Almost one week into 2026, Askanwi Media can reveal that only Comium appears to be complying with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s (PURA) newly announced data price ceiling. Months after over 23 protestors were jailed for petitioning PURA’s D50 per 1GB price floor, PURA eventually succumbed to their demands to abolish the price floor and introduce a price ceiling, but it appears telecom companies are still not in compliance. More in the news report.

The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), Dr. Habibatou Drammeh, has declared a zero-tolerance stance on examination malpractice, as investigations near completion into 631 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results flagged for suspected cheating in 2025, a dramatic rise from just 28 cases the previous year. More in this news report.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has claimed that American armed forces carried out an overnight military operation in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, resulting in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, in what he described as a “dark and deadly” assault ordered directly by him.

Trump warned that this may not be the last such operation, saying a second wave of attacks remains on the table. He also declared that the United States would run Venezuela during a transition period, warning that the country’s political and military leaders could face the same fate as Maduro. More in this news report.

Gambian rapper and activist Ali “Killa Ace” Cham is set to release a new single titled “We Are Lawful, We Are Legal”, featuring Sparkling Black, ahead of his concert on 2nd January 2026.

The concert is set to feature the biggest names in Gambian hip hop as fans get set to swarm the Motherland Club in SeneGambia this Friday.

More in this entertainment news report.

The People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) was forced to adjourn its elective congress yesterday, 28th December 2025, to 24th January 2026 due to a lack of quorum. More in the news report.

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Fiscal Transparency (CCBT) ratified a set of almost 70 recommendations and submitted them to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) on 12th July 2019.

More in the news report.

The National Assembly Member for Banjul North, Hon. Modou Lamin B. Bah, has raised serious concerns over what he describes as a dangerous and recurring trend in The Gambia, the gradual ‘normalisation of violent deaths’.

Reflecting on a series of killings in recent years, Hon. Bah warned that fatal incidents increasingly pass without sustained public outrage or visible accountability. More in this news report.

President Adama Barrow has announced the launch of a $5 million livelihood support project under the West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) program, aimed at benefiting at least 4,000 individuals and strengthening community resilience along the Kotu Stream.

More in the news report.

Last week, The Gambia’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA) announced that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had approved the immediate disbursement of US$38.15 million [equivalent to D2.78 billion]. In its announcement, MoFEA did not indicate that the disbursements are loans or outline their conditions. After an engagement with the IMF last week, we can reveal the conditions of the loans in this feature publication.

Eighteen (18) out of twenty-two (22) registered political parties in The Gambia have signed a historic communiqué committing to concrete reforms to advance women’s political participation and representation, following the successful conclusion of a two-day National Conference on Women’s Political Participation and Representation. More in the press release.

The Government of The Gambia, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), hosted the second National Dialogue on Migration, promoting safer ways of migration. More in this news report.

The Gambia’s Reparations Commission has issued a statement calling on victims of the former regime of President Jammeh from 1994 to 2017 to register to receive reparations payments. More in this press release.

Longman Memorial Methodist Preparatory School crowned Isatou Cham as the overall winner of the 2025 Longman Preparatory Inter-School Spelling Bee, taking home a trophy and D2,000. The event took place on Thursday, 27th November 2025, at the school grounds along the Brikama Jalangbang highway. More in the news report.

Kumba Sowe of Pleroma School in Busumbala has emerged the winner of the 2025 COMMOM Championship Finals, held on 29th November 2025 at the Babucarr O. Joof Conference Centre in Brikama. The annual competition continues to grow in significance as schools across The Gambia celebrate excellence, discipline, and academic commitment among young learners. More in the news report.

The Women’s Association for Women and Victims Empowerment (WAVE) has launched a new policy document on enforced disappearances, naming Jungler Sanna Manjang as “one of the most notorious perpetrators” during former President Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year authoritarian rule. More in the news report.

Civil society organisations WAVE and ICTJ held a two-day youth and media event on transitional justice and social cohesion. The event, organised by the Women’s Association for Victims Empowerment (WAVE), was held on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th, 2025, at the NaNA Conference Center in Bakau.
More in the news report.

Take M Transformation Organisation on Friday, 29th November 2025, held its maiden Academic Skills Recognition and Award Ceremony (ASRAA) 2025, marking a significant milestone in its mission to promote academic excellence, character development, and transformational leadership in education. More in the news report.

Take M Transformation Organisation staged their 2025 edition of the COMMON “Mother of Mathematics’’ competition on 22 November 2025 at the Babucarr O. Joof Confidence Hall in Brikama, bringing together some of the country’s brightest junior school students for a day of speed, precision, and academic discipline. More in this news report.

The Speaker of the National Assembly will now earn the same basic salary as the Vice President, while all 54 Parliamentarians will take home more than most Cabinet Ministers under a new 50% pay raise approved by the Sixth Legislature. The increases, which will cost taxpayers an additional D18.5 million in basic salaries alone, come alongside expanded allowances and a separate gratuity bill that could further raise Parliament’s compensation package in 2026.
More in the report.

The government has confirmed the arrest of Sanna Manjang, one of the leading members of the Junglers hit squad and a leading perpetrator in the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission’s (TRRC) findings. Manjang was arrested alongside three others. More in the news report.