Parliamentary News
Askanwi reporters publish news and featured articles on Parliamentary proceedings. Askanwi is the home of the Gambia Parliamentary Newsletter.
The National Assembly is set to consider a motion seeking legal and diplomatic pathways for the restitution of Gambian artefacts removed during the colonial era, marking a significant step in the country’s efforts to reclaim looted cultural heritage.
More in this parliamentary news story.
The Gambia’s Finance Minister, Hon. Seedy S. Keita's last-minute request to postpone his scheduled parliamentary budget update has been approved by Parliament, allowing him to travel out of the country instead of reporting to Parliament yesterday, 2nd March 2026.
More in our detailed publication featuring the Clerk and the Speaker.
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.
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.
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 Women’s Association for Women and Victims Empowerment (WAVE), in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Assembly Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Matters, convened a strategic session on the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT). More in the report.
The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission has announced the dates for the next electoral cycle, 2026 to 2027, covering presidential, National Assembly and local government elections. More in the news report.
The Ministry of Information has released a presser lauding the Parliamentary Approval of the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Bill. More in the press release.
A day after the shocking death of a one-month-old baby, Sarjo Conteh, on 9th August 2025, the “heartbroken” Children National Assembly of the Gambia (CNAG) issued a statement condemning the practice and called on the government to ensure justice is done. More in the article.
Feature Publications
The Gambia Parliamentary Newsletter is an initiative focusing on the Gambia’s National Assembly proceedings. Download free electronic copies online on the Askanwi Parliament page.
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.
The Gambia’s Finance Minister, Hon. Mambury Njie, informed members of the National Assembly’s Special Committee that the government received one billion dalasis in its accounts on 20th April 2020. The Minister explained that the “very soft loan from the IMF has now landed in our account. It’s a facility that they [IMF] normally provide. It’s about one billion dalasis.” More in this feature report.
The Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Hon. Lamin Jabbie, has informed lawmakers that 80% of Gamcel shares will be sold to Ycell under a proposed public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with the Government.
More in this feature publication, which details YCell’s lack of expertise compared to its partners and their lofty ambitions to invest D6.7 billion in Gamcel.
Finance Minister Seedy Keita informed Parliamentarians that a record budget deficit of D7 billion was observed from the first nine months of 2025. Our budget researchers have ascertained that this has broken all records set for budget deficits since President Barrow took over from former President Jammeh in 2017. More in our feature publication interrogating the actual and approved budget deficit from 2017 to date.
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.
This week marks the start of President Adama Barrow’s eighth Meet the People’s Tour, mandated by the 1997 Constitution. Our budget analysis reveals that, over the years, President Barrow has spent more than D246 million on the tour, despite Parliament only approving D72 million for the same period. This means President Barrow overspent by D173 million — an increase of approximately 340%. More in the budget analysis report.
The Finance Minister is set to table Cabinet’s 2026 Draft Budget in Parliament on Friday, 31st October 2025, requesting for National Assembly Members to approve D59.3 billion in expenditures for 2026. This publication contrasts the government spending on recurrent and development expenditures and highlights the whopping D13.4 billion National Debt Service. More in the report.
After lawmakers in the Sixth Legislature voted down the 2024 Draft Constitution during its Second Reading, The Gambia’s constitutional reform process has suffered its second major setback under President Adama Barrow’s administration. This FactSheet breaks down how each Member of Parliament voted and explains the significance of the Second Reading in the legislative process.
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Videos
Hon Njai of Banjul Central Responds to Concerns on Draft Constitution
The National Assembly Member for Banjul Central Hon Abdoulie Njai held a Constituency Dialogue with his electorates on Friday 16th August 2024 organized by Activista the Gambia. Watch the question and response on the Draft Constitution.
Gambia Parliamentary Newsletter
The Gambia Parliamentary Newsletter is an initiative focusing on the Gambia’s National Assembly proceedings. Download free electronic copies online on the Askanwi Parliament page.
Coming soon…
The National Food Security Corporation Bill 2025 is currently facing parliamentary review and was tabled in Parliament for consideration on 3rd March 2026.
The bill proposes the establishment of the National Food Security Corporation, commencing with a value of D1 billion, which was doubled after a member’s recommendation.
More in this parliamentary report.