The Gambia Telecommunications Cellular Company Limited (GAMCEL)'s financial difficulties have emerged as a key reason the state-owned telecommunications operator was excluded from the first phase of the country’s migration from seven-digit to nine-digit telephone numbers, despite initial explanations that the delay was primarily due to “timing and technical readiness”.

More in this feature report.

The Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) had projected a 5% medium-term inflation target at the end of 2025; however, by January 2026, headline inflation had only declined to 6.4%, down from 6.6% in December 2025. Our reporter questioned the Central Bank Governor Buah Saidy about the missed 5% medium-term inflation target at the latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) press briefing held on 20th August 2026.

More in this feature report.

The Gambia’s First Lady, Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, has made headlines this week following allegations and counterclaims that she attempted to prevent Ebrima Dibba of the UNITE Party from boarding the same ferry on Sunday, 9th August 2026. However, one claim she made days after the alleged clash was that her office does not receive any salaries or budgetary allocations.

This FactCheck aims to verify if the First Lady’s claims are true or false.

The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) has released a brief explanation of donor funding received after a request for information from Askanwi Media during an interview with the NAWEC PRO, Mr Buba Badjie, on 10th June 2026. After Askanwi Media followed up after the interview, the NAWEC PRO issued this response today: 23rd June 2026 to Askanwi Media, which is being reproduced below as received.

More in this exclusive publication.

As Gambians continue to endure prolonged power outages, questions continue to mount over the National Water and Electricity Company’s (NAWEC) promise to restore stable electricity supply by mid-June, after publishing a load-shedding roster that extends to the end of June 2026.

NAWEC Public Relations Officer Mr Buba Badjie held an exclusive interview with Askanwi Media on 10th June, responding to the public’s concerns, just five days before the deadline.

More in this exclusive 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 Gambia’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of four civil society advocates, holding that the Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Seedy S. Keita, violated the 1997 Constitution by tabling the 2025 National Budget late.

More in this landmark case which Askanwi has been following from the start.

As a newsroom that closely monitors Diaspora remittances, our reporter spotted an error in the Central Bank of the Gambia’s latest announcement that remittances increased by US$54m from 2024 to 2025.

Using the CBG data warehouse data, our reporter verified that remittances increased by over US$96m, which is US$42m more than announced.

This translates to a hugely significant difference of over D3bn. More in this FactCheck.

Back in 2024, the ferry situation was so dire that advocates were arrested for protesting against the poor handling of the ferries, which resulted in passengers being left with no option but to use smaller boats, which pose significant safety risks.

Askanwi has been tracking the government’s promises to address the ferry, with the latest failed promise being the Damen Shipyard Ferry, which should have been in Banjul by December 2025.

More in this promise tracker.

As inflation remains above target and dependence on imports deepens, The Gambia continues to struggle with the high cost of goods, particularly for staple commodities like rice, sugar, and flour. To curb this, the Governor of the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), Buha Saidy, has recommended more investment in domestic food production as a key route to price stability. Nevertheless, persistent budget execution gaps, issues of transparency, and longstanding weaknesses in the agricultural sector raise doubts about whether this strategy can achieve the desired results. More in this feature publication.