What's On - Gambia, Banjul (2025)

05/07/2025

May Allah forgive his sins and grant him jannatul firdous.

Rest in Peace, Abdoulie.

05/07/2025

On Saturday, 16 August, the Gambia Welfare Association in Leeds in the U.K. is hosting a special fundraising show featuring none other than the King of Kora himself, Jaliba Kuyateh! All proceeds will go towards supporting the welfare of Gambians in our community.

05/07/2025

The nation’s beloved Peace Corps volunteer, Fatou Jarra, is returning home to the United States. We extend our heartfelt thanks for her dedicated service and hope to welcome her back after she completes her Master’s degree.

Follow her on TikTok.

05/07/2025

Which private school do you think is the best in the Greater Banjul Area?

Not private schools that are set up to scam parents.

05/07/2025

For The Gambia! 🇬🇲

This morning, we posted that we want to raise funds to renovate schools, bring back school clubs, build solar-powered cold rooms for women gardeners, and more.

Since then, we have been receiving messages from Gambians all over the world asking where they can send their donations.

Even Angelic Mendy, the 2025 Teacher of the Year, reached out to say she’s willing to volunteer her time to help revive school clubs.

But one message really touched us. A young man who arrived in Italy just seven months ago through the back way said he wants to donate D3,000 - even though he only earns €90 a month.

Gambians truly want a better country. They are ready to give their time, money, and energy to make it happen.

05/07/2025

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚

Dear What's On-Gambia,

I read with interest your recent post proposing ideas to boost tourism in The Gambia. It's always encouraging to see Gambians engaging actively in national development dialogue. Tourism is indeed central to our economic and cultural identity, and your passion is commendable.

However, I would like to offer some important clarifications in response to your post-particularly on issues where it might appear as though little or no work is being done. In fact, several of the points you raised are already being systematically addressed under the World Bank-funded Tourism Diversification and Resilience in The Gambia Project (TDRGP), a US$68 million national initiative implemented by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture .

Here’s a brief overview of ongoing efforts:

𝟏. 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The TDR project has developed a comprehensive 5-year Tourism Marketing, Branding and Investment Promotion l Strategy over an eight month period that was preceded by broad-based consultation with tourism stakeholders in and out of the country. The two comprehensive situational analyses on marketing and branding, and on investment promotion are available for download on our website. The new brand, logo and positioning statement will be rolled out with the strategy for implementation from August following Cabinet approval. I am pleased to inform you that the marketing strategy includes a strong digital marketing component using platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. The strategy was validated in May 2025 and is due for roll out.

𝟐. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 & 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

The Demand and Destination Site Assessment commissioned by the project in 2024 assessed 64 tourism sites across the country. Ten were shortlisted based on potential for development— including Kunta Kinteh Island, Wassu Stone Circles, and Albreda/Juffureh. Each site is being guided by tailored thematic concepts (e.g., “Reshaping Heritage Tourism” at Albreda, “Celebrating 1000 Years of Culture” at Wassu). The Government of the Gambia through effective collaboration between Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Natural Resources (MECCNAR), Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC), Ministry of Finance & Economic Affairs (MoFEA) and Ministry of Justice is building on the investment proposal on Kiang West National Park from the Demand and Destination Assessment Shortlist report to develop a Public Private Partnership proposal that will be subjected to competitive bidding.

𝟑. 𝐉𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 & 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

We’ve conducted a full Jetty Assessment Study of 10 potential river tourism hubs along the River Gambia. This includes hydrodynamic, economic, and engineering assessments with costed recommendations to improve riverine access, enabling sites like Janjanbureh, Bintang Bolong, and Albreda to become more accessible and appealing to tourists.

𝟒. 𝐊𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐡 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The revitalisation of Kunta Kinteh Island is a flagship project under the TDRGP. Plans include coastal erosion protection through offshore wave dampeners, flood walls, construction of two new jetties at Albreda and the Island, and a total redesign of the tourist experience, including museum and market upgrades. Preliminary designs are completed, with the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment now underway.

𝟓. 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐅𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚)

The project will also protect The Gambia’s most prized coastline from erosion—from Fajara to Senegambia—through beach nourishment and construction of offshore breakwaters. The feasibility study has been completed, preliminary design and modeling finalised. Stakeholder consultations and technical design reviews are already ongoing.

𝟔. 𝐌𝐒𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦

We agree that empowering local businesses is essential. The project has trained and
supported 57 tourism-related MSMEs (including many women- and youth-led businesses) through a capacity-building and matching grant scheme. These MSMEs are now set to receive $1.4 million in grants. A second cohort of 65 MSMEs has also been onboarded, with a goal of supporting up to 200 MSMEs by 2027.

We appreciate your ideas and encourage continued civic engagement. However, it’s equally important to ground our conversations in the context of existing national efforts—many of which directly align with your aspirations for the sector.

Thank you again for contributing to the public discourse. If you or your audience would like to learn more about the project’s ongoing work, we’d be happy to engage further and please check our website where we regularly upload final reports and tag or follow our social media feeds on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter.

You can contact the Project Director, Mr. Momodou Ceesay at [email protected], or the communication specialist [email protected]

Rohey Samba
𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑚 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 & 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑎 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡
𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡
𝐵𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑤𝑎𝑦
𝐾𝑜𝑡𝑢, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑎
𝑊𝑒𝑏𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒: 𝑤𝑤𝑤.𝑡𝑑𝑟𝑔𝑝.𝑔𝑚
𝐸𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙: 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜@𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑐.𝑔𝑚

————-
Thank you for the clarification.

05/07/2025

Good morning, Gambia!

Since the government is more focused on buying luxury cars, fuel coupons, per diems, and constructing poor-quality roads for kickbacks, we want to organize a national fundraiser to do the following:

1. Purchase standby generators or solar power systems for all health centers nationwide.

2. Repair and drill new boreholes for schools across the provinces.

3. Provide standby generators or solar power systems for all senior secondary schools offering STEM subjects.

4. Manufacture desks and chairs for lower basic schools.

5. Construct standard toilets for schools and employ cleaners to ensure they remain clean and well-maintained.

6. Renovate schools with dilapidated walls, damaged floors, and leaking roofs.

7. Build solar-powered cold rooms for market vendors in Tippa Garage, Brikama, Banjul, Latri K***a Sabiji, Serrekunda, Tallinding, and Coastal Road.

8. Partner with a construction or real estate company to build a student hostel in Faraba for UTG students.

9. Acquire plots of land in Kanifing Municipality and the West Coast Region to convert into football fields.

10. Construct multipurpose centers for activities such as music shows, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and more. These centers will be managed by salaried staff - not by VDCs or youth associations.

11. Revive student organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Brownies, and Red Cross in schools.

12. Purchase printing machines for schools to reinstate termly exams. At the end of each term, students will sit for exams and go home with report cards on the final day.

04/07/2025

Tajabone!

04/07/2025

Citizenship is one topic that all the politicians keep avoiding - even the NPP, which claims to be migrant-friendly and against xenophobia.

Getting a voter’s card? No problem. Sometimes they will even bring it right to your doorstep.

But try getting a national ID or a passport. It’s harder than climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

The constitution says you can only be a citizen if at least one of your parents is Gambian, even if you were born here.

Funny enough, it’s easier for someone from India or Lebanon to become Gambian than it is for a Senegalese, Guinean, or Sierra Leonean.

We’ve tried to help a lot of young people become citizens through naturalization, but every time we go to Immigration, they ask for alien card receipts first.

04/07/2025

This is not the Bakoteh Dumpsite; this is the Brikama District Hospital.

04/07/2025

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐚𝐣𝐢 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚

The Ministry of Health wishes to clarify recent reports about a rental dispute involving one of our facilities, as well as the subsequent media coverage of this issue. We recognise and value the important role of the media in informing the public, but we feel it is necessary to provide a fuller account of events to ensure fair and accurate reporting.

At the core of this matter is a landlord who, regrettably, has behaved in a manner unbecoming of a professional relationship. This person has made abusive remarks targeting senior Ministry officials and has even threatened the use of black magic against officials. Despite these unacceptable actions, the Ministry has consistently acted in good faith as a tenant.

Regarding the financial aspects of this matter, it is important to clarify the actual timeline of events. The Ministry had agreed with the landlord to pay the rent for 2025 in two instalments.

The first instalment, covering January to June 2025, was settled promptly. The second instalment, for the latter half of 2025, was scheduled for payment in June, by our standard procedures and prior agreement. While the Treasury Department's processes sometimes require time, the payment was ultimately made within the agreed-upon timeframe.

However, before this process could be completed, and contrary to the provisions of the Rent Act 2024, which prohibit demanding rent in advance, the landlord took the drastic step of locking the facility. This premature action disrupted critical official administrative functions.

The Ministry deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to the public by this unnecessary escalation.

We take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to providing affordable and accessible healthcare to all Gambians. Our public health facilities continue to offer essential services, including C-sections, dialysis, and maternal and child health care, at costs significantly lower than private providers. While we acknowledge the challenges we face in delivering these services, we are proud of the progress made over the past decade in our pursuit of universal health coverage.

To What's On Gambia, we must emphasise the importance of balanced reporting that presents all sides of a story. Journalism that omits key facts risks misleading the public and undermining trust in our institutions.

Hearing from both sides will always help your readership to get the facts. We extend an open invitation to you to engage with us for clarification on matters of public interest. Unfortunately, for most things against the government, you jump to conclusions without hearing from the government's side. Your readership deserves better.
—————

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲:

1. Why did your statement omit the cost of rent?
Could you please disclose how much you are paying Haji annually for the property?

2. If you believe Haji is mentally unwell, as you claimed, why are you continuing to rent his property?

3. Are you only just realizing that the Rent Act prohibits landlords from collecting rent in advance? For your information, many Gambians are still dealing with this very issue. If you're looking for someone to blame, direct your frustration at the government for failing to enforce the Rent Act.

04/07/2025

Good morning, Gambia!

We really need to talk about the retirement age in this country. Why is it still 60?

What’s happening now is that the president is using the retirement age as a tool to control senior civil servants. As they approach 60, many of them start “dogo dogo-ing” behind him and his inner circle - just to secure post-retirement contracts.

Take the case of Salimatou Touray, for example. When she retired at 60 as Secretary General, there was a whole farewell ceremony for her. But just a few months later, she was appointed as The Gambia’s ambassador to Ethiopia.

Today, a large number of senior civil servants are serving on contract: the Solicitor General, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner General of GRA, the Chief of Staff, and many others.

These officials are more focused on pleasing the president than serving the country. If Barrow tells them to jump and touch the sky, they will try it.

So why not simply raise the retirement age to 65? Our useless National Assembly should be looking into this. A lot of countries have already moved it up to 67.

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