Claim: "Gambia ranks as one of twenty poorest countries in the world. In the poorest continent in the world, The Gambia ranks amongst the ten poorest countries in Africa. Out of 195 countries, Gambia is 170th worst as far as the human development index is concerned.”

Source: Talib Ahmed Bensouda, Mayor of Kanifing Municipality

Verdict: MIXTURE (of accurate and inaccurate claims)

Read more in the feature publication.

A disagreement has erupted between the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA), Foroyaa Newspaper, and renowned civil society advocate Mr. Madi Jobarteh, resulting in claims and counterclaims that 80% of The Gambia’s debt is from the previous administration of President Yahya Jammeh. Find out exactly what the Finance Minister stated on the Debt Service.

During a parliamentary engagement, Finance Minister Hon. Seedy S. Keita told the National Assembly Member that “Agriculture attracts an increase of 84% in 2026 from 2025, the largest allocation in the last ten years.” Our reporter looked at the data to ascertain if the Finance Minister’s claims are accurate.

More in the feature report.

The Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Hon. Jabbie, claimed that The Gambia did not collect D10 billion in 2022 and that tax revenue increased to D20.8 billion by 2024.

Our reporter investigates these claims using data from the Ministry of Finance, Gambia Revenue Authority and Gambia Bureau of Statistics.

Find out more in this feature publication.

In September 2025 President Barrow issued a National Address claiming that Omar Badjie had died as a result of “recent disturbances.” Our factcheck report proves the president's statements were actually misleading. More in the FactCheck report.

In late September 2025, the Mayor of Kanifing Municipality, Talib Ahmed Bensouda, published a video announcing that his council had secured $450,000 (approximately GMD33 million) from the Mayors Migration Council’s Global Cities Fund (GCF)—to support small businesses for migrant returnees.

This sparked criticism from his opposition, who pointed to an even bigger $26 million (D1.82 billion) project announced by the KMC Mayor back in October 2024. The critics highlight that the “failure of the billion-dalasi project” is proof that Mayor Bensouda’s latest announcement can’t be trusted.

More in the Factcheck.

This factcheck interrogates a publication shared by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) confusing a price ceiling with a price floor. The publication details a response from PURA’s Director of Economic Regulation, Mr Burama Jammeh, indicating that a mistake was made to cut the promotions short. More in this factcheck article.

The Gambia’s Information Minister Dr. Ismaila Ceesay has repeatedly claimed that the government spends up to D36 million annually to transport University of The Gambia (UTG) students to and from the Faraba Banta campus. However, a review of official budget records verified by finance officials reveals a much lower expenditure—raising concerns that the Minister’s statements reflect the illusory truth effect, where repeated misinformation is mistaken for fact. More in this FactCheck.

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.

GAMTEL staff say their May 2025 salaries were delayed to after the Tobaski holiday — despite a $10 million World Bank package announced months earlier to support the struggling state-owned enterprise. As frustrations mount, two senior government ministers have issued conflicting explanations about donor funds being used to pay SOE salaries, raising serious questions about transparency, accountability, and where the money actually went. More in this FactCheck.