Open Gambia

10/11/2025

Call for Urgent Passage of the Gambia Immigration Department Bill.

Opinion Article by Ensa A B Ceesay.

The absence of comprehensive legislative safeguards to hold human and migrant smugglers accountable continues to undermine the effectiveness of the Gambia Immigration Department (GID). This legal gap has not only made the work of immigration officers increasingly complex and inefficient, but also exposed operatives to significant risks as they strive to combat the growing threat of irregular migration and transnational organised crime.

Without a strong legal framework that clearly defines offences and penalties related to human smuggling and trafficking, the GID faces immense challenges in enforcing the law and prosecuting offenders. This situation emboldens smugglers and traffickers, who exploit vulnerable Gambian youths with false promises of better opportunities abroad, leading many to embark on the perilous and often tragic journey known locally as the “Backway.”

Over the years, The Gambia has gradually become a key departure point for migrants attempting to cross into Europe through dangerous and illegal routes. Despite the tireless efforts of immigration officers, the lack of legislative backing significantly limits the Service’s ability to deter, investigate, and prosecute these crimes effectively. Consequently, the burden on the GID continues to grow, stretching its limited resources and endangering the lives of officers tasked with confronting smugglers and traffickers.

The passage of the Gambia Immigration Department Bill is therefore both urgent and essential. This Bill will provide the necessary legal authority and institutional framework to strengthen border management, enhance accountability, and ensure that immigration officers can perform their duties within a well-defined legal mandate. It will also help align national migration management with regional and international standards, improving cooperation with other security agencies and partners in the fight against irregular migration.

The relevant authorities are hereby humbly reminded to expedite the passage of the Gambia Immigration Department Bill without further delay. Doing so will not only empower the Immigration Service to discharge its duties more effectively but also reaffirm The Gambia’s commitment to safeguarding its borders, protecting its citizens, and upholding the rule of law in migration governance.

Thank you for being a part of the OPEN GAMBIA PLATFORM community. Your support means the world to us! Please follow our page to keep up with our latest posts, and don't forget to hit that like button and share our content with your friends.

You can now write for the Open Gambia Platform, share information anonymously, and join the community. Please share your stories! Ensa A B Ceesay, USA, contributed to the article on November 09th 2025. Contributors' views are strictly personal and not of The OpenGambia Platform!

09/11/2025

A new face rising in the political field — Baba Barrow, the son of the President, making his mark! 💪🇬🇲

I like Baba Barrow ❤️



VC: President Adama Barrow

09/11/2025

🇬🇲 Part 2 — The D100,000 Parliament

When Oversight Becomes an Allowance

The 2026 Budget of Power.

✍🏾 By Jallow Modou | Washington D.C.
Financial Analyst | Making the Budget Speak for the People.

🏛️ The People’s House, the People’s Burden

The National Assembly, the institution entrusted to protect the public purse, now stands before the public eye for its own.
The 2026 Budget Estimates, tabled before Parliament in October 2025, reveal a proposed allocation of D560 million to the legislature, nearly triple what it received five years ago.

The figures raise an unavoidable question: Is this budget strengthening democracy, or sponsoring comfort?

“Oversight is not a luxury; it’s a responsibility, yet the budget makes it look like both.”
AuditTruth Commentary 2025

💰 The Proposed Allocation

According to the budget documents before Parliament, the D560 million is divided as follows:
• National Assembly Service Vote: D397 million
• Office of the Clerk & Administration: D118 million
• Parliamentary Building & Maintenance: D45 million

This marks a 12.6% increase from FY2025, justified under the banner of “enhancing legislative capacity and representation.”
But as the nation grapples with cost-of-living pressures and underfunded hospitals, the symbolism of this expansion is bound to spark debate.

🪙 The Allowance Economy

Lawmakers’ welfare remains one of the most significant cost drivers.
While the Estimates don’t itemise individual entitlements, internal documents indicate that each member is entitled to:
• D100,000 annual vehicle maintenance allowance
• D10,000 monthly constituency allowance
• D25,000 sitting allowance per session
• Free fuel and domestic travel coverage

Parliament will now have to explain to taxpayers why these figures rise steadily, even as many essential public services stagnate.

“Representation should be measured by accountability, not by allowances.”

✈️ Travel, Conferences & Exposure

The proposed budget for Foreign Travel and Conferences jumps to D47.8 million, up from D31 million in 2025, a 54% rise.
Officially, it’s meant for “capacity-building and international cooperation.”
In practice, MPs themselves acknowledge that many of these trips yield little beyond attendance certificates and photo opportunities.

The public will expect the Parliament’s Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) to ensure that post-mission reports and measurable outcomes accompany travel budgets.

🏠 Comfort Before Oversight?

The Estimates also include:
• Furniture & Equipment Replacement: D15 million
• Canteen & Catering: D9.2 million
• Constituency Outreach Support: D18.5 million
• Medical & Insurance Support: D12 million

Together, these “non-core” expenses total over D54 million, roughly equal to the entire proposed capital budget for the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

As the 2026 debate continues, the key question isn’t whether Parliament deserves decent working conditions, but whether its growth matches the country’s priorities.

⚖️ Constitutional Power, Ethical Responsibility

Unlike ministries, the National Assembly has the constitutional authority to approve its own budget.
That autonomy was designed to preserve legislative independence, not to insulate lawmakers from scrutiny.

Section 112 of the 1997 Constitution states that “members shall regard themselves as servants of the people.”
In the weeks ahead, Gambians will watch to see whether their representatives live up to that oath or rewrite it through their spending choices.

💬 The People’s Questions

1️⃣ Should Parliament be allowed to approve its own pay and benefits without independent review?
2️⃣ What mechanisms ensure travel, constituency, and sitting allowances are properly audited?
3️⃣ Why is Parliament’s travel budget rising faster than the oversight budget of the National Audit Office?
4️⃣ Can MPs commit to publishing annual reports on their expenditures by committee and constituency?
5️⃣ Will 2026 mark the year transparency returns to the legislature, or the year privilege becomes policy?

🧠 What This Debate Means

The 2026 budget is not yet law.
Parliament now has an opportunity to show that self-accountability can coexist with self-governance.
If MPs lead by example, tightening allowances, cutting excess, and redirecting funds toward public engagement, the legislature could restore its moral authority in one decisive vote.

✊🏾 The People’s Verdict

Democracy costs money, but it should never come at the expense of integrity.
The National Assembly’s proposed 2026 allocation is a test of values, not just numbers.
As the debate unfolds, Gambians will discover whether their lawmakers see the budget as a mirror or as a shield.

“The true measure of power is not what it takes, but what it gives back.”
Jallow Modou, AuditTruth 2025.

Thank you for being a part of the OPEN GAMBIA PLATFORM community. Your support means the world to us! Please follow our page to keep up with our latest posts, and don't forget to hit that like button and share our content with your friends.

You can now write for the Open Gambia Platform, share information anonymously, and join the community. Please share your stories! Jallow Modou, Financial Analyst, Washington, D.C., USA, contributed to the article on November 09th 2025. Contributors' views are strictly personal and not of The OpenGambia Platform!

09/11/2025

Dr. Ismaila Ceesay’s Accusation Against Ousman Sonko COLLAPSES – Senegal Stands With Sonko! 🇸🇳

Ousmane SONKO

09/11/2025

🐄 THE VANISHING HERD: HOW JAMMEH’S CATTLE BECAME A TEST OF GAMBIA’S CONSCIENCE

✍🏾 By Jallow Modou| Washington D.C

🧩 The Sale That Never Added Up

In January 2018, the Sheriff’s Division of The Gambia auctioned off former president Yahya Jammeh’s livestock under a High Court order.
They announced that 725 cattle were sold for D 8.3 million, but their own figures show 625 in Kanilai, 67 in Farato, and 32 in Banjulinding.
That’s 724 cattle, not 725.

A simple missing cow, perhaps, yet it opened a trail of missing numbers, animals, and accountability.

🐂 Four Records, Four Stories

Jammeh’s farm records in 2016 listed about 3,456 cattle.
When the Janneh Commission and the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency (GLMA) did a joint count in January 2017, only 638 remained.
A year later, the Ministry of Justice listed 746 in its motion before Justice Buba Jawo.
By March 2018, the Sheriff’s Division reported 724 sold.

Each figure contradicted the one before it, and no one explained how more than 2,700 cattle could have disappeared in just two years.

⚖️ When the Law Looked Away

Justice Buba Jawo ordered GLMA to value and supervise the sale.
GLMA later testified:

“We never touched the animals. We were never part of the sale.”

Instead, private individuals, Amadou Kora and Buba Korta, set prices on site.
Korta even bought animals himself.
Sheriff Justice B. Tabally oversaw the auction. Alieu Jallow, then Acting Registrar General, filed the motion and is now under arrest for perjury, contempt of Assembly, and evidence tampering.

A public auction transformed into a private bazaar, overseen by the very individuals who profited from it.

💰 The Ten Buyers — The Ghost Ledger of a Nation

The Republic’s investigation later revealed that only ten men took nearly half of Jammeh’s cattle, buying 293 heads for just D3.7 million.

Musa Sowe walked away with 94 cattle after paying about D1.5 million.
Alhaji Modou Cham bought 60 for D 960,000, while Cherno Jallow of Banjul took 75 bulls for only D 350,000, less than D 5,000 per head.
Yaya Barry of Abuko bought 18 for D288,000, and Alagie Jeng of Serrekunda bought 18 for D319,000.
Musa Sow purchased 11 calves for D10,000, or approximately D900 each.
Abubacarr B. Korta, the same man who helped tag the animals for sale, bought seven for D 105,000.
Amadou Manneh and Kissima Tambadou each paid D64,000 for six cows, and Kebba Danso bought four for D64,000.

Together they paid D 3.72 million for 293 cattle, nearly half the herd, for less than half the declared revenue.
At fair market value, the sale should have raised over D 11 million, not D 8.3 million.

That’s roughly D 2.7 million in lost value, money that belonged to the people.

🔥 From 3,456 to 724 — A Trail of Disappearance

According to court filings and The Republic’s reports:
• 2016: 3,456 cattle across Jammeh’s ranches.
• Jan 2017: GLMA / Janneh Commission joint count = 638.
• Jan 2018: MoJ affidavit = 746 (634 + 79 + 33).
• Mar 2018: Sheriff’s report = 724 sold.
• Plus: 52 sheep, 15 goats, 15 ducks listed in records but never accounted for.

🕵🏾‍♂️ From 3,456 cattle to 746 on paper and 724 sold, a loss of over 2,700 head with no public audit to explain where they went.

📺 The Hearings Go Live

Fast-forward to 2025.
The National Assembly’s Special Select Committee on the Sale and Disposal of Assets is now livestreaming its sessions.
Gambians at home and abroad watch in real time as witnesses face questions on air.

The National Audit Office has verified that D8.3 million was indeed deposited at Trust Bank; however, the valuation files, receipts, and bidding records remain missing.
Meanwhile, Alieu Jallow sits under arrest, and the nation asks whether this will end in justice or just another press release.

🏛️ QUESTIONS THE PARLIAMENT CAN NO LONGER DODGE

As the livestreamed hearings continue, citizens are growing tired of bureaucratic jargon. We want faces, names, and truths.

1️⃣ Who were these “lucky” buyers, and how were they chosen?
Were they ordinary citizens who walked into a public auction, or well-connected insiders with advance information?
In a country of over two million people, how did just ten men walk away with almost half the herd, and no one else heard about the sale?

2️⃣ Are these buyers the country’s wealthiest livestock dealers or politically connected figures?
Names like Musa Sowe, Modou Cham, and Cherno Jallow - are they real individuals or fronts for larger beneficiaries? What are their professions, companies, and tax records? Do they have ties to the former or current political elite?

3️⃣ Why were insiders like Buba Korta allowed to buy after helping value the animals?
That is a direct conflict of interest. Who authorised it, the Sheriff’s Division or the Ministry of Justice?

4️⃣ Where is the complete list of bidders and participants?
If this were an actual public auction, there must be a record of every bid and every payment. Why has it never been published?

5️⃣ How were the prices set without GLMA’s valuation?
Who decided that a cow worth D 30,000 could be sold for D 5,000 or eleven calves for D 10,000? Were these written price sheets or verbal bargains between buyers and handlers?

6️⃣ What connects these names?
Are they from the same business network or political bloc? Why did most come from the Greater Banjul region? And how many of them still supply livestock to citizens or state institutions today?

🗣️ THE PEOPLE’S DEMAND

We no longer want only audit figures; we want profiles.
Who are these men? Where are they now? What businesses do they run? Did they pay taxes on their profits? And will Parliament summon them, not as names on paper, but as witnesses under oath?

“You cannot fight corruption if you refuse to show the faces that benefited from it.”

This is no longer about missing cattle; it is about missing justice.
And in that mirror of accountability, Gambians want to see who truly profited when the people’s assets were sold for scraps.

🗣️ THE PEOPLE’S VERDICT

We’ve watched commissions investigating commissions, witnesses turning into suspects, and state wealth turning into private fortune.
This is no longer a story about livestock; it’s a test of national integrity.

If thousands of cattle can vanish without a trace, so can the trust of millions of citizens.

“When public wealth turns into private silence, democracy begins to rot.”

🔚 THE AUDITTRUTH VERDICT

The Republic exposed the cracks.
The youth of GALA shone the light.
Now Parliament sits under that light, livestreamed for the world to see.

Until every cow, every Dalasi, and every document is accounted for,
The Gambia’s herd, and its honesty, remain missing.

“We don’t count cattle to find beef. We count them to find the truth.”




Thank you for being a part of the OPEN GAMBIA PLATFORM community. Your support means the world to us! Please follow our page to keep up with our latest posts, and don't forget to hit that like button and share our content with your friends.

You can now write for the Open Gambia Platform, share information anonymously, and join the community. Please share your stories! Jallow Modou, Financial Analyst, Washington, D.C., USA, contributed to the article on November 09th 2025. Contributors' views are strictly personal and not of The OpenGambia Platform!

09/11/2025

https://youtu.be/K4I7hxNFask?si=RTN0rSuVaZyaeRp8

On Saturday evening, Bun Dawda spoke to AG Radio, providing a thorough analysis of the 2026 National Budget that was presented to the National Assembly this ...

09/11/2025

https://youtu.be/6iSV7jBCGc0?si=7EuAJXIeL9P0q1r7

Bun Dawda told AG Radio on Saturday night that Ousman Jobarteh, the Managing Director of The Gambia Ports Authority (GPA), is soon to face charges regarding ...

09/11/2025

https://youtu.be/a8mx9IhxpVQ?si=YzEo0d3kgUxNvpfb

Bun Dawda, during an interview on AG Radio Saturday night, provided a comprehensive analysis of the recent derogatory comments made by the Minister of Inform...

09/11/2025

🇬🇲 Part 4 — The Man Who Failed Upwards

How a Flawed Recruitment Process Weakened the Financial Nerve of The Gambia’s Main Hospital

In every public institution, the Director of Finance holds a sacred duty to guard the people’s money with integrity and independence.
At Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), the country’s only teaching hospital and the final hope for thousands of Gambians, the April 2024 National Audit Office (NAO) report shows that this duty was compromised long before the first dalasi went missing.

🏥 A Hospital With a National Mandate

EFSTH is not just another health facility; it is where every medical student dreams of serving and where the sickest patients are referred when local clinics can no longer help.
From its wards flow future doctors, nurses, and specialists.
According to its accounts, public trust should also be expected to flow, but the audit findings reveal that the trust was misplaced.

⚖️ What the Auditors Found

The Finance Director’s appointment was flagged as irregular and contrary to procedure.
According to Finding 3.4 (p. 15) of the EFSTH Management Letter (April 2024):

“The recruitment of Mr Lamin Ceesay as Director of Finance was irregular and contrary to the Public Service Rules and EFSTH recruitment policy.”

The report explains that the selection process did not follow the hospital’s established recruitment procedures and that the appointment was made without Board approval or ministerial clearance.

This administrative lapse, according to the auditors, “compromised the integrity of financial management within the institution.”

🧾 Management’s Response

In his written response to auditors, Mr Lamin Ceesay, who served as Finance Director during the audit period, stated that his appointment was processed through higher authorities and that he had “no control over the selection process.”
The management further noted that the Chief Medical Director (CMD) at the time, Dr M.H.D. Ammar Al Jafari had since been replaced, and the current leadership was reviewing internal recruitment practices.

💼 Why It Mattered

The Finance Director position serves as the signatory point for all hospital payments, ranging from staff allowances to supplier contracts.
Once an irregularly appointed official occupies that post, the institution’s financial safeguards become exposed.
Indeed, the same signature later appeared on vouchers related to:
• D1.8 million in Call Allowances paid to non-medical staff (Finding 3.1)
• D830,000 in Non-Private-Practice Allowances to ineligible staff (Finding 3.2)
• and unretired imprests amounting to hundreds of thousands of dalasis (Findings 3.11–3.13).

The Auditor General concluded that weak recruitment controls at the top created conditions for systematic misuse of funds.

⚖️ The Laws and Policies Breached
• Public Service Act 2011 (Section 14) — requires open, competitive recruitment for senior posts.
• Public Finance Act 2014 (Section 46) — mandates that accounting officers ensure proper control over public funds.
• EFSTH Recruitment Policy — requires both Board and Ministry of Health endorsement for director-level positions.

Each of these frameworks was disregarded.

🧠 The Bigger Picture

The issue was not about personalities; it was about a system that allowed one of the most sensitive positions in the country’s premier hospital to be filled outside lawful procedure.
The result: millions in public funds were disbursed without adequate documentation, as seen across other findings in the same report.

The NAO warned:

“Irregular appointments at the leadership level expose the institution to continued financial risk and governance failure.”

💬 The People’s Questions for FPAC & the Ministry of Health

1️⃣ Who approved the Finance Director’s appointment outside the official process?
2️⃣ Why did the hospital board fail to enforce the recruitment policy?
3️⃣ Has the Ministry of Health reviewed the legality of this appointment as recommended by the NAO?
4️⃣ What reforms are being implemented to prevent similar breaches in other Hospitals?

✊🏾 The People’s Verdict

When recruitment rules are ignored, accountability collapses from the top down.
The Finance Director’s irregular appointment was not just a procedural misstep; it was a gateway to mismanagement.
Until the system that allowed it is fixed, every dalasi spent at EFSTH will remain a question mark over public trust.

✍🏾 By Jallow Modou, Washington D.C.
Financial Analyst | Making the Audit Speak for the People

Thank you for being a part of the OPEN GAMBIA PLATFORM community. Your support means the world to us! Please follow our page to keep up with our latest posts, and don't forget to hit that like button and share our content with your friends.

You can now write for the Open Gambia Platform, share information anonymously, and join the community. Please share your stories! Jallow Modou, Financial Analyst, Washington, D.C., USA, contributed to the article on November 09th 2025. Contributors' views are strictly personal and not of The OpenGambia Platform!

08/11/2025

https://askanigambia.com/

The AG Saturday Special Programme.

Theme: Minister Ismaila Ceesay's recent inflammatory rhetorics & The missing millions from GPA under Managing Director Ousman Jobarteh.

Guest: Sulayman Bun Dawda.

Date: Saturday, November 8, 2025.

Time: 8:00 p.m. in Banjul, 8:00 p.m. in UK, 9:00 p.m. in Stockholm.

We are pleased to welcome Bun Dawda as our guest this evening. He will provide a comprehensive analysis of the recent inflammatory statements made by the Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, who has accused former Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) Lead Counsel, Essa Faal, of politicizing his role at the commission from the outset, among other allegations. Bun Dawda will be asked regarding the derogatory and provocative remarks made by Ceesay during the NPP Sukuta grand rally held last week as well as statements made aduring coffee Time with Peter Gomez..

Recent reports indicate that Ousman Jobarteh, the Managing Director of The Gambia Ports Authority, is about to be charged regarding the millions that have gone missing and remain unaccounted for. Jobarteh is currently pursuing medical treatment in Dakar.

The Gambia Ports Authority has faced multiple allegations of corruption since President Adama Barrow took office. Ousman Jobarteh, a former enabler of Jammeh, should have been dismissed well after Jammeh's exit.

Bun Dawda will be asked about the potential charges against Jobarteh, along with various alleged economic crimes at the Gambia Ports Authority.

AG Host: Salieu Njie.

www.askanigambia.com
WhatsApp Phone numbers:
+46 725 442288 / +353 833 520335.

Repeal the draconian colonial Public Order Act.

Respect Section 25 of the constitution of The Gambia.

Justice for Omar Badjie who died under police custody on September 26th, 2025.

Abdoulie Sanyang must be freed: His medical condition in Mile-2 State Prison has deteriorated, yet the government continues to deny his release. Ablie’s detention and prosecution are perceived as a tactic to suppress the voices of the people. However, this has failed to silence the people. Let us hold him in our thoughts and prayers.

08/11/2025

Kemo Fatty’s Powerful Message: “The Gambia We Love Is Bleeding 💔”

A heartfelt call to action for a nation in pain. Kemo Fatty ❤️