The Executive Director of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA), Mr. Essa Marenah, came under sharp scrutiny during a tense cross-examination at the High Court on Thursday, as part of the ongoing lawsuit over the deaths of children linked to contaminated medicines. The courtroom tension later spilled outside, where Mr. Marenah confronted a journalist for taking his photo and allegedly attempted to force its deletion. More in the report.

As more than 700 employees of Gamtel and Gamcel brace for redundancy under a World Bank-backed reform plan, newly obtained documents reveal over D13.4 million in unremitted staff contributions to the Gamtel Credit Union—exposing deep financial irregularities within the state-run telecom giants. The missing funds, deducted from employee salaries but never transferred, have fueled growing outrage among workers already facing delayed pay and uncertain futures. More in the report.

The Gambia’s Finance Minister, Hon. Seedy S. Keita, came under intense pressure from lawmakers to deliver a more comprehensive budget implementation report, including detailed expenditure breakdowns for each Ministry. However, Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta appeared to shield the Minister from deeper scrutiny and failed to demand an overdue budget implementation report on the 2024 budget, which should have been presented during the First Ordinary Session. More in our feature 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.

The Gambia’s trade deficit reached a record D64.6 billion in 2024, driven largely by a dramatic 70% surge in imports from neighboring Senegal, which rose from D8.5 billion to D14.4 billion, according to the Gambia Bureau of Statistics. The data highlights deepening cross-border trade ties but also signals growing economic dependence on external markets. More in the feature report.

The recent announcement by a Muslim religious leader, Imam Musa Jallow, of his intent to contest the presidency in the upcoming 2026 election has ignited widespread public debate across The Gambia. Central to the controversy is a delicate question: Can a religious cleric legitimately and effectively seek the nation’s highest political office without compromising the secular foundations of the state? More in the 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.

After months of delays and repeated absences, the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Seedy Keita, is once again scheduled to appear before the National Assembly to deliver a long-overdue oral statement on the full implementation and monitoring of the 2024 and the first quarter of the 2025 national budget. More in the report.

Banjul, The Gambia — The Managing Director of Atlantic Pharmaceuticals, Mr Suman, faced intense cross-examination in the High Court as legal proceedings continued over the deaths of more than 70 children allegedly caused by contaminated medicinal syrups imported from India. Plaintiffs’ counsel accused the company of negligence and collusion with Maiden Pharmaceuticals, raising serious questions about regulatory compliance and corporate accountability. More in the report.

Witchcraft accusations remain a pervasive issue across Africa, often resulting in serious human rights violations, including violence, social exclusion, and, in extreme cases, death. These accusations disproportionately affect vulnerable groups such as women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. In the Gambia, a particularly disturbing incident occurred in 2009 when nearly 1,000 individuals were detained and forced to confess to witchcraft under duress. More in this factsheet.