increase.

More in this budget report.

A comparison between the Finance Minister’s latest Budget Implementation Report to Parliament and the Government’s own Public Debt Bulletins has revealed that Finance Minister Keita under-reported domestic debt interest payments by up to D376 million for the first six months of 2026.

More in this feature publication.

The Gambia’s Finance Minister, Hon. Seedy S. Keita, has revealed that approximately D10 billion of the country’s D52.91 billion domestic debt stock consists of legacy debts inherited from the previous administration of former President Yahya Jammeh. Our budget research reveals that this only accounts for 19% of the total domestic debt.

More in this news report from the Finance Minister’s Parliamentary Budget Implementation Report.

The Gambia’s finance minister, Hon. Seedy Keita, informed Parliament that the government under-collected by over D3.3 billion in non-tax revenue in 2025, representing over 42% of the overall non-tax revenue target. Our data-driven feature publication analyses the total revenue collected during President Adama Barrow’s nine years in office.

More in this budget update.

The Finance Minister is set to table Cabinet’s 2026 Draft Budget in Parliament on Friday, 31st October 2025, requesting for National Assembly Members to approve D59.3 billion in expenditures for 2026. This publication contrasts the government spending on recurrent and development expenditures and highlights the whopping D13.4 billion National Debt Service. More in the report.

President Barrow’s recent claim that the World Bank allocated $6.4 million to compensate laid-off Gamtel and Gamcel staff contradicts an earlier statement by the Finance Minister, who cited a $10 million bailout—raising fresh questions about transparency and the true scope of the government’s restructuring plan. More in this factcheck report.

Although Parliamentarians failed to perform budget oversight, our latest publication on the government's expenditure reveals that the Office of the President has overspent by over D130 million for the first 11 months of 2024. More in our latest budget report.

Months after GAMCEL employees raised concerns over unpaid salaries, the Gambian government has secured a $10 million World Bank bailout to cover their arrears. Finance Minister Seedy Keita confirmed that the funds, part of a broader budget support grant, were used to pay staff for December 2024 and January 2025. However, with GAMCEL still operating at a financial loss, employees fear the crisis is far from over. More in the report.