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.

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.

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.

The aftermath of Parliamentarians vote to remove clause 14 to register Gambians abroad has been met with significant public outcry. This has prompted our reporter to dig up a previously unpublished article featuring a meeting between the National Assembly’s joint committee and Gambians in the Diaspora spearheaded by MSDG. More in the link.

This publication interrogates the question of whether Parliament and the Executive have violated the law with regards to budget implementation by making reference to legal provisions and highlighting instances when this legal requirement has been ignored. This leaves the door open for waste, fraud, and abuse to continue unabated in The Gambia.

Last week, a notice from the Gambia National Assembly’s Office of the Clerk addressed to Parliamentarians highlighted that finances for the 2024 Constituency Development Fund would not be disbursed. Our reporter managed to contact the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Clerk on the issue and also featured reactions from Parliamentarians on the cancellation. More in this feature report.

This publication reveals how Parliamentarians deducted over D740 million from the Draft 2025 Appropriation Bill and distributed the same amount on the Approved 2025 Appropriation Bill. Our calculations and research make use of Parliament’s report recommending cuts and additions. More in the report.

This FactCheck interrogates a misleading headline by a leading newspaper, Foroyaa, claiming that Hon. Njai won a case against the PPP and it’s leadership. After getting hold of the judgment, our reporters brought out the facts and highlighted that the headline was indeed misleading. More in the report.

Four Gambian Civil Society Advocates have filed a lawsuit against the state in the Supreme Court against the Finance Minister’s alleged failure to table the 2025 budget as mandated by the amended 1997 Constitution today, 19th December 2024.

This opinion piece delves into the government’s plans to increase taxes by 23% in 2025 and interrogates the National Assembly’s role in reviewing the Government’s Revenue Measures. Will Parliament debate this important issue, which will impact the cost of living next year?