FactCheck: Does the First Lady’s Office Receive Any Salaries?

First Lady Bah Barrow and Hon Sulayman Jammeh behind © Askanwi

By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT

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.

The First Lady is currently on a birthday tour and held an event at the National People’s Party (NPP) Political Bureau in Bundung on Wednesday, 12th August 2026. Speaking in Wolof, the First Lady claimed that her office does not have a salary or a budget.

Claim: “Hon. Jammeh is my witness that the Office of the First Lady doesn’t have a salary and doesn’t have a budget. But I create opportunities whenever I am travelling. I pray to Allah that whenever I travel, I bring something back home for the women.”

FactCheck: To verify the First Lady’s claim, our reporter contacted Hon. Sulayman Jammeh of Bundungka Kunda, whom she referred to as her witness. However, he was bereaved and could not be interviewed on the matter.

Our reporter subsequently conducted budget research to determine whether the First Lady’s claim was accurate. The findings revealed some significant details.

According to the National Budget, the Office of the First Lady does not have a budget line of its own. However, the Office is mentioned in the Workforce Budget, which details the salaries of government employees.

Below is a screenshot of the 2026 Workforce Budget, which includes salaries for staff of the Office of the First Lady under the Office of the President’s Workforce Budget.

Screenshot: 2026 Workforce Budget

Office of The First Lady Workforce Budget © 2026 Budget

Our budget research covers ten years, from 2017 to 2026, and reveals that the Office of the First Lady has been a subject of parliamentary debate since 2017, when the Barrow Government first came into power.

Our research shows that the Office of the First Lady had 10 staff members in 2017, costing Gambian taxpayers over half a million dalasis (D506,795) that year. This was reduced to two staff members in 2018, costing taxpayers D254,549.

Although the number of staff declined from 10 to two, the total approved payments for the two staff members increased to D563,163 by 2026.

See chart below, using data from 10 Workforce Budgets.

Office of the First Lady Annual Salaries © Askanwi

Over the ten-year period, our budget analysis shows that a total of D4.48 million was approved in salaries for the Office of the First Lady. Although the figures represent approved payments, it is not clear how much was actually paid to staff of the Office of the First Lady.

During the first term of the Barrow administration, more than D1.9 million was approved in salaries for the Office of the First Lady. During the second term, more than D2.5 million was approved.

See chart below, which breaks down the salaries approved for the Office of the First Lady during the two terms of the Barrow administration.

Chart of Approved Salaries to the Office of the First Lady in President Barrow’s 1st and 2nd Terms © Askanwi

During the National Assembly debate on the 2018 Budget Estimates, Hon. Halifa Sallah of Serrekunda also raised the issue. He first expressed his high regard for the First Lady and all wives of presidents. However, he questioned the inclusion of the Office of the First Lady in the national budget, stating:

“Putting [the Office of the First Lady] in the budget, you’ve made it a subject of discussion. Why should such an office exist? And not only in The Gambia, throughout the African continent, throughout the world.”

This indicates that the Office of the First Lady was already a subject of discussion during budget deliberations as far back as 2017.

Verdict: FALSE

The First Lady’s claim that the “Office of the First Lady” does not have a salary or a budget is FALSE.

While the Office of the First Lady does not have a standalone budget line, government Workforce Budgets show that salaries for staff of the Office have been included under the Office of the President’s Workforce Budget.

According to our analysis of Workforce Budgets from 2017 to 2026, more than D4.4 million was approved in salaries for staff of the Office of the First Lady over the ten-year period.

Of this amount, more than D1.9 million was approved from 2017 to 2021, while more than D2.5 million was approved from 2022 to 2026.

It is important to note that the First Lady herself is not provided with a salary in the National Budget. The figures identified in the Workforce Budgets relate to salaries for staff of the Office of the First Lady, rather than a salary paid directly to the First Lady.